Fredrika Limnell
Encyclopedia
–Fredrika Limnell née
Forssberg (14 July 1816 in Härnösand
– 12 September 1897 in Stockholm
), was a Swedish philanthropist
, mecenate, feminist and salonist
.
in Västernorrland County
, Sweden. She had two siblings, but the elder sister died in first year of life and her younger sister drowned when she was 13.
The family business, Wifstavarfs AB, Svedbom-Hellzen provided good yields and therefore enabled Fredrika Limnell to generously help the women's movement. She was a benefactor of female artists; she partially financed Fredrika Bremer's trip to Palestine, and supported Selma Lagerlöf
economically so she could concentrate on her writing. She held a salon for the artist elite, and gathered artists as guests at Villa Lyran, her country villa on Lake Mälaren from May–September, were Jenny Lind
, Gunnar Wennerberg
, Victoria Benedictsson
, Carl Snoilsky
, Carl David af Wirsén
, Emil Sjögren
, Christina Nilsson
and Henrik Ibsen
were among the guests. King Oscar II of Sweden
also visited it.
Fredrika Limnell was a central figure in the Stockholm high society and involved in various organisations within charity, feminism and social issues. With her good connections, she was a good help to many activists within these fields. She participated in the social projects of Fredrika Bremer
and Princess Eugenie of Sweden, in the ladies comitté in the foundation of the Swedish Red Cross (Svenska Röda Korset) (1864–1865) and during 1884 in the foundation in the pioneer Swedish feminist organisation Fredrika-Bremer-förbundet together with Sophie Adlersparre
, Ellen Anckarsvärd
, Ellen Fries
, Hans Hildebrand
and Gustaf Sjöberg. She financed the pioneer feminist magazine Tidskrift för Hemmet (1859) published by Rosalie Roos
and Sophie Adlersparre
. She was the vice chairman of Eugeniahemmet (1874–1892), a hospital for sick children founded by Princess Eugenie of Sweden
which was named after her.
with whom she had two sons, William (1843) and Erik (1855). After the death of her first husband, she was married in 1858 to Carl Abraham Limnell (1823–1882), a lieutenant in the Civil Engineering Corps and later office manager at the Swedish Royal Railway Board.
Together with Carl Limnell, she built Villa Lyran, an exclusive summer villa in the district Bredäng
, a suburb in south-west Stockholm. The couple also maintained a winter residence at Gustav Horns palats at Fredsgatan 2 in Stockholm, today the site of the Medelhavsmuseet
.
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...
Forssberg (14 July 1816 in Härnösand
Härnösand
Härnösand is a locality and the seat of Härnösand Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 18,003 inhabitants in 2005. It is called "the gate to the High Coast" because of the world heritage landscape rises just some miles north of Härnösand...
– 12 September 1897 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...
), was a Swedish philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, mecenate, feminist and 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...
.
Biography
Fredrika Forssberg was born in Härnösand MunicipalityHärnösand Municipality
Härnösand Municipality is a municipality in Västernorrland County, northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Härnösand Härnösand Municipality (Härnösands kommun) is a municipality in Västernorrland County, northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Härnösand Härnösand Municipality (Härnösands kommun)...
in Västernorrland County
Västernorrland County
Västernorrland County is a county or län in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia.- Province :...
, Sweden. She had two siblings, but the elder sister died in first year of life and her younger sister drowned when she was 13.
The family business, Wifstavarfs AB, Svedbom-Hellzen provided good yields and therefore enabled Fredrika Limnell to generously help the women's movement. She was a benefactor of female artists; she partially financed Fredrika Bremer's trip to Palestine, and supported Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Lagerlöf
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was a Swedish author. She was the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, and most widely known for her children's book Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige ....
economically so she could concentrate on her writing. She held a salon for the artist elite, and gathered artists as guests at Villa Lyran, her country villa on Lake Mälaren from May–September, were Jenny Lind
Jenny Lind
Johanna Maria Lind , better known as Jenny Lind, was a Swedish opera singer, often known as the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she is known for her performances in soprano roles in opera in Sweden and across Europe, and for an extraordinarily...
, Gunnar Wennerberg
Gunnar Wennerberg
Gunnar Wennerberg , Swedish poet, composer and politician. His niece Sara Wennerberg-Reuter was also a well-known musician; she was an organist and composer....
, Victoria Benedictsson
Victoria Benedictsson
Victoria Benedictsson was a Swedish author. She was born as Victoria Maria Bruzelius in Domme, a village in the province of Skåne. She wrote under the pen name Ernst Ahlgren....
, Carl Snoilsky
Carl Snoilsky
Count Carl Johan Gustaf Snoilsky was a Swedish lyric poet, known for his realist poetry.Snoilsky was born in Stockholm. He was educated at the Clara School and Stockholms lyceum and in 1860 became a student at the University of Uppsala. He was trained for diplomacy, which he quit for work at the...
, Carl David af Wirsén
Carl David af Wirsén
Carl David af Wirsén was a Swedish poet, literary critic and the Swedish Academy's permanent secretary from 1884-1912.-Career:Wirsén was born in Vallentuna, Upland, to Karl Ture af Wirsén and Eleonore von Schulzenheim....
, Emil Sjögren
Emil Sjögren
Johan Gustav Emil Sjögren was a Swedish composer.Born in Stockholm, Sjögren entered the Stockholm Conservatory at the age of seventeen and later continued his studies at the Berlin Conservatory....
, Christina Nilsson
Christina Nilsson
Christina Nilsson, Countess de Casa Miranda, was a Swedish operatic soprano. She possessed a brilliant bel canto technique and was considered a rival to the Victorian era's most famous diva, Adelina Patti...
and Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
were among the guests. King Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II of Sweden
Oscar II , baptised Oscar Fredrik was King of Sweden from 1872 until his death and King of Norway from 1872 until 1905. The third son of King Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, he was a descendant of Gustav I of Sweden through his mother.-Early life:At his birth in Stockholm, Oscar...
also visited it.
Fredrika Limnell was a central figure in the Stockholm high society and involved in various organisations within charity, feminism and social issues. With her good connections, she was a good help to many activists within these fields. She participated in the social projects of Fredrika Bremer
Fredrika Bremer
Fredrika Bremer was a Swedish writer and a feminist activist. She had a large influence on the social development in Sweden, especially in feminist issues.-Background:...
and Princess Eugenie of Sweden, in the ladies comitté in the foundation of the Swedish Red Cross (Svenska Röda Korset) (1864–1865) and during 1884 in the foundation in the pioneer Swedish feminist organisation Fredrika-Bremer-förbundet together with Sophie Adlersparre
Sophie Adlersparre
Carin Sophie Adlersparre née Leijonhufvud , was a Swedish feminist, publisher, editor, writer and friherinna...
, Ellen Anckarsvärd
Ellen Anckarsvärd
Eleonora Anckarsvärd, née Nyström , was a Swedish feminist.She was the daughter of the architect Per Axel Nyström. In 1873, she co-founded Föreningen för gift kvinnas äganderätt with Anna Hierta-Retzius, which is considered the first organized Swedish women's movement...
, Ellen Fries
Ellen Fries
Ellen Fries was a Swedish feminist and writer. She became the first female Ph.D. in Sweden in 1883.- Biography :...
, Hans Hildebrand
Hans Hildebrand
Hans Olof Hildebrand Hildebrand was a Swedish archeologist. Born in Stockholm, he was the son of Bror Emil Hildebrand and Anna Mathilda Ekecrantz...
and Gustaf Sjöberg. She financed the pioneer feminist magazine Tidskrift för Hemmet (1859) published by Rosalie Roos
Rosalie Roos
Rosalie Roos, married name Olivecrona , was a Swedish feminist activist and writer. She is one of the three great pioneers of the organized women's rights movement in Sweden, alongside Fredrika Bremer and Sophie Adlersparre.- Biography :Rosalie Ulrika Roos was born into a wealthy family...
and Sophie Adlersparre
Sophie Adlersparre
Carin Sophie Adlersparre née Leijonhufvud , was a Swedish feminist, publisher, editor, writer and friherinna...
. She was the vice chairman of Eugeniahemmet (1874–1892), a hospital for sick children founded by Princess Eugenie of Sweden
Princess Eugenie of Sweden
Princess Eugenie of Sweden and Norway was a member of the Royal House of Bernadotte and a dilettante artist.-Biography:...
which was named after her.
Personal life
She first was married in 1842 to her cousin, Per Erik Svedbom (1811–1857), headmaster at Nya Elementar in Stockholm and editor of AftonbladetAftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
with whom she had two sons, William (1843) and Erik (1855). After the death of her first husband, she was married in 1858 to Carl Abraham Limnell (1823–1882), a lieutenant in the Civil Engineering Corps and later office manager at the Swedish Royal Railway Board.
Together with Carl Limnell, she built Villa Lyran, an exclusive summer villa in the district Bredäng
Bredäng
Bredäng is a suburb in south-west Stockholm, Sweden. It is a part of Skärholmen borough and is named after a former farm in the area. Bredäng has an 18th century mansion, Jakobsbergs Gård, named after its first owner, Jakob Graver. Bredäng consists predominantly of 1960s apartment blocks and has a...
, a suburb in south-west Stockholm. The couple also maintained a winter residence at Gustav Horns palats at Fredsgatan 2 in Stockholm, today the site of the Medelhavsmuseet
Medelhavsmuseet
Medelhavsmuseet is a museum in Stockholm focused around collections of mainly ancient objects from the Mediterranean area and the Near East. Its English name is The Museum of Mediterranean and Near Eastern Antiquities. The museum was formed in 1954 when the Egyptian Museum and the Cyprus...
.
Other sources
- Österberg, Carin et al., Svenska kvinnor: föregångare, nyskapare (Swedish women: Predecessors, pioneers) Lund: Signum 1990. ISBN 91-87896-03-6