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Elisabeth Koren was the wife of U.V. Koren, one of the first Norwegian Lutheran pastors west of the Mississippi. The Korens settled near Decorah, Iowa, in 1853. Elisabeth’s diary, which has been published and is available at Vesterheim’s Museum Store, describes her everyday life in nineteenth-century Iowa and memories of Norway. Gausta lived with the Korens at the Washington Prairie parsonage for some time, and while there painted on interior walls of the house and out-buildings.

Herbjørn Gausta was born on Gausta Farm, Vestfjorddalen, Telemark, Norway on June 16, 1854. He and his family emigrated to the Harmony, Minnesota area in 1867. He began his education at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa with the intention of becoming a teacher. However, his increasing interest in art led him to Oslo and Munich to train as a painter. In 1888, he returned to Minnesota. Although known today for his Norwegian and Midwestern landscapes and genre paintings, Gausta made his living by producing altar paintings. He died in 1924.

Vesterheim has 52 artworks by Gausta.