Background
Sigwart Wilhelm Theodor Werner was born on June 13, 1872, in Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Sigwart Wilhelm Theodor Werner was born on June 13, 1872, in Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Sigwart Werner graduated from Brocks School of Commerce in 1893.
Licensed as a wholesale dealer in 1989, Sigwart Werner was co-owner of the T. M. Werner Company until 1927, when he resigned. Encouraged by the success of his early work Dyrehaven og Jægersborg Hegn (1919), between 1927 and 1940, he published a series of 15 photographic volumes, each covering one of the country's regions. Among the most popular were Bornholm and Nordsjælland. Sigwart Werner was so motivated by the national romanticism movement that he not only tried to present nature as it was but touched up his photographs whenever he could. Werner's photographs of Copenhagen present all the well-known sights and monuments in their very best light, including the Little Mermaid, the City Hall, and the Tivoli Gardens. He was careful to avoid any shots of disadvantaged areas or untidy streets. If the prints are compared with the original negatives, it will be noticed that they have often been significantly altered. For example, the fisherwoman has been removed from Gammel Strand and the City Hall can be seen rising behind the National Museum.
A member of Denmark's Association of Nature Preservation in 1919, Sigwart Werner was also a member of the council and was made a member of honor in 1936.
Quotes from others about the person
The photographer is described by Bjorn Ochsner as "a solid photographic technician who sensitively recorded the intimate relationship between Danish nature and ancient architecture."
