Carl Olof Petersen

Carl Olof Petersen (* September 19, 1881, in Malmö; † October 18, 1939, in Ulricehamn) was a Swedish artist, illustrator, and graphic designer who worked in Munich and Dachau. In 1903, he moved from Sweden to Dachau, where he lived for a long time in the district of Moosschwaige. Petersen studied under Adolf Hölzel and became a member of the Dachau artist colony. He was married to Elly Petersen (Ella Hirschfeld-Leßer), a non-fiction author from Berlin. Petersen illustrated numerous children’s books and contributed drawings to the magazine Jugend and the satirical publication Simplicissimus. He also created advertising posters and postcards, many featuring motifs from Munich, signing his work with the initials OST. Due to his declining health, he returned to Sweden with his wife in 1937. In 1955, Elly Petersen moved to Munich with her friend Carola von Crailsheim, where they spent their later years together. A street in Dachau is named after him.