Original Vintage Poster See The Lands Of The Vikings Travel Old Norse Style Art

Benjamin Blessum was an American painter, graphic artist and illustrator. He was primarily known for his Norwegian landscapes. Blessum was born in Marstein, Romsdalen, Norway. He was the son of shoemaker Johan Blessum and Marit Trøen from Vågå, Gudbrandsdal. His family emigrated from Trondheim in 1888 to Menominee, Wisconsin, when he was 11 years old. Blessum also lived in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where his father worked in the lumber mills. In 1896, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he attended the Art Institute of Chicago, worked as a commercial artist and for the Chicago Tribune as an illustrator and was involved in the temperance movement.