The American Swedish Historical Museum is the oldest

Swedish-American Swedish Americans ( sv, svenskamerikaner) are Americans of Swedish ancestry. They include the 1.2 million Swedish immigrants during 1865–1915, who formed tight-knit communities, as well as their descendants and more recent immigrants. Today, ...

museum in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is located in

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Park (originally named League Island Park) is a park located along the Delaware River in the southernmost point of South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising some which includes a golf course (closed and conver ...

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

originally provided by Queen

Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December ( New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his death ...

to settlers of

New Sweden New Sweden ( sv, Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony along the lower reaches of the Delaware River in what is now the United States from 1638 to 1655, established during the Thirty Years' War when Sweden was a great military power. New Sweden form ...

History

During 1926, the Swedish-American committee of the Sesqui-Centennial International Exposition of 1926 was formed. Noted author and historian, Amandus Johnson was elected to be its president. From this activity grew a committee to plan ways to preserve the memory of the

colony which dated to 1638. The New Sweden Tricentennial Association was formed which commissioned and published ''Swedes In America, 1638–1938'', a work of historical research which was edited by Adolph B. Benson and Naboth Hedin (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 1938). Soon, the first national campaign was underway to erect a Swedish Museum in Philadelphia. On June 2, 1926, Sweden's Crown Prince and future King

Gustaf VI Adolf Gustaf VI Adolf (Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf; 11 November 1882 – 15 September 1973) was King of Sweden from 29 October 1950 until his death in 1973. He was the eldest son of Gustaf V and his wife, Victoria of Baden. Before Gustaf Ado ...

placed the Museum's cornerstone. In the fall of 1928, Christian von Schneidau painted the Museum's entrance-hall ceiling and wall murals. The formal public dedication of the Museum took place on June 28, 1938. This event was set to coordinate with the 300th anniversary of the Swedish arrival on the Delaware shores. Swedish

Prince Bertil Prince Bertil, Duke of Halland (Bertil Gustaf Oskar Carl Eugén; 28 February 1912 – 5 January 1997), was a member of the Swedish royal family. He was the third son of King Gustaf VI Adolf and his first wife, Princess Margaret of Connaught, ...

and Princess Louise made up the royal party that dedicated the Museum.

Building design

The building's design is based on Ericsberg Castle, a 17th-century manor house in

Södermanland Södermanland ( or ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latin form ''Sudermannia'' or ''Sudermania'', is a historical province or ''landskap'' on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanla ...

, Sweden. The architect, John Nydén, a Swedish-American from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, combined Swedish and American elements by modeling the exterior arcades on those of

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is on ...

. The copper cupola is a copy of the one atop

Stockholm City Hall Stockholm City Hall ( sv, Stockholms stadshus, ''Stadshuset'' locally) is the seat of Stockholm Municipality in Stockholm, Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands ...

. The Museum has 12 permanent galleries displaying a broad and interesting collection combining history and culture. Three of the Museum’s 12 galleries are devoted to the history of the

Colony established in the

Delaware Valley The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Val ...

in 1638. The museum provides a wealth of information about this often unfamiliar period in history. Other galleries, ranging in style from Art Deco to International, concentrate on more recent Swedish contributions.

Permanent galleries

*Golden Map Room – First of three galleries devoted to

. Exhibits elaborate on the theme of Sweden in the 17th century. *New Sweden Room – Gallery telling the story of life on the land on which the Museum stands. *The Stuga – Stuga means little house. This is a rendering of a 19th-century Swedish farmhouse interior. *Nord Library – A research library with a collection focusing on the history of New Sweden and the 19th-century Swedish immigration. *Linnaeus-Kalm Room – Named after

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

and 18th century botanist

Peter Kalm Pehr Kalm (6 March 1716 – 16 November 1779), also known as Peter Kalm, was a Swedish explorer, botanist, naturalist, and agricultural economist. He was one of the most important apostles of Carl Linnaeus. In 1747, he was commissioned by the ...

, exhibitions here feature Swedish decorative arts in glass and plants. *Fredrika Bremer Room – Devoted to the accomplishments of Swedish women and named for Swedish novelist

Fredrika Bremer Fredrika Bremer (17 August 1801 – 31 December 1865) was a Finnish-born Swedish writer and feminist reformer. Her ''Sketches of Everyday Life'' were wildly popular in Britain and the United States during the 1840s and 1850s and she is re ...

. *Jenny Lind Room – Devoted to the Swedish operatic singer Jenny Lind and the lasting effects of her widespread popularity in America. *Chicago Room – Honoring the contributions of Swedish-American architects and builders. *John Ericsson Room – Wall mural shows

John Ericsson John Ericsson (born Johan Ericsson; July 31, 1803 – March 8, 1889) was a Swedish-American inventor. He was active in England and the United States. Ericsson collaborated on the design of the railroad steam locomotive ''Novelty'', which com ...

presenting his design for the ironclad ''Monitor'' to the War Cabinet of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. *The Balcony – Paintings and sculptures by Swedish-American artists are exhibited, together with a selection of Swedish furniture. *Changing Exhibit Gallery – Gallery that changes about 2 times a year.

Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award

The American Swedish Historical Museum ''Spirit of Raoul Wallenberg Humanitarian Award'' is presented to an individual, individuals or organization who/which has demonstrated a commitment to humanitarianism through acts which achieve a significant contribution, other than money, to alleviate human suffering or injustice, involved sacrifices or risks and are performed without expectation of reward or recognition. The award is named after

Raoul Wallenberg Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg (4 August 1912 – disappeared 17 January 1945)He is presumed to have died in 1947, although the circumstances of his death are not clear and this date has been disputed. Some reports claim he was alive years later. 31 J ...

, the courageous Swedish diplomat and his work to save Hungarian Jews during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. ''The Spirit of Raoul Wallenberg Award'' consists of a cash prize and a specially designed bowl from

Orrefors Orrefors () is a locality situated in southern Sweden and part of Nybro Municipality, Kalmar County, with 719 inhabitants in 2010. The township belongs to Hälleberga parish and is primarily famous for its glassworks with the same name. Orrefors i ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

which is presented to the award recipient at the award ceremony. Past recipients have included A. Leon Higginbotham on the basis of his advocacy on behalf of America’s children within the legal profession and his human rights efforts in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

, Dr. William P. Magee, Jr. and Kathleen S. Magee for their work in establishing

Operation Smile Operation Smile is a nonprofit medical service organization founded in 1982 by Dr. William P. Magee Jr. and his wife Kathleen (Kathy) S. Magee. It is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to providing cleft lip and palate repair ...

Per Anger Per is a Latin preposition which means "through" or "for each", as in per capita. Per or PER may also refer to: Places * IOC country code for Peru * Pér, a village in Hungary * Chapman code for Perthshire, historic county in Scotland Mat ...

for his collaboration with

in saving

Hungarian Jews The history of the Jews in Hungary dates back to at least the Kingdom of Hungary, with some records even predating the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin in 895 CE by over 600 years. Written sources prove that Jewish communities lived i ...

during World War II and the Reverend Dr. Haruun L. Ruun of

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

for his extraordinary efforts to bring peace to the divided state.

References

External links

American Swedish Historical Museum - Official Website American Swedish Historical Museum - Art ExhibitionsAmerican Swedish Historical Museum - Image Gallery
{{coord, 39.906, -75.181, region:US-PA_type:landmark, display=title Ethnic museums in Pennsylvania History museums in Pennsylvania Museums established in 1926 Museums in Philadelphia South Philadelphia Swedish-American culture in Pennsylvania Swedish-American museums 1926 establishments in Pennsylvania Sesquicentennial Exposition