Sesselja Sigmundsdottir
Sesselja (Hreindís) Sigmundsdóttir (born 5 July 1902 Hafnarfjörður - died 8 November 1974 Reykjavík) was a noted Icelandic pioneer in the fields of pedagogy and the care for the mentally disabled and founder of the Sólheimar community.[1]
After her training in education in Germany and Switzerland, where she was inspired by Rudolf Steiner, Sesselja returned to Iceland with the plan of establishing a self-sustaining community based on the anthroposophist philosophy. Here she would offer shelter and education to disabled and neglected children. At the age of 28, she acquire some land in a remote valley with its own hot spring and with the help of her family and friends built a farmhouse and named it Sólheimar - home of the sun.[2]
The 2002 stamp
She has been recognised with a postage stamp issued in 2002 by Íslandspóstur. The stamp has a portrait of Sesselja and a picture of Sólheimar (Value 45 00 Scott 965).[3](An image of the stamp)
Sources
- Michaelsdóttir, Jónína (1990) “Mér leggst eitthvað til:Sagan um Sesselju Sigmundsdóttur og Sólheima” Relief fund of Sólheimar