Daguerreotypier af familien Rohde, kommandant Jørgen Levin Rohde i Dansk Vestindien

Samlingen fra familien Rohde blev solgt af Bruun Rasmussens auktioner i 2017 og erhvervet af Det Kongelige Bibliotek.

Jørgen Levin Rohde, 1786-1857, og hustru Louise Brown, 1805-1850, datter af plantageejer George Brown. Til højre i oval ramme affoto (også daguerreotypi) af daguerreotypi og derfor retvendt! En samling daguerreotypier (og et vitro el. ambrotypi) solgt af Bruun Rasmussen april 2017. Købt af Det Kongelige Bibliotek.

Unique daguerreotypes from the Danish West Indies: 13 daguerreo- and ambrotypes and 2 poetry books from Jørgen Levin Rohde's family, 1840's-1860's.
A large collection of 12 daguerreotypes and 1 ambrotype with relations to the family of Jørgen Levin Rohde, captain and commander at St. Thomas, The Danish West Indies (Virgin Islands), 1840's-1850's.
The collection includes 1 portrait of the commander him self, 2 of him and his wife Louise (born Brown), 1 double portrait of their two daugthers, 1 portrait of the commander, his wife and one daughter, 2 portraits of their black servants and also a number of unidentified portraits, probably with relations to the Rohde family. The ambrotype and daguerreotypes are housed in contemporary cases, some American style and some European style. Two are from the American photographer John Keenan, 248 South Second Street, Philadelphia. Various sizes, largest measure, 11×8 cm, smallest 7×6 cm.
J.L. Rohde is also known for his work as cartographer of St. Thomas and in 1828 he published a highly regarded work on the codes of signals at sea, “The Universal Sea Language”, which was translated and published in several countries.
Daguerrotypes were a unique and expensive way of photographing and thus it is very rare to see this type of photographs of local servants or slaves.

This rare collection includes daguerreotypes of the family and household of Danish captain, commander and author Jørgen Levin Rohde (1786–1857) who was born in The Danish West Indies. From an early age he was enlisted in the Royal Danish Navy and made a carreer for him self, rapidly rising through the ranks. In 1821 he married the young daughter of a plantation owner from the islands, Louise Brown (1806–1850). The couple had four sons and the two daughters Wilhelmine Frederikke and Anni Marie Louise, who are both depicted on some of the daguerrotypes. Also in the collcection are two photographs of Rohde's young son John Louis' personal waiter and the family wet-nurse from St. Thomas.
Samlingen indeholdt også (ikke vist her): two poetry books from the daughter of Jørgen Levin Rohde, Anni Marie Louise Rohde. One is dated 1842. Last entry dated 1850. Richly illustrated with original drawings in ink and watercolours, several depict sights from the Danish West Indies, executed by members of the Rohde family. In the drawings and letters enclosed in the poetry albums there are also sketches of the Rohde family's home in St. Thomas, Louisenhøj, exotic views, plants and animals of the Islands. There is also a letter to Commander Rohde regarding the death of his wife Louise Brown in september 1850.

"Jørgen Lewin" Rohde, f. 28. oktober 1786 på St Thomas, Dansk Vestindien, d. 8. august 1857 i Sorø, begravet i Sorø. Søn af Levin Jürgen Rohde og Marie Magens. Gift med Louise Brown, (Louise blev som kun 15-årig gift med sin onkel Levin på 35 år). Ægteparret havde Anny Marie Louise Rohde; Levin Georg Rohde; Wilhelmine Frederikke Rohde; Waldemar Meyer Rohde; Gustav Melchior Rohde og 1 anden (?). Han var bror til Anna Elisabeth Rohde. Han var "søofficer, commandeurcapitain og capitain" paa St. Thomas, havnechef på Sankt Thomas, forfatter.

Jørgen Levin Rohdes virke som kommandørkaptajn for havnen i St. Thomas samt hans prominente karriere som militærmand og forfatter af en verdensomspændende bestseller om havnesignaler sikrede ham en formue, der gav ham økonomi til at forevige sin familie og tjenestefolk på dyrebare daguerreotypier.

John Louis Rohdes (f. 1837) trofaste tjener Henry, i fint tøj og med cigar i hånden (et ambrotypi). Og familiens sorte amme, Nanna. Hendes påklædning er lidt mere hverdagsagtig, med den karakteristiske ternede hovedbeklædning, man så ofte så hos de sorte barnepiger og ammer i Dansk Vestindien.  Levin Jørgen Rohde og hans familie findes i folketællingerne for København af 1835 og 1840. I den sidste optræder også en tjener ved navn William Henry Kewt, som kunne være tjener Henry. Det portræt er amerikansk, men portrættet af Nanna er fotograferet i Europa/Danmark eller af dansk fotograf i Dansk Venstindien.

Louise og Wilhelmine Rohde. Aerikanske og europæiske daguerreotypier.

Portrættet af den gråhårede herre kunne være affoto af et maleri, og evt. kommandant Rohdes far. De tre daguerreotypier er i Europæisk tradition.

Nationalmuseet erhvervede i 2002 på auktion et portræt af hovedbygningen til plantagen »Louisenhøj« på St. Thomas. Et bedårende portræt af den purunge Louise, der lagde navn til huset gik til anden side. Som 15-årig blev hun på St. Thomas gift med sin 35-årige onkel, kommandørkaptajn og forfatter Levin Jørgen Rohde. De to billeder havde til 2002 været i slægtens eje. Louise født Brown findes også på museet på Malmøhus, et flot portræt af C.A. Jensen.

Anna Elisabeth Sarauw.