Johanna Arina Huberta (Annie) Posthumus was highly specialized in Scandinavian languages and cultures. During her Dutch studies at the University of Amsterdam, she focused on researching manuscripts from Scandinavian cultures written in the Middle Ages. On 6 July 1911, she completed her studies and gained her PhD for a critical publication on the Old Icelandic Kjalnesinga saga. With this publication, she became the first of a new generation of academics – born in the 1880s – who committed themselves to translating old and contemporary texts originating from Scandinavian countries for Dutch readers.