Charlotta Eriksson
Encyclopedia
Charlotta Maria Eriksson (11 February 1794 – 21 April 1862) was a Swedish
actress, one of the most popular and notable actors in Sweden in the first half of the 19th century. She was also a translator, an actor-instructor, a vice principal, and a painter.
in 1805, and was contracted as an actress in the Royal Dramatic Theatre
in Stockholm
in 1812, at the same year as the other female star of her generation, Sara Torsslow
. That same year, she married the choirmaster Johan Fredrik Wikström. In the first years of her career, she was considered pretty and nothing more; she had her breakthrough in 1820, when she played Ophelia
instead of Carolina Kuhlman
and was highly admired for her realistic interpretation of insanity.
were compared to a rose
or a tulip
, a jasmine
or a daisy
, and a lily or a myosotis; Torsslow was claimed to represent "the deeply moving", Eriksson "the sensitive pleasantness and the female lovability" and Frösslind "the small sweetness, wittiness and naivety". The paper Freja said that she was: "far superior to all the other actresses" at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.
In the beginning of her career, her way of acting was described as "naive" and "pure", and by the end as "noble." Her roles were solemn, sensitive, but cold and elegant; she also did comedy, and the press called her "the darling of the public". Her most appreciated role, Sömngångaren (Sleepwalker) by Piccini, can describe the style she had; here, she walked, talked, and finally danced, during which she showed no feelings whatsoever, just like a sleepwalker
, and stared with eyes wide open, unseeing and expressionless.
She played Papagena, Ophelia
and the Queen in Hamlet
and was the first in Sweden to play Schiller's Mary Stuart
in 1820. She also translated French
plays for the theatre, often what were called French salon-comedies, and she was often used for such roles, a repertoire later taken over by Emilie Högquist. She was given the same salary as the prima donna Henriette Widerberg
: 1.600 kronor, when the highest salary for a male actor was 1.800 and the lowest salary of an actress was 200.
In 1821, she divorced her husband to marry her lover, Edvard du Puy
; he died a year later, which was a great personal sorrow to her. After the divorce, she called herself Mrs. Eriksson. Among her colleagues, she was sometimes considered scheming and relentless, and her many affairs sometimes shocked them, but she was not called a courtesan, a term often used to label other actresses who had affairs.
Together with Sara Torsslow, she was perhaps one of the greatest female stars of her generation in Sweden, and as these two actresses had completely different styles, they were not rivals; Torsslow was used in "warm" parts, Eriksson in "cold" parts. Torsslow and Eriksson were rather considered to complement each other well and played very well together; Crusenstolpe
claimed in the press that nothing was lacking when he saw them do so: "The illusion is so complete, that one thought one lived in reality" with the characters they played. She travelled abroad and studied at foreign theatres, especially in Paris
, where she paid particular attention to Mademoiselle Mars
, whom she admired, and together with Sara Torsslow, Ulrik Torsslow
and Nils Almlöf
she introduced a new way to act that succeeded the Gustavian way of acting.
called "The second Torsslow argument". After the strike, several of the participants were fired, including the most popular ones such as Eriksson. The director admitted they were fired because they had participated in the strike, but gave other reasons as the formal motivation. It was also clear that the most popular actors were fired in a somewhat strange way, which forced them to return. For example, Eriksson and Elisabeth Frösslind were both fired: Frösslind because of her health, Eriksson simply because the theatre claimed they could no longer afford her. They were granted pensions only with the condition that they were always to be available if they were called. During this period, the theatre monopoly made it impossible to secure employment elsewhere. In 1836 they both asked to be taken back; the theatre accepted them back immediately, but with a salary lowered from 1,600 to 825, and thereafter gave Eriksson the part of Amalia in Världsförakt och ånger (Worldcontempt and regret) by Kotzebue.
In the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Eriksson had to replace Sara Torsslow in the roles given to her. This harmed her career as her style of acting was not suited to the emotional parts previously given to Torsslow, and exposed her to criticism. Therefore these parts were taken over by the new actor Emilie Högquist
, who became the new star within Torsslow's former repertoire. Eriksson could now return to her own repertoire, and her career became more successful; her new contract allowed her to play only the parts she herself chose to play and thought suitable, and she worked only freelance - a status she took advantage of to play in many other scenes. She toured the country with Wallinska sällskapet and played at the theatres of Djurgårdsteatern and in Dramatiska Teatern
, the theatre of the Torsslow couple.
In 1837–1841, she was vice principal and an instructor of declamation at the theatrical school Dramatens elevskola. In 1842, she became an entirely freelance actor and was very active as such in the following three years. In the 1847-48 season she was a guest artist at Torsslow's at the theatre Mindre teatern
where she "continue[d] to be what she has always been--an example for every younger actress"; she then travelled abroad, during which she witnessed the siege of Milan
during the Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
, and when she returned, she was again a guest artist at Mindre teatern the 1849–1850 and admired for her interaction with Sara Torsslow in Vänskap i döden (Friendship in death).
Eriksson retired in 1855, spent some years in Italy
and moved to Düsseldorf
in Germany
, where her son studied art; she studied painting with him and died there in 1862.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
actress, one of the most popular and notable actors in Sweden in the first half of the 19th century. She was also a translator, an actor-instructor, a vice principal, and a painter.
Background
Eriksson's father was an innkeeper with the surname Lambert, but in 1797, her mother married E. Eriksson, a servant in the royal household, who later became a pad-maker, and Charlotta took her stepfather's name. She was accepted as a student at Dramatens elevskolaDramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola, i.e. Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, or in Eng: The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors...
in 1805, and was contracted as an actress in the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1812, at the same year as the other female star of her generation, Sara Torsslow
Sara Torsslow
Sara Fredrica Torsslow, née Strömstedt was a Swedish actor at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and one of the most popular and notable actors in Swedish history.- Biography :...
. That same year, she married the choirmaster Johan Fredrik Wikström. In the first years of her career, she was considered pretty and nothing more; she had her breakthrough in 1820, when she played Ophelia
Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...
instead of Carolina Kuhlman
Carolina Kuhlman
Ottilia Carolina Kuhlman, also Carolina Deland and Carolina Åbergsson, , was a Swedish actor, the leading lady on the Swedish stage during the Napoleon era in the first two decades of the 19th century.- Biography :...
and was highly admired for her realistic interpretation of insanity.
Career and judgements
The public, it seems, could not get enough of her, judging by the critics; they appeared to be in awe of her beauty, admiring of her graceful movement, which was described as relaxed, soft and elegant, and of the sensitive, delicate way she interpreted the parts she was given. In the press, Sara Fredrica Strömstedt-Torsslow, Charlotta Eriksson and Elisabeth FrösslindElisabeth Frösslind
Kristina Elisabet Frösslind, also called Elise Frösslind, Kristina Elisabet Frösslind, also called Elise Frösslind, Kristina Elisabet Frösslind, also called Elise Frösslind, (27 February 1793 - 24 October 1861, was a Swedish opera singer and actor at the Royal Swedish Opera and the Royal Dramatic...
were compared to a rose
Rose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
or a tulip
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
, a jasmine
Jasmine
Jasminum , commonly known as jasmines, is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family . It contains around 200 species native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World...
or a daisy
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
, and a lily or a myosotis; Torsslow was claimed to represent "the deeply moving", Eriksson "the sensitive pleasantness and the female lovability" and Frösslind "the small sweetness, wittiness and naivety". The paper Freja said that she was: "far superior to all the other actresses" at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.
In the beginning of her career, her way of acting was described as "naive" and "pure", and by the end as "noble." Her roles were solemn, sensitive, but cold and elegant; she also did comedy, and the press called her "the darling of the public". Her most appreciated role, Sömngångaren (Sleepwalker) by Piccini, can describe the style she had; here, she walked, talked, and finally danced, during which she showed no feelings whatsoever, just like a sleepwalker
Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness...
, and stared with eyes wide open, unseeing and expressionless.
She played Papagena, Ophelia
Ophelia
Ophelia is a fictional character in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.-Plot:...
and the Queen in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
and was the first in Sweden to play Schiller's Mary Stuart
Maria Stuart (play)
Mary Stuart , a play by Friedrich Schiller, depicts the last days of Mary, Queen of Scots. The play consists of five acts, each divided into several scenes. The play had its première in Weimar, Germany on 14 June 1800...
in 1820. She also translated French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
plays for the theatre, often what were called French salon-comedies, and she was often used for such roles, a repertoire later taken over by Emilie Högquist. She was given the same salary as the prima donna Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Sophie Widerberg was a Swedish opera singer , actor and memoirist. The most famed singer on the Swedish stage of her time, she was counted as the most popular singer in Sweden during the 1810s and 1830s...
: 1.600 kronor, when the highest salary for a male actor was 1.800 and the lowest salary of an actress was 200.
In 1821, she divorced her husband to marry her lover, Edvard du Puy
Jean Baptiste Édouard Du Puy
Jean Baptiste Édouard Louis Camille Du Puy was a Swiss-born singer, composer, director and violinist. He lived and worked in Copenhagen and Stockholm from 1793 until his death in 1822.-Early years:...
; he died a year later, which was a great personal sorrow to her. After the divorce, she called herself Mrs. Eriksson. Among her colleagues, she was sometimes considered scheming and relentless, and her many affairs sometimes shocked them, but she was not called a courtesan, a term often used to label other actresses who had affairs.
Together with Sara Torsslow, she was perhaps one of the greatest female stars of her generation in Sweden, and as these two actresses had completely different styles, they were not rivals; Torsslow was used in "warm" parts, Eriksson in "cold" parts. Torsslow and Eriksson were rather considered to complement each other well and played very well together; Crusenstolpe
Magnus Jacob Crusenstolpe
Magnus Jacob Crusenstolpe , Swedish historian, early became famous both as a political and a historical writer.Crusenstolpe won considerable distinction with a series of historical-romantic tales, ; but his fame rests mainly on his works as a journalist, historian, biographer, and politician...
claimed in the press that nothing was lacking when he saw them do so: "The illusion is so complete, that one thought one lived in reality" with the characters they played. She travelled abroad and studied at foreign theatres, especially in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where she paid particular attention to Mademoiselle Mars
Mademoiselle Mars
Mademoiselle Mars, , French actress, was born in Paris, the natural daughter of the actor-author named Monvel and Jeanne-Marie Salvetat , an actress known as Madame Mars, whose southern accent had made her Paris debut a failure.Mlle Mars began her stage career...
, whom she admired, and together with Sara Torsslow, Ulrik Torsslow
Ulrik Torsslow
Olof Ulrik Torsslow , was a Swedish actor and theatre director. He is considered one of the most notable actors in his country's history...
and Nils Almlöf
Nils Almlöf
Nils Vilhelm Almlöf, was a Swedish actor, considered as one of the most famous in the 19th century, called "The Swedish Talma".Child of a court servant, Nils Almlöf, he interrupted his medical studies to study singing under Craelius of the Royal Swedish Opera, where he was successful as Leicester...
she introduced a new way to act that succeeded the Gustavian way of acting.
Later career
In 1834, Eriksson sided with Sara Torsslow in the strikeStrike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
called "The second Torsslow argument". After the strike, several of the participants were fired, including the most popular ones such as Eriksson. The director admitted they were fired because they had participated in the strike, but gave other reasons as the formal motivation. It was also clear that the most popular actors were fired in a somewhat strange way, which forced them to return. For example, Eriksson and Elisabeth Frösslind were both fired: Frösslind because of her health, Eriksson simply because the theatre claimed they could no longer afford her. They were granted pensions only with the condition that they were always to be available if they were called. During this period, the theatre monopoly made it impossible to secure employment elsewhere. In 1836 they both asked to be taken back; the theatre accepted them back immediately, but with a salary lowered from 1,600 to 825, and thereafter gave Eriksson the part of Amalia in Världsförakt och ånger (Worldcontempt and regret) by Kotzebue.
In the Royal Dramatic Theatre, Eriksson had to replace Sara Torsslow in the roles given to her. This harmed her career as her style of acting was not suited to the emotional parts previously given to Torsslow, and exposed her to criticism. Therefore these parts were taken over by the new actor Emilie Högquist
Emilie Högquist
Emilie Sophie Högquist was a Swedish actress and the mistress of Oscar I of Sweden. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the most celebrated dramatic Swedish primadonna of her time, called the Swedish Aspasia, and also famous for her love affairs...
, who became the new star within Torsslow's former repertoire. Eriksson could now return to her own repertoire, and her career became more successful; her new contract allowed her to play only the parts she herself chose to play and thought suitable, and she worked only freelance - a status she took advantage of to play in many other scenes. She toured the country with Wallinska sällskapet and played at the theatres of Djurgårdsteatern and in Dramatiska Teatern
Mindre teatern
Mindre teatern , Nya teatern , Lindeberska teatern , was a Swedish theatre at Kungsgatan in Stockholm, active 1842-1863...
, the theatre of the Torsslow couple.
In 1837–1841, she was vice principal and an instructor of declamation at the theatrical school Dramatens elevskola. In 1842, she became an entirely freelance actor and was very active as such in the following three years. In the 1847-48 season she was a guest artist at Torsslow's at the theatre Mindre teatern
Mindre teatern
Mindre teatern , Nya teatern , Lindeberska teatern , was a Swedish theatre at Kungsgatan in Stockholm, active 1842-1863...
where she "continue[d] to be what she has always been--an example for every younger actress"; she then travelled abroad, during which she witnessed the siege of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
during the Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
Revolutions of 1848 in the Italian states
The 1848 revolutions in the Italian states were organized revolts in the states of Italy led by intellectuals and agitators who desired a liberal government. As Italian nationalists they sought to eliminate reactionary Austrian control...
, and when she returned, she was again a guest artist at Mindre teatern the 1849–1850 and admired for her interaction with Sara Torsslow in Vänskap i döden (Friendship in death).
Eriksson retired in 1855, spent some years in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and moved to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where her son studied art; she studied painting with him and died there in 1862.