Natalie Zahle

1827 - 1913

Denmark

Natalie Zahle was the founder of the Zahle’s School. She was born in Horsens and grew up from the age of ten with relatives in Copenhagen. Parentless, she was thrust into the deep end of life as a private tutor at the age of fifteen and in 1851 established a school for private tutors in the making.

Her school, which combined Romantic revival with realist acquisition of knowledge, was groundbreaking for women’s entry into the labour market. She recorded her educational ideas in Om den kvindelige Uddannelse her i Landet, 1873. Her memoirs, Mit Liv, were published posthumously in 1914.

Further Reading

Birgitte Possing: Zahle: awaking the promise of the soul, 2002

Articles about her