Vest-Agdermuseet. CCO
Peder Dorotheus Mørch and one of his daughters look straight into the lens in this daguerreotype dating from the mid-19th century. Also depicted are two more daughters of the Mørchs and Peder’s second wife, Andrea Christiane Rønne. Descending from an important family from Kristiansand, Norway, Peder migrated to La Rochelle in southern France as a 17 year-old. Here, he established a thriving maritime company. He married a local girl at 20, but she passed away two weeks after having given birth to their son, Peder Armand Wladimir Mørch. While Peder senior would remarry and have more children, Peder junior followed in his footsteps to become a respected and successful businessman. He became President of the Chamber of Merchants of La Rochelle and was knighted in the Legion of Honor – the highest French order of merit. Today, the Boulevard Wladimir Mørch serves as a reminder of the success of this Norwegian family of entrepreneurs.
