Claim: Before having a number of short stories published in the newspaper København using the pen name Helga Maynert, Agnes Henningsen earned a living for a time as a hairdresser in central Copenhagen.
Evidence: While still married, she developed a friendship with Herman Bang who in 1891 helped her to have a number of short stories published in the newspaper København using the pen name Helga Maynert. As a single mother, Agnes Henningsen earned a living for a time as a hairdresser in central Copenhagen but later devoted all her time to writing.