Einar Wegener

Einar Wegener was a Danish painter born in 1882 in Vejle, Denmark, who later became known as Lili Elbe.

Einar Wegener was a Danish painter born in 1882, later known as Lili Elbe, whose life became a landmark in the history of gender transition.

What it is

Einar Wegener was a Danish painter known for Impressionist landscapes and urban scenes. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where he met Gerda Gottlieb, whom he married in 1904.

Key details

Wegener later became known as Lili Elbe and underwent a series of gender-affirming surgeries in 1930. He legally changed his name and gender, then died in 1931 in Dresden from complications after surgery.

Why it matters

Wegener's story is one of the earliest documented cases of gender-confirmation surgery. It gained wider attention through biographies and the 2015 film The Danish Girl, which dramatized his transition.