Eva Ekeblad
Encyclopedia
Eva Ekeblad née
Eva De la Gardie
, was a Swedish agronomist
, scientist, Salonist
and noble (Countess). Her most known discovery was to make flour and alcohol out of potatoes (1746). She was the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
(1748).
(1668–1741) and the amateur politician and salon
ist Hedvig Catharina Lilje
: sister of Captain Carl Julius De la Gardie and Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie
and the aunt of Axel von Fersen the Younger. Her brother was the spouse of the famous Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie
and the brother-in-law of the royal favourite Hedvig Taube
.
Eva was at the age of 16 (1740) married to the statesman count Claes Claesson Ekeblad, and became the mother of five children. The couple had a residence in Stockholm
and an estate in Västergötland
and belonged to the very highest circles of the Swedish nobility
.
Her spouse was often absent, and Eva was responsible for the management for the estates and supervised the bailiffs and the country-assemblys of Mariedal and Stola Manor. In Stockholm, she hosted a culturel salon and was described as "one of few aristocratic ladies whose honour was considered untainted". The first concert performing the mass music of Johan Helmich Roman
where performed in her salon at the Ekeblad palace.
, rye
and grain
, but now, more of that could be saved to make bread instead.
She also discovered a method of bleaching cotton textile and yarn with soap (1751), and of replacing the dangerous ingredients in the cosmetics of the time by making powder from potatoes (1752).
She was said to have advertised the use of potatoes by using the flowers of the plant as hair ornaments.
Eva wrote to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
about her first discovery in 1746, and in 1748, she became the first woman elected to the Academy, although she never took part in any of the Academy's meeting. After 1751, the Academy came to refer to her as an honorary rather than a full member, as the statutes confined membership to men.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Eva De la Gardie
De la Gardie
De la Gardie, occasionally de la Gardie , is a Swedish noble family of French origin. The family's social status in France before the migration to Sweden is uncertain, they were possibly of lower gentry or bourgeoisie...
, was a Swedish agronomist
Agronomist
An agronomist is a scientist who specializes in agronomy, which is the science of utilizing plants for food, fuel, feed, and fiber. An agronomist is an expert in agricultural and allied sciences, with the exception veterinary sciences.Agronomists deal with interactions between plants, soils, and...
, scientist, Salonist
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
and noble (Countess). Her most known discovery was to make flour and alcohol out of potatoes (1746). She was the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
(1748).
Biography
Eva De la Gardie was born to statesman count Magnus Julius De la GardieMagnus Julius De la Gardie
Magnus Julius De la Gardie , son of Axel Julius De la Gardie, was a Swedish general and statesman, member of the Swedish Hats Party....
(1668–1741) and the amateur politician and salon
Salon (gathering)
A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine taste and increase their knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to...
ist Hedvig Catharina Lilje
Hedvig Catharina Lilje
Hedvig Catharina Lillie, also called Lilje, as married Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie, , was a Swedish noble and salonist. She was politically active during the age of liberty in favour of the Hats and a pro-French policy through her connections and a known political figure of her time...
: sister of Captain Carl Julius De la Gardie and Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie
Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie
Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie was a Swedish noblewoman of the French-descent De la Gardie family. She was the daughter of the General and statesman Magnus Julius De la Gardie and the political salonist Hedvig Catharina Lilje, and sister of scientist Eva Ekeblad.She married Axel von Fersen the...
and the aunt of Axel von Fersen the Younger. Her brother was the spouse of the famous Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie
Cathérine Charlotte De la Gardie
Countess Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie or de La Gardie, also called Catharina Charlotta and Katarina Charlotta, née Taube, , was a Swedish noble...
and the brother-in-law of the royal favourite Hedvig Taube
Hedvig Taube
Hedvig Ulrika Taube also Countess von Hessenstein was a Swedish noble and salonist, official royal mistress to King Frederick I of Sweden...
.
Eva was at the age of 16 (1740) married to the statesman count Claes Claesson Ekeblad, and became the mother of five children. The couple had a residence 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...
and an estate in Västergötland
Västergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
and belonged to the very highest circles of the Swedish nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
.
Her spouse was often absent, and Eva was responsible for the management for the estates and supervised the bailiffs and the country-assemblys of Mariedal and Stola Manor. In Stockholm, she hosted a culturel salon and was described as "one of few aristocratic ladies whose honour was considered untainted". The first concert performing the mass music of Johan Helmich Roman
Johan Helmich Roman
Johan Helmich Roman was a Swedish Baroque composer. He has been called "the father of Swedish music" or "the Swedish Handel."-Life:...
where performed in her salon at the Ekeblad palace.
Scientific activity
Ekeblad discovered how to make flour and alcohol out of potatoes (1746). She thereby made potatoes, a plant introduced in Sweden in 1658 but until then only cultivated in the greenhouses of the aristocracy, a part of the basic food supply. This greatly improved eating habits and reduced the hunger epidemics. Previously, alcohol had been made by wheatWheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, rye
Rye
Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...
and grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
, but now, more of that could be saved to make bread instead.
She also discovered a method of bleaching cotton textile and yarn with soap (1751), and of replacing the dangerous ingredients in the cosmetics of the time by making powder from potatoes (1752).
She was said to have advertised the use of potatoes by using the flowers of the plant as hair ornaments.
Eva wrote to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
about her first discovery in 1746, and in 1748, she became the first woman elected to the Academy, although she never took part in any of the Academy's meeting. After 1751, the Academy came to refer to her as an honorary rather than a full member, as the statutes confined membership to men.