In the space between nature and art there is sawdust. That’s where Christ Hansen lived and
worked, sawing and sanding, transforming wood into objects of beauty and
utility. Running his eyes and
fingers over a rough log, he sensed the potential of the raw wood. Trees offered him a gift. The master cabinetmaker responded with
inclination and skill.
Christ loved and respected trees. Some photos of his young daughters feature the trees rather
than the children, placed seemingly just to give a sense of scale. [1]
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Sometimes, rather than purchasing wood, he prepared his own. In this process he could anticipate the
thrill of discovering a beautiful grain behind the bark of the misshapen lumps.
Christ’s friend and patron David French (above) shared his passion
for trees. Older by over twenty
years, the retired minister was an avid collector of California wood specimens.[4] He accompanied Christ on this outing to
harvest the burl oak tree.[5] He may have used one of Christ’s tree
saws, a crosscut saw made specifically for this purpose. [6]
Falling a tree and cutting it into manageable chunks were
the first steps in the process of preparing the wood. The tree’s growth pattern determined how it was sawed into smaller
sizes and shapes. Drying allowed
the wood to shrink before the final product was carved or built, sanded, and
finished.
In over sixty years of cabinetmaking, Christ Hansen built a large body of fine craftsmanship. From the oak tree’s burl his trained eye and skilled
hands created these bookends, the master craftsman’s expression of gratitude
for nature’s gift of trees.
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Christen “Christ”
Hansen
Born 14 June 1878 in Kirkebak, Romlund,
Viborg, Denmark[7]
Married 4 June 1913 in
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, to Jensine Vestergaard[8]
Died 21 February 1963,
Inglewood, Los Angeles County, California[9]
[1] Tree with
Florence and Margaret Hansen, photograph, ca. 1922; Christ Hansen photo album, 1913-1930s,
Fox Family Collection, privately held by grandson Larry Fox, Aloha, Oregon
(2013).
[2] California
live oak with burls, photograph; Christ Hansen photo album.
[3] White oak
burl veneer, digital image courtesy of Veneer Supplies (http://www.veneersupplies.com :
accessed 20 April 2013) and Joe Gorleski.
[4] His
occupation and 1853 Illinois birth are recorded in the 1900 U. S. Census,
Penobscot County, Maine, population schedule, Hampden, ED 106, sheet 10,
dwelling 222, family 232, David E. French entry; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com
: accessed 20 April 2013); from National Archives microfilm publication T623,
roll 598; Family History Library microfilm 1,240,598. See also “Local Resident Maker of Inlaid Wood Furniture,” Inglewood [California] Daily News,
undated clipping, mid-1950s; photocopy, Fox Family Collection.
[5] David French
sawing tree, photograph; Christ Hansen photo album.
[6] Christ
Hansen tree saw; Christ Hansen Collection, privately held by grandson William
E. Fox, Golden, Colorado. Digital photograph taken in 2013 by Sue Fox, Golden
Colorado.
[7] Romlund Parish (Romlund, Viborg, Denmark),
Kirkebog, 1865-1884, Fodte Mandkion [Male Births], p. 18, no. 3, Christen
Hansen entry, 14 June 1878; digital images, Statens Arkiver, Denmark, Arkivalieronline (http://www.sa.dk/content/dk/ao-forside/find_kirkeboger#
: accessed 19 April 2013).
[8] Los Angeles County, California, Marriage
License, Christ Hansen and Jensine Westergard, 4 June 1913; Fox Family Papers,
photocopy privately held by Larry S. Fox, Aloha, Oregon, 2013.
[9] Christ Hansen funeral program, Inglewood
(California) Park Cemetery, citing services on 26 February 1963; Fox Family
Papers, photocopy privately held by Larry S. Fox, Aloha, Oregon, 2013.
© 2013 Judy Kellar Fox, 9395 SW 190th Ave.,
Aloha, OR 97007-6733; foxkellarj@comcast.net
