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Name: MOHR, Fridtjof Georg Lous
Nee: bro of Gustav Lous Mohr
Birth Date: 19 Mar 1888 Mandal, Norway
Death Date: 11 June 1942 Nairobi
Profession: Farmer, writer
Married: In Mombasa 1928 Joronn Frederikke Sitje b. 30 April 1897 Christiania. Norway, d. 18 Dec 1982 Oslo
Children: Birthe 'Franciska' (1936)
General Information:
https://kulturnav.org/4d028b0a-e8f1-453e-8165-6e374fba5ed2 Norwegian farmer who traveled to South Africa in 1914 and then in 1918 to British East Africa (Kenya), where he bought a 3,000-acre farm in Rongai/Njoro which he called Kanga Farm. In 1929 he became a member of the Rift Valley Sports Club in Kenya. Together with his younger brother Gustav Lous Mohr, he did a lot of big game hunting, but spent most of his time as a writer. Between 1929 and 1933 he wrote three books from Kenya. He married in 1928 the artist Joronn Sitje, who already had his debut exhibition at Blomquist's in 1923. Today she is referred to as one of the most important exponents of 1920s and 1930s Norwegian Expressionism. Fridtjof Mohr had constant problems with making the operation of the farm profitable, fortunately Joronn Sitje's paintings helped to straighten out the finances, especially after the birth in 1936 of their only child, a daughter who was called Franciska. The recession in the 1930s led to many poor farmers flocking to the gold fields in Kakamega by Lake Victoria. In 1932, despite the advice of the Norwegian engineer Vilhelm Koren, Fridtjof left and got a license as co-owner of a number of claims, but returned with empty pockets. As an artist, Sitje became well acquainted with the Danish Karen Blixen, who in 1930 had come on a weekend visit to Kanga Farm in connection with her artistic work. The contact between them continued long after Fridtjof's death in 1942.
Nellie Grant visited the Morhs with Ingrid Lindstrom in Jan 1935. Nellie (1935) - 'She paints in the spare room about ten by twelve feet with no light at all, and has about 80 pictures parked under her bed. She sold 2 pictures to a Norwegian who made £4000 in December alone on the Musumba goldfield for £60 which paid her bill for paints and canvas .….' [this is the wife of Fridtjof Lous Mohr (1888-1942) - see Wikipedia as Joronn Sitje]
Nairobi Forest Road Cemetery - Fridtjof Lous Mohr, Norwegian, age 54, died 11/6/42.
Klas Mohr: Fridtjof bought land in Njoro 1918 or1919 (he was lent money by Lord Delamere) and started farming. His brother Gustav arrived in 1920 and they worked together on the farm which they christened Kanga farm (guineafowl farm) Joronn went home to Norway in 1938.