Helene Severine Lassen

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Helene Severine Lassen was born on June 16, 1840. Her father, Elling Lassen, was a master tailor, and her mother was Ingeborg Christine Høgh. Helene was the sixth child of seven siblings. At her birth, the family lived at Veiten 9 in Bergen. In 1844, her father was taken to court for insults and slander against another tailor at a local establishment. Two years later, the family’s house was sold at a forced auction.

Elling Lassen then emigrated to the USA. A year later, in 1847, the five oldest children also left for America. Helene, the youngest among them at 7 years old, traveled alongside her eldest sister Karen Christine, who was 16 and responsible for the group. The mother, along with the youngest brother Lauritz, stayed behind in Bergen. Over time, the parents divorced, and Elling settled with a new family in the USA.

The Lassen family integrated into the Norwegian-American urban community. Helene’s sister Karen Christine married a sea captain but was widowed soon after. Another sister, Synneve Larsine, married a craftsman. Both sisters later worked as seamstresses. One brother, Edvard, followed in their father’s footsteps as a tailor. Another brother, Johan, joined the American Civil War and later worked as a ticket seller. The youngest brother, Lauritz, grew up with their mother in Bergen but eventually emigrated to the USA, settling in New York as a barber.

By 1860, Helene was 20 and living with her sister Synneve. Like her sisters, she was listed as a seamstress in the census. However, from 1873, Brooklyn city directories show that Helene began living independently at various addresses on Henry Street. From the 1878 census onward, she is registered as a physician, alternatingly described as "doctor" and "physician." She now had her own household with servants.

Education

Helene completed her medical education at New York Medical College and Hospital for Women (NYCHW), an institution founded in 1863 by suffragist Clemence Lozier. It aimed to provide healthcare services for women and children and to train female doctors and nurses. NYCHW focused on homeopathic medicine, and when it closed in 1918, its students were transferred to the New York Homeopathic Medical College. While this education differed from a medical degree from European universities, Lassen is consistently referred to as a doctor in historical records. She graduated in 1871.

In addition to her work as a private practitioner, Helene was an advocate for women’s rights, a suffragist, and active in the Republican Party. She also held positions in the King County Homeopathic Medical Society, participated in charitable organizations, and was involved in the Sorosis Women’s Club, a network for working women. Notably, she lived with another woman for over 30 years.

Making an Invisible History Visible

The New York City LGBT Historic Sites Project documents landmarks tied to queer history, including Helene Severine Lassen’s residence at 152 Henry Street. She lived there for 35 years with Louise Adele Cuinet (1855–1933), who was known as Adele. Born in New Jersey, Adele graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1883, becoming one of the first female dentists in New York. Like Helene, she made a significant leap in social class. The two ran their practices from their shared residence. They also co-owned a large summer home on Long Island, named “Adele’s Cottage,” which featured three stories, eight bedrooms, five bathrooms, a reception hall, a bathhouse, and a spacious garden. It was frequently used from April to October.

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A July 1891 article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle sheds light on Helene’s character and how she was perceived. The story discusses a dispute involving a dogcatcher, with the subheading "Miss H.S. Lassen’s Experience with a Dog Catcher." She is described as “a well-proportioned and rather good-looking woman of middle age (…) privileged to place the letters M.D. at the end of her name.” The article reveals that she owned a small dog named Laddy and was unafraid to stand her ground in a conflict.

Helene Severine Lassen passed away on March 25, 1920, at nearly 80 years old. Her death was noted in both the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and The New York Times. She is buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, alongside Adele and Adele’s parents. Her obituary in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle described her as a pioneer of homeopathy and noted her statement: "One of the proudest moments of my life was when I received my medical diploma from the hands of Elizabeth Cady Stanton."

The relationship between Helene and Adele was also mentioned: "Dr. Lassen and Dr. Adele Cuinet were friends of long standing, and made their home together for 35 years."

The documentation was compiled by Eli Randmo, and this article is an edited version of her work.