On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Icelandic Association of Midwives, an exhibition will be opened at the National Library on Midwives' Day, Sunday, May 5. The Icelandic Association of Midwives is organizing the exhibition in collaboration with the Icelandic Women's History Museum and the National Library of Iceland - University Library.

On May 2, 1919, 20 midwives gathered at the home of Þórdís Elín Jónsdóttir Carlquist, a midwife, and her husband, Alex Wilhelm Carlquist, a cigar maker, at Laugavegur 20 in Reykjavík with the intention of founding a midwifery association. The purpose of founding the association was to promote the interests of the midwifery profession and protect their rights. Also to stimulate their interest and knowledge in everything related to their midwifery work. In this group of 20 women, 10 were newly graduated midwives from the Senior Midwifery College. Only one baby girl was born in Reykjavík on the day the association was founded, and therefore most working midwives in Reykjavík had the opportunity to attend the association's founding meeting. The association was named "Icelandic Midwives' Association" and is the first union of skilled women in Iceland. The first board of the Icelandic Midwives' Association consisted of midwives, Þuríður Bárðardóttir, chairman, Þórdís Elín Jónsdóttir Carlquist secretary, Þórunn Ástríður Björnsdóttir treasurer. Today, the board of the association consists of seven midwives and the current chairman is the sixteenth in a row of chairmen.

Program for the opening of the exhibition:
Ingibjörg Steinunn Sverrisdóttir, National Librarian, welcomes guests.
Jan Bakke, Norway's first light father, gives a speech.
Áslaug Valsdóttir, chairwoman of the Icelandic Midwives' Association, presents documents from the association to the Women's History Museum.
Ólöf Ásta Ólafsdóttir, professor of midwifery, talks about the exhibition.
The moderator will be Rakel Adolphsdóttir, a specialist at the Icelandic Women's History Museum.
Guests are invited to view the exhibition on the 1st floor of the National Library.
Light refreshments will be served on the 2nd floor of the National Library.

 

See event here