It all started with a promise to a charming captain in the summer of 1850. Our captain’s name was Krüger. He was a very polite and charming young cavalier who fulfilled all the duties of a host on his steamboat. He entertained me quite pleasantly during the trip, a trip which is also one of the most beautiful and comfortable one can undertake, and before […]
Elisabeth Schwan at Stjernsund
Look, do you think these are Elisabeth Schwan’s? I ask Kerstin. On a small round table, some beautiful antique fans are displayed under glass. Kerstin and I are visiting Stjernsund’s Castle where Augusta’s friend, Elisabeth, lived after she and her husband bought the beautiful castle from the royal family in 1860. I wrote about her earlier this year (The Girl in the Yellow Ball Gown: […]
Erik W. af Edholm’s Diaries
The elusive diaries at Stockholm City Archives He had found them! He had actually found Erik W. af Edholm’s original diaries from 1843-1848! Half an hour earlier, the archivist at Stockholm City Archives had told me that the family Edholm’s archive took up several yards of shelf-space and with the diaries not specifically cataloged, I could look forward to spending weeks looking through boxes of […]
Fritz von Dardel paints Augusta’s lieutenants – and tags them
I was actually going to write about Augusta’s first love. Then I got curious about all the young men who were interested in her. In 1845, Augusta was 18 and her admirers, who had just started their military careers, were in their late 20s. Augusta and her best friend Lotten Westman met them at balls, theatres, and concerts. After Augusta left Stockholm, Lotten wrote letters […]
