Christian Hansen was born in Tromsø in 1863. At an early age, he established his own studio in the city. As a young man, Hansen travelled to document the large fisheries in Lofoten and Finnmark. He later also captured a number of interesting city motifs from Tromsø on glass plates. But he left his mark mostly as a portrait photographer.
Christian Hansen was a pronounced figure in the cityscape with his Bohemian-like appearance and characteristic hat. He was considered a master at bringing out the personality of the people who posed in front of his camera, and experimented early with lighting and environment.
The firm Chr. Hansen became North Norway’s oldest photography studio. After it closed down in 1999, Hansen’s descendents donated a unique collection of photographic equipment and glass plates to Perspektivet Museum. Parts of the collection are now on display in the exhibition “Han lærte meg å se”.
