Margrethe Hald

Margrethe Hald (1897–1982) was a Danish textile historian and a curator at the National Museum of Denmark. A major contributor to international textile research, she earned the title D.Phil (Doctor of Philosophy) in 1950 thanks to her thesis Olddanske tekstiler (Old Danish Textiles).

Biography

Born in the little village of Neder Vrigsted, near Horsens in eastern Jutland, Hald was one of four children who were raised on a farming estate managed by her mother after her father died when she was three. Interested in art from an early age, Hald had learnt to weave in the village and at the high schools in Vrigsted and Askov. While at the Design School for Women (Tegne- og Kunstindustriskolen for Kvinder), she was encouraged by Elna Mygdal to focus on the history of textiles at the National Museum.

As a result of her research, in 1930 she wrote a dissertation on Brikvævning, presenting prehistoric textile techniques. In 1935, together with Hans Christian Broholm, she published Danske Broncealders Dragter (Danish Bronze Age Costumes). After several study trips in Europe, in 1939 she was given an appointment at the National Museum where she received the title of inspector in 1947. On the basis of her Olddanske Tektiler', she earned the doctorate degree D.Phil in 1950. She also organized various textile exhibitions and went on to publish a number of other works on weaving, old textiles and shoes.