Poul Henningsen (September 9, 1894 – January 31, 1967), Danish author, architect and critic, was one of the leading figures of the cultural life of Denmark between the World Wars. In Denmark, he is often referred to as PH.
Poul Henningsen was the illegitimate son of author Agnes Henningsen and satirist Carl Ewald. He spent a happy childhood in a tolerant and modern home which was often visited by the leading literates. Between 1911 and 1917 he was educated as an architect, but he never graduated and tried himself as an inventor and painter.
As an architect Henningsen was one of the most eager supporters of functionalism of which he propagated. His most valuable intervention was the so-called PH-lamp (constructed 1925), a simple lamp which used the breakings of light. It created the economic fundament of his later work.