While South Georgia’s whaling era was overwhelmingly male-dominated, women weren’t entirely absent. Some of the whaling station managers and senior officials brought their wives to live on South Georgia. These women lived in the relatively better housing available at the stations, but their presence was rare. Carl Anton Larsen’s wife and daughters stayed at the manager’s villa which Pastor Løken called ‘the palace’ (slottet), pictured below.
Andrine, Carl Lansen, Signe, Margit, Carl Jr, Aslaug in the ‘palace’. Credit: Eve Marie Widmark
One notable example is Solveig Jacobsen who was the first person born and raised south of the Antarctic Convergence. She was born in Grytviken on 8 October 1913, the daughter of Fridthjof Jacobsen, C. A. Larsen’s nephew and the station manager at Grytviken, and his wife, Klara Olette Jacobsen. Solveig spent her early years on the island before her family eventually left. She also had two sisters born on the island, Signe and Åse.
Stromness manager Erik Sørlle also brought his wife and children to the island – he named Signy Island within the South Orkney Islands after his wife Signy Therese who lived on South Georgia with him and their children.
Women are now a prominent presence on South Georgia, exemplified by the fantastic all-women team at the South Georgia Museum this year!
Larsen family snowball fight Grytviken, 1905. Credit: Eva Marie Widmark
📷 Header image: Anne-Marie Sørlle on the ship Undine 1914, credit: Vestfoldmuseenes mediearkiv – Sandefjordmuseene.