Enjoy the revised "Informal History" brochure in PDF format.
The American-Scandinavian Foundation
... to extend the work of the Foundation, its secretary, Henry
Goddard Leach, ...
A special fellowship of $1000 given by Dr. And Mrs. Henry
Goddard Leach to ...
www.amscan.org/fourscore.html
FOURSCORE AND TEN
90 Years with the ASF
While the American-Scandinavian Foundation was established in
1910, it was not formally incorporated until March 16th of the
following year; Consequently, 1911 is generally considered the
ASF's date of birth, and the Foundation is celebrating its
90th anniversary this year.
In 1910 and 1911 the 20th century was approaching adolescence.
1910 saw the debut of Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird, the
completion of New York's Manhattan Bridge, and the
establishment of the Carnegie Endowment for World Peace.
Victor Herbert's Naughty Marietta had its premiere, as well as
E.M. Forster's Howard's End, and America celebrated its first
Father's Day. The year also registered the passing of such
notable figures as Winslow Homer, Florence Nightingale, and
Julia Ward Howe, not to mention the literary greats Mark
Twain, Leo Tolstoy and Norway's Björnstierne Björnson. It was
in 1911 that the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen discovered
the South Pole, that Richard Strauss composed Der
Rosenkavalier and Irving Berlin published Alexander's Ragtime
Band. Among the soon-to-be-famous people born in that year
were the unlikely trio of Ronald Reagan, Tennessee Williams
and Lucille Ball.
When the American-Scandinavian Foundation was founded,
international organizations and means for binational cultural
cooperation were almost non-existent. The idea of creating a
private organization to work for cultural exchanges and
friendly relations between the United States and a group of
foreign countries was at the time completely new and untried.
Thus the founding of the Foundation may be said to mark a new
departure in nongovernmental international relations. As the
first of the international societies to have as its sole
purpose the furtherance of good will through cultural and
educational exchange, the new organization was an innovation
in which idealism and realism were equally combined.
ASF was the realization of a dream long held by its founder,
the Danish-American industrialist and philanthropist Niels
Poulson. Shortly before his death in 1911, he established a
new foundation, which can be said to have grown out of the
existing American-Scandinavian Society, to work exclusively in
the field of international education and cultural exchange.
According to Poulson's wishes it was to have within its
purview the Scandinavian countries and the U.S. The great
vision and broadmindedness of Niels Poulson may perhaps best
be indicated by the fact that he directed his funds to be used
to promote cultural interchange between his adopted country
and all the Scandinavian countries, not just the land of his
birth.
What follows is a year-by-year chronicle of a sampling of
noteworthy events in ASF's history as documented in its
journal, the Scandinavian Review, and its annual reports, and
how the Foundation played a very particular role in the many
developments of the most significant century in human history.
The listing was compiled by the editor.
1912
As its first president, the Foundation named Frederick Lynch,
an educator and former Congregational minister. In its first
annual report, the Foundation acknowledged its gratitude to
the monarchs of Norway, Sweden and Denmark for consenting to
become ASF patrons. Mindful of the importance of fine arts in
Scandinavian culture, ASF sponsored the Scandinavian Art
Exhibit, consisting of 150 works of art that toured five U.S.
cities. Among the artists was Edvard Munch, whose paintings
were being shown for the first time in the U.S. From among 45
applicants, ASF trustees selected seven to receive
fellowships. The trustees also decided to establish a
bimonthly publication, the American-Scandinavian Review, to
open channels of communication among Norway, Sweden, Denmark
and the U.S. (The name has since been changed to the
Scandinavian Review and now appears three times a year.)
1913
In its second issue, the Review published an article by Roald
Amundsen, who little more than a year earlier had become the
first man to reach the earth's South Pole, and who was then
soliciting Arctic expedition "compared to which our trip to
the South Pole was a mere pleasure jaunt." In order to extend
the work of the Foundation, its secretary, Henry Goddard
Leach, made a three-month trip to Scandinavia to confer with
new appointed advisory committees there. The trustees also
authorized publication of books in two series-Scandinavian
Classics and Scandinavian Monographs.
1914
The first books published by the Foundation were Comedies by
Holberg, and Poems by Tegner. The first of ASF's sister
societies in Scandinavia, the Denmark-America Foundation, was
established.
1915
The Review featured two articles about its founder, Niels
Poulson, who died in 1911. One of the articles was devoted to
Poulson's home in Brooklyn, built entirely of metal.
1916
Two translations of Icelandic literature were published: The
Prose Edda of Snori Sturluson and Modern Icelandic Plays.
ASF's board authorized "the creation of a limited number of
honorary fellowships without stipends-no more than two from
any one country in one year-to be filled when worthy
candidates apply."
1917
Performances of Eyvind of the Hills, a play by Johann
Sigurjonsson, were presented in Boston under ASF auspices.
This was the first time an Icelandic play had been seen in the
U.S. The Foundation elected its second president, Professor
William Henry Schofield, Chairman of the Department of
Comparative Literature at Harvard University, to succeed Dr.
Frederick Lynch. The year's annual report noted that the ASF
had aided the various departments of the government in
activities compelled by the war, such as giving publicity to
Liberty Loans and food conservation and recruitment advice.
Three of ASF's 13 trustees were then serving in the military.
1918
From the annual report: "...It was voted to increase the
regular Associate dues and subscription fee to $2.00 a year.
Mr. C. S. Haight [a trustee], who introduced the motion,
guaranteed to make good" any loss that might be thereby
incurred."
1919
Kemp Malone, the noted philologist, became the Foundation's
first recipient of a fellowship to Iceland. Two additional
Nordic sister societies were formed: the Sweden-America
Foundation and the Norway-America Association.
1920
A special fellowship of $1,000 given by Dr. And Mrs. Henry
Goddard Leach to provide for an additional student to Denmark
for the academic year 1920-1921, was given to Robert Hillyer,
who went on to win a Pulitzer Prize. President Schofield died
at his home in Peterborough, New Hampshire, after an illness
of several months.
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Scandinavian Review
Copyright © 2001 The American-Scandinavian Foundation and
GlobeScope Internet Services
General Norse Bibliography
... Scandinavian Studies: Essays Presented to Dr Henry Goddard
Leach on the
Occasion of His Eighty-fifth Birthday. Seattle: University of
Washington Press, ...
www.ravensgard.org/gerekr/norsebib.html
Geography. Language
Bayerschmidt, Carl F. and Erik J. Friis, ed. Scandinavian
Studies: Essays Presented to Dr Henry Goddard Leach on the
Occasion of His Eighty-fifth Birthday. Seattle: University of
Washington Press, 1965.
Einar Jonsson
... Henry Goddard Leach described Jonsson like this. ... Einar
Jonsson, Henry Goddard Leach, American-Scandinavian Review,
Vol. 41& 42, 1953 ...
www.absoluteastronomy.com/ encyclopedia/E/Ei/Einar_Jonsson.htm
Style of sculpture
Jonsson's works fall into three general categories. First
there were the public monuments that he was commissioned by
the government to produce. The second group was private
commissions that he obtained, consisting of portraits and
cemetery monuments and the third collection consisted of the
private works that he labored over as he became increasingly
and deeply spiritually attuned and reclusive. In this amazing
body of works Jonsson's spiritual nature is clearly seen,
though it is often difficult to describe. The themes for these
works are frequently drawn from Quick Facts about: Norse
mythology.
The mythology of Scandinavia (shared in part by Britain and
Germany) until the establishment of ChristianityNorse
mythology and Icelandic folk tales. Jonsson's world is
populated by angels and trolls, by beautiful women and bold
warriors, and most of all a layer of symbolic content that can
invariably be felt, but not always understood.
Henry Goddard Leach described Jonsson like this.
All things considered, Jonsson is unique in the world of art.
If he had any prototype they were the symbolic artists of
ancient Egypt. But Jonsson's nearest spiritual relative is
William Blake.
In recent years Jonsson's plasters have been cast in Quick Facts
about: bronze An alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other
elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements
in place of tinbronze and placed in the garden of his home and
studio or in city parks in Reykjavík and throughout Iceland. A
visit to the Einar Jonsson Museum in Reykjavík is a must for
all sculpture enthusiasts who may find themselves in Iceland.
Leach, Henry Goddard, 1880-1970, recipient. Letters from
various ...
No Frames Version.
oasis.harvard.edu:10080/oasis/deliver/ deepLink?_collection=oasis&uniqueId=hou01320
bMS Eng 854
Leach, Henry Goddard, 1880-1970, recipient. Letters from
various correspondents: Guide.
Houghton Library, Harvard College Library
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
© 2003 The President and Fellows of Harvard College
Descriptive Summary
Repository: Houghton Library, Harvard College Library, Harvard
University
Location: b
Call No.: MS Eng 854
Creator: Leach, Henry Goddard, 1880-1970, recipient.
Title: Letters from various correspondents,
Date(s): 1921-1951.
Quantity: 2 boxes (1 linear ft.)
Abstract: Letters to English editor and scholar Henry Goddard
Leach chiefly from English writers.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information: *52M-56
Gift of Henry Goddard Leach, 1021 Park Ave., New York 28, NY;
received: 1952 Oct. 7.
Historical Note
Leach was editor of the Forum magazine and a scholar of
Scandinavian civilization.
o (1) Agnew, C S T.L.s. to Henry Goddard Leach; London, 9 Oct
1925. 1s.(1p.)
o (17) Brown, Caroline Curtis. A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard]
Leach; [London, 1925] 1s.(2p.)
o (23) Cecil, Robert Cecil, viscount, 1864- T.L.s. to Henry
Goddard Leach; [London] 12 Jan 1933. 1s.(1p.)
o (33) Dane, Clemence [pseud.] A.L.s. to same; Axminster,
Deven [1925] 1s.(1p.); enclosed is T.L.s. from C.S.
Evans to Leach and c.c. of reply by Leach.
o (34) Darwin, Leonard, 1850-1943. A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard]
Leach; Burgh le Marsh, Lincolnshire, 7 Dec 1925. 1s.(2p.)
o (50) Ellis, Havelock, 1859-1939. A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard]
Leach; London, 14 Feb 1924. 1s.(1p.)
o (52) Ellis, Havelock, 1859-1939. A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard]
Leach; London, 21 Sep 1924. 1s.(1p.)
o (56) Ellis, Havelock, 1859-1939. A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard]
Leach; London, 12 Oct 1925. 1s.(1p.)
o (68) Galsworthy, John, 1867-1933. A.L.s. to [Henry] Goddard
Leach; London, 20 Oct 1925. 1s.(2p.)
o (83) Hughes, Richard, 1900- A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard] Leach;
Penrhyndeudraeth, Wales [1925] 1s.(2p.)
o (89) Huxley, Aldous, 1894- T.L.s. to Henry Goddard Leach;
Stringar, Kashmir, 14 Nov 1925. 1s.(1p.)
o (104) Knox, Ronald Arbuthnot, 1888- T.L.s. to [Henry Goddard
Leach]; Ware [Hertfordshire] 9 Nov 1925. 1s.(1p.)
o (122) Maurice, F A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard] Leach; [London] 13
Oct 1925. 1s.(2p.)
o (140) Ogden, Charles Kay, 1889- A.L.s. to Henry Goddard
Leach; [London] 18 Jul [n.d.] 1s.(1p.)
o (157) Royde-Smith, Naomi Gwladys. A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard]
Leach; [London] 24 Oct 1925. 1s.(2p.)
o (167) Sedgwick, Anne Douglas, 1873-1935. A.L.s. to [Henry
Goddard] Leach; Kingham, Oxfordshire, 23 Mar [n.d.] 1s.(3p.)
o (174) Sinclair, May. A.L.s. to [Henry Goddard] Leach;
Teignmouth [Deven] 12 Oct 1925. 1s.(1p.)
o (190) Watt, A P T.L.s. to Henry Goddard Leach; London, 20 Oct
1925. 1s.(1p.)
Scandinavian Review: Erik J. Friis (1913-1999) remembered
... A subsequent meeting with its legendary editor Henry
Goddard Leach was soon followed by an invitation to join the
ASF's publications staff in 1946. ...
www.24hourscholar.com/p/articles/ mi_qa3760/is_199904/ai_n8830864
Erik J. Friis (1913-1999) remembered
Scandinavian Review, Spring 1999 by Carter, Lynn
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Save it.
Erik J. Friis was Editor of Scandinavian Review and Director of
Publications for the ASF for twenty-five years. He also served
as Director of the ASF Library, wrote the Foundation's
history, and was a distinguished editor and translator. In
1995 the ASF bestowed its Cultural Award upon him "in
recognition of his lifelong commitment ...to furthering
understanding between the United States and Scandinavia
through the written word."
A native of Norway, young Erik had arrived in the States at
the age of 16. It was not long before he came across copies of
The AmericanScandinavian Review (as it was then called) at the
Brooklyn Public Library. A subsequent meeting with its
legendary editor Henry Goddard Leach was soon followed by an
invitation to join the ASF's publications staff in 1946. Five
years later, upon Dr. Leach's retirement, Mr. Friis at the age
of 38 assumed the Editorship of Scandinavian Review, and the
position of Director of Publications, both of which he held
until his retirement in 1978.
