Soren Kierkegaard

ink-splattering quill pen by the much more serviceable metal pen .The
Danish metal pen was the invention of H .C .Thønnesen, a goldsmith,
whose continued experimentation resulted in a metal pen with a built-in
inkholder, though this forerunner of the fountain pen was a bit too radical
for the times and sales were slow .A portrait painter from Vienna named
Weninger had greater success when he established his business in a court-
yard on Bredgade; here the upper bourgeoisie could take up their positions
and have themselves photographed—or daguerrotyped, as it was then
called .For a fee of eight rixdollars Weninger could produce a reasonably
clear portrait in fifteen seconds .A few months later he had competition
from a Dane named Alstrup, who installed himself in a small shop at the
Royal Gardens and produced pictures for five rixdollars apiece .The pictures
cost a good bit of money but took almost no time .(In 1840, when the
sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen had been the first Dane to have himself immor-
talized in this manner, the old man had had to sit absolutely still for a very
long time—while making a pair of horns with the little and index fingers
of his left hand in order to ward off the camera’s evil eye!)
It was not customary to smile at the photographer .Perhaps there was
not so much to smile about—or with—because Aunty Toothache, as Hans
Christian Andersen called her, was a frequent and unwelcome visitor, and
expansive smiles were in short supply .There was thus a considerable de-
mand, and a woodcarver named Iversen began to satisfy it in 1844, when
he broadened his practice to include the production of artificial teeth .Public
health officials protested against this unauthorized undertaking, but Iversen
fought back and won his case in the Supreme Court, after which others
also had a desire to embark upon an adventure in dentures .These included
one Lars Peter Petersen, who was granted permission to implant walrus
teeth; they cost a mere four marks each and were wrapped in silk in order
to minimize soreness of the gums .History does not mention how a person
looked when outfitted in this manner, but it is unlikely that these Danish
pioneers enjoyed much in the way of success, for in 1851 it was ballyhooed
as an important breakthrough when the English began to produce artificial
teeth that not only were implanted in a sort of gumlike rubbery substance
called gutta-percha, but could also be used for chewing.
In general it was fairly easy to obtain licenses for the production of pretty
much everything under the sun, but naturally there was some hesitation
with respect to certain requests .Thus when an architect by the name of
Holm applied for the right to a twenty-year monopoly on the manufacture
of “machines propelled by the weight and pressure of flowing matter,” the
authorities quite understandably requested additional information .This was
also the case when someone named Martinussen sought a patent on his