About Signe Rink
Lived 1836 – 1909 (aged 73). Signe Rink was a Danish translator, ethnologist and writer.
Nathalie Sophia Nielsine Caroline Rink (née Møller; 24 January 1836 – 19 April 1909) was a Danish writer and ethnologist. Together with her husband Hinrich, she founded Greenland's first newspaper, Atuagagdliutit, in 1861. She is credited as being the first woman to publish works on Greenland and its culture.
Biography Nathalie Sophia Nielsine Caroline Møller was born on 24 January 1836 in Paamiut, Greenland, the daughter of the Danish colonial administrator Jørgen Nielsen Møller (1801–1862) and his wife Antonette Ernestine Constance Tommerup (1813–1891). She spent her childhood in Greenland until about 1850, when, at around the age of 14, she was sent to Denmark to continue her education.
In 1853, at the age of 17, she married Hinrich Johannes Rink (1819–1893), a Danish geographer and researcher of Greenland, who was about 33 at the time. The couple lived in Greenland, where Rink later served as government inspector in Nuuk. Their social circle included figures interested in Greenlandic language and culture, such as the linguist Samuel Kleinschmidt and the educator Carl Janssen.
After first settling in Copenhagen, they moved to Kristiania in 1883. It was here that Signe Rink found time to write, publishing Grønlændere (1886), Grønlændere og Danske i Grønland (1887), Koloni-Idyller fra Grønland (1888) and Fra det Grønland der gik (1902).
Publications Several of Rink's books and short stories are available in English. These include:
- Translation of Koloni-Idyller fra Grønland (1888) - Translation of Kayakmænd (1896)
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Important facts
People in Signe Rink's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Signe Rink's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Signe Rink?
Danish writer and ethnologist (1836–1909)
When was Signe Rink born?
Signe Rink was born on 24 January 1836 in Paamiut.
When did Signe Rink die?
Signe Rink died on 19 April 1909 in Christiania, Oslo.
What was Signe Rink's occupation?
Signe Rink was a translator, ethnologist and writer.
What nationality was Signe Rink?
Signe Rink was Danish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Signe Rink. https://biography.guide/signe-rink/
MLA: "Signe Rink." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/signe-rink/.
Chicago: "Signe Rink." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/signe-rink/.
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