Historical Portrait
Thodur Einarsson, portrait, photograph
Archive record
Photograph caption: "A portrait of his father -- the 'Viking' with the beard -- is in Stefansson's book 'Iceland'." Forms part of a group of field materials documenting Thodur Einarsson performing Icelandic hymns on November 11, 1939, collected by Sidney Robertson Cowell in San Francisco, California.
About this photograph
This photograph was made during a collecting session on November 11, 1939, when Sidney Robertson Cowell recorded Thodur Einarsson singing Icelandic hymns in San Francisco. The image shows a portrait of Einarsson's father, described in the caption as "the 'Viking' with the beard," which appeared in Stefansson's book on Iceland.
Cowell directed the W.P.A. California Folk Music Project from 1938 to 1940, recording and photographing traditional musicians across Northern California. She worked deliberately across immigrant communities rather than focusing on a single tradition. The project's documentation includes Armenian, Icelandic, Italian, Portuguese, Mexican, Irish, and Serbian performers.
The recordings and photographs from the California Folk Music Project are held by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. This portrait formed part of the field materials documenting Einarsson's performance that November day.
Compiled from the catalogue record and reference notes on the formats and events involved. The archive record above is the primary source.
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