The Stocking in the Valerie

The Stocking in the Valerie

And what is a Valerie? My last blog entry was about Hedda Heijkenskjöld. What I didn’t include was the fact that she owned an exquisite Valerie, or at least, that is what Marie-Louise af Forsell wrote in her diary. Marie-Louise af Forsell’s diary, 16 September 1847 During our absence, the family of Colonel Prytz from Malmö had come to visit. Nycander now wanted us to […]

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Titus Vincentius Röslein and Lotten Ulrich’s fencing lessons

Titus Vincentius Röslein and Lotten Ulrich’s fencing lessons

Last summer, I wrote about Augusta’s first love. In the summer of 1845, Augusta turned 18. She had just finished her schooling in Stockholm and maybe her mother Anna thought it was time for her to meet a suitable young man. Why not at the most fashionable seaside resort on the Swedish west coast, Gustafsberg? Well, did Augusta meet someone at Gustafsberg? Yes, she did […]

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How to make a parasol

How to make a parasol

In June last year, Kerstin and I were busy making 1850s swimwear for our summer sejour on the Swedish west coast. We tested that we could actually swim in the knee-long dresses and wide-legged pants without getting tangled in all the fabric. It was fine. Once I overcame the shock of the cold seawater and started swimming, I felt like a jelly-fish with the fabric […]

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Mrs. Brandt, the seamstress who left few threads to follow

Mrs. Brandt, the seamstress who left few threads to follow

Today, on the International Women’s Day, I thought about Mrs. Brandt. A sought-after seamstress who didn’t leave many historical threads to follow. All her handiwork is long gone – dresses and shirts all worn out. The only traces of her are a few sentences in Augusta’s diary and in letters between Augusta and her mother Anna. Mrs. Brandt in Augusta’s diary and correspondence Mrs. Brandt […]

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Two Dresses in Parramatta and a Book about Domestic Life

Two Dresses in Parramatta and a Book about Domestic Life

Stockholm, 22 January 1846. My own beloved Augusta! Thank you, thank you, my good friend for your last letter, even though I had to wait quite some time to get it. But I will not scold you, only thank you so much for your last letter. I should probably start by thanking you for your good wishes for the new year. I thank you for […]

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