St. Croix Landmarks Society

Library & Archives

 Axel Ovesen Collection 1904 - 1972

from the Daily News, Thursday, March 26, 1993
by Nina York

In 1904, when a 19 year old Dane named Axel Ovesen arrived on St. Croix with the 9th battalion of the Danish garrison, he probably never would have guessed that this remote possession of Denmark would become his permanent home.

The son of a sailor, Ovesen was born in the seafaring town of Aalborg in Jutland. Perhaps his father's foreign travels inspired him to seek a distant destination.

Young Ovesen's few duties at the Frederiksted garrison allowed him ample time to indulge in his hobby of photography. He brought along two cameras, one with panoramic capability of 180 degrees. Among the soldiers there was a great demand for portraits to send home to friends and family.

When the military garrison was succeeded by a citizen militia in 1906, Ovesen and his fellow soldiers had the options of returning to Denmark with the military or resigning. the majority stepped down and many moved to the United States. Only a few opted along with Ovesen to remain on St. Croix.

He made his decision largely because of the business opportunities he envisioned with a photographic career. He settled in Frederiksted and began operating a store carrying books, Danish newspapers and foods, postcards which he himself produced, and many other items--along with his photography studio. He was always on hand at weddings, christenings and other festive occasions which the local population wanted to record. As there were few professional photographers in the islands, his clientele was considerable.

In 1912, Ovesen embarked on another enterprise, a daily newspaper-- The West End News, which he published in cooperation with Alberic Lightbourne. Ovesen's photographs, particularly of the island's numerous parades, were perfectly suited for the newspaper. This liberal daily was quite successful and continued until 1974; however, Ovesen had sold his interest in it in 1920.

An enthusiastic entrepreneur, he also sold candy and opened a bicycle sales and rental shop, a movie theater and a bowling alley. He also had a soda fountain with his photo studio and darkroom in the back room of the soda fountain. You could have your film developed for five cents; prints were a penny each. Ovesen maintained this reasonable price structure for 20 years.

He also sold "Cartes de visite", the little photographs our grandparents used to give away, for $1.50 a dozen. Many of his interesting photographs of local activities, scenery and buildings were used in Luther Zabriskie's book of 1919 about the islands.

In 1917, Ovesen married Christine Amalie Tranberg, the daughter of a resident Danish businessman. He became the proud father of five children and maintained many Danish customs at his home, particularly at Christmastime. The children assisted in the many family business activities. When Christine Ovesen died in 1927, their upbringing was taken over by her sister, who liven nearby.

The loss of his wife hit Ovesen hard, and during subsequent years he suffered many financial setbacks. In 1930 he traveled to New York, where his sister lived, but it was a period of hard times in the U. S. mainland as well, and eventually he gave up looking for work there and returned to St. Croix in 1932, arriving with his last 10 cents in his pocket.

With the help of friends and family, Ovesen was soon back in business as a photographer in Frederiksted, supplementing his income by selling his own home-grown vegetables. He soon married Louisa Tohena Arizmendi, the daughter of a resident of a Puerto Rican Businessman, who was originally from Vieques.

Soon, Ovesen was in clover again, and as the years progressed, he increasingly allowed his business to take care of itself.

In 1970, Ovesen fell and broke his hip. The store soon closed, and in 1972, after two years of disability, Axel Ovesen died in the town where he had spent the major part of his life. He was buried in the Lutheran cemetery at the edge of town.

His photographs produced an enduring legacy of invaluable importance not merely to historians, but to anyone interested in knowing what life here was like in the early part of the 20th century.

St. Croix Landmarks Society Library & Archives 52 Estate Whim Frederiksted, VI 00840 (340) 772-0598
SCLS-Library@StCroixLandmarks.org
Last modified on: May 28, 2008