Ingeborg Maria Sick

Ingeborg Maria Sick was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 17 September 1858. She was the daughter of Carl Emil Sick, a diplomat and politician, and his wife Conradine Franciska Marcher. She spent her early years in Paris, where her father was stationed, until his death in 1864. She returned to Denmark with her mother and siblings, and continued to feel a connection to France throughout her life. ¹ She was financially independent and deeply religious, and devoted many years of her life to supporting philanthropic initiatives for the poor and needy. She worked as a volunteer nurse in the slums of Copenhagen, London, and Paris, and later as an employee of the welfare services in Copenhagen. She also helped to establish the first nursing education program in Denmark, which later became the Danish Nursing School. ¹ She started writing in her forties, and published over 30 works, including novels, biographies, poems, and a play. Her novels were popular in Scandinavia and Germany, and were translated into several languages. They often dealt with romantic and erotic conflicts, and expressed her Christian faith. Her most important works were the biographies of Mathilda Wrede, a Swedish-Finnish philanthropist who befriended prisoners, and Karen Jeppe, a Danish missionary who worked in Armenia. ¹² She received several awards and honors for her writing and philanthropy, including the Order of the British Empire in 1947 and the Florence Nightingale Medal in 1961. She died in Hørsholm, Denmark, on 14 November 1951, and was buried at Asminderød Cemetery. ¹²