Sophus Tromholt: Starman

Danish teacher, astrophysicist and amateur photographer Sophus Tromholt (1851–96) is mainly remembered today for his pioneering study of the Northern Lights—and for his striking portraits of the Sámi people in and around Kautokeino, Norway. Known to the locals of Kautokeino as "Násteolmmái," "the Starman," Tromholt abandoned his early attempts to photograph the aurora and instead produced a stunning photographic portfolio including landscape photographs, documentation of traditional Sámi dwellings and objects, and around 50 portraits of Sámi individuals. The portfolio was published in 1883. His photographic archive, held at the University of Bergen Library's Picture Collection, became part of UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2013. This is the first publication devoted solely to Tromholt and his photographic heritage.