Portraits of dignity in the wilds of Norway
Born in 1856 in the municipality of Sogndal, Norway, Nils Olsson Reppon enjoyed a simple upbringing on-farm before emigrating to the United States in 1882. In his time in the US, Reppon became a professional photographer working in Minnesota before heading home to his local village in the 1890s.
With the intention of setting up his own photography business, Reppon decided to stray from the norm and not establish a photography studio, instead of photographing customers and locales in the breath-taking landscapes of the area.
As a result, some truly breath-taking photographs of 19th century rural Norwegians were produced, typically photographed in front of the mesmerizing landscapes of the region, including mountains, rivers, fjords, and glaciers.
Reppon liked to photograph subjects using cameras with a large format stereoscopic view, allowing him to create unique compositions where the landscape dominated the image. Subjects were often placed a long distance from the camera to help emphasize the landscapes beyond.
Unfortunately, the bulk of his work was destroyed during a house fire, but some photographs managed to survive the blaze, providing a wonderful insight into the magical landscapes of Norway and the simple life of farmers and countrymen.
