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Stephan G. Stephansson

Hand-colored portrait of a man with neatly parted dark hair and a large, bushy mustache. He wears a dark suit with a high-collared white shirt and a bow tie. The background features soft shades of teal fading into cream, giving the portrait a vintage, studio-painted appearance.

Image courtesy of Stephan G. Stephansson House

Hanging prominently in the preserved home of Stephan G. Stephansson in Markerville, Alberta, this hand-coloured portrait captures the intensity and dignity of one of Iceland’s most celebrated poets in the West. With a serious gaze, neatly parted hair, and a commanding moustache, Stephansson is depicted in formal attire—a nod to the gravity of his intellectual and literary contributions.

His home, now a designated historic site, was once a centre of Icelandic literary and cultural life on the Canadian prairies. Known as the “Poet of the Rocky Mountains,” Stephansson wrote prolifically in Icelandic, addressing themes of immigration, justice, and the immigrant experience. This portrait serves not only as a likeness but also as a symbol of the enduring legacy of Icelandic-Canadian culture rooted in rural Alberta.