Malling-Hansen's last walk

The most detailed description of what happened on the night of Rasmus Malling-Hansen’s death is found in an obituary printed in the Danish newspaper, ”Politiken” the day after – on the 28th of September 1890:

“Yesterday evening at 10.30 some people who was coincidentally passing in Borgergade, noticed that a well dressed gentleman wavered and fell to the ground. When a couple of young people who was conversing on the other side of the street, run to him, they found that he was dead.

The physician who was called, Dr. Breuning Storm, could only ascertain that the death had already occurred and arranged for the body to be carried into the house of “Underbaadsmand Knudsen”, who lives on the corner of Borgergade and Leopardlængen. Already before this a gentleman who came to the place had recognized the deceased. It was Malling-Hansen, the inventor of the Writing Ball, and author of “Periods in the Growth of Children and the Heat of the Sun”.

The police of “Nyboder” let, when the identity of the body was confirmed by an identity card found in the breast pocket, a station sergeant drive out to the Institute for the Deaf-Mutes where he in the gentlest way delivered to Mrs. Malling-Hansen the message of her husbands death. One can easily imagine her sudden despair. The porter of the Institute thereafter followed to Borgergade, and carried, by the help of to sergeants the body home with him in a wagon.”

On a similar autumn evening more than 100 years later, in November 2009, Jørgen Malling Christensen, who actually is related to Malling-Hansen's brother, Johan Frederik Hansen, brought with him his camera and followed in the footsteps of Malling-Hansen. Underneath you can see the same views as those who met Malling-Hansen on his last walk.