Peter Hersleb Smith

Peter Hersleb Smith (1799–1854) – court assessor, author of a catalogue of royal directives (Oslo, 1828). A chance encounter with him in 1843, in Le Havre, exerted a considerable influence over the life of Thomas Tellefsen, since it was thanks to Smith that the young composer became acquainted with the Thiis family of Honfleur, acquiring a group of close friends and (as a recommended piano teacher) financial stability; it was also in Honfleur that Tellefsen met Sophie Laporte, his pupil and future lover.