In the 1870 a number of embroidery shops were opened in Copenhagen, who were specialized with sales of embroideries. You could buy materials for embroidery and patterns for decorative textiles for your home, such as samplers, cushions, firescreens and others.
Clara Wæver moved as a young girl to Copenhagen along with her family. In an early age she showed great talent for embroidery and she was hired for an embroideryshop. Besides the selling of materials they embroidered special tasks for customers, and teaching was given in various embroidery-techniques.
In 1890 Clara Wæver opened her own shop at Vesterbrogade 62. Along with the sister Augusta she sold materials for different kind of embroideries and produced patterns. They also taught in how to embroider the old danish ´white embroideries´, and ´all sorts of handcrafts´. To get a business out of the shop they also trained young girls in techniques for decorative use for their marriage portion.
In 1903 Clara Wæver had the opportunity to buy a big collection of original drawings by the danish artists Bindesbøll, Constantin Hansen, Kristian Møhl-Hansen and P.C. Skovgård - when Kristiane Constantin-Hansen and Johanne Bindesbøll closed their shop. She had a great success in working with the present artists, of which a number later on were attached to the company.
In 1917 the Wæver sisters handled over the shop to N.C.Dyrlund, who continued producing the rich traditional embroideries.
In 1930 Clara Wæver died - 75 years old.
In 1940 Jacob Holst - father to the present owner Jørgen Rosenstand -
took over the company. The shop was moved to Østergade 19, and the sister of
Holst, Migge Holst, who was educated in art, and who had drawn embroidery
patterns for many years, ruled the company with big talent for a number of
years. In these years danish artists, as f.i. Louise Puck and Helge
Christoffersen, made a lot of popular drawings for Clara Wæver.
In 1946 the Clara Wæver - shop moved again, this time for the present address Østergade 42.
After the death of Migge Holst in 1953 - Jørgen Rosenstand took over the leadership in cooperation with his mother - Ellen Holst - born Rosenstand. Ellen Holst attached the artists Mads Stage and later on Gitz Johansen to the company, and especially the drawings from Mads Stage were of great success.
In 1958 Jørgen Rosenstand founded his own company - Eva Rosenstand A/S.
Eva Rosenstand´s style within embroidery was from the beginning very different to the one of Clara Wæver´s. Drawings from danish artists like Falke-Bang, Leif Ragn Jensen and Verner Hancke were used, and the style was more modern/popular/naturalistic for the taste in these years, and very qualified for cross-stitch embroideries.
Jørgen Rosenstand introduced in a very early stage the so called ´kits´. So far you had to cut the embroidery-material in the shop, choosing the various colours and add a pattern. Now you could deliever a ´ready-made kit´, with all the necessarily ingredients for an embroidery.
In 1976, after the death of Ellen Holst, the two companies were merged to the well-known Eva Rosenstand A/S - Clara Wæver with the main shop in Østergade 42, Copenhagen.
In 1984 the Museum was established in Østergade 42. Here you can see a great number of the embroideries, which has been produced throughout the years, with designs from many well-known artists. Hereto the Museum shows a collection of old laces, not to mention some very rich examples of the danish ´Hedebo´embroideries.
For many years the Eva Rosenstand products have been known and appreciated for all over the World. Today Eva Rosenstand A/S has own departments in Sweden, Germany and Schwitzerland.
In Denmark, situated in Virum north of Copenhagen, you find Eva Rosenstand A/S department of production and administration. Own shops in Copenhagen and Helsingør. Hereto a big number of dealers all over Denmark
Taken from http://www.evarosenstand.com/english/htm/historie/histstart_set.htm