Elisabeth Anna Maria Jerichau-Baumann (1818-1881), Danish painter, writer and traveller of Polish origin. Born in Warsaw, between 1838 and 1844 she studied privately at the Academy of Painting in Düsseldorf and was also active as a theatre actress. In 1846, she left for Rome, where she met her future husband, the Dane Jens Adolf Jerichau. In 1849 she went to live with him in Copenhagen, where she became popular with her painting Mother Denmark (1851). In time, she gained international recognition. In Denmark, she mainly created portraits, including of Queen Caroline Amelia (1851), King Frederick VII (1863) and Hans Christian Andersen (1850). She also sought models from random passers-by. Representations of mermaids were also among her favourite motifs. She often emphasised her Polish origins, including her 1844 diploma paintings referring to the November Uprising: Polish woman escaping with her children from a destroyed house, Polish peasant family in the ruins of a burnt house; Polish Mother (1857); Dying Pole (1865).