Josabeth Fredrica Paulina Sjöberg (30 June 1812 – 29 December 1882) was a Swedish painter and music teacher. She is best known for the

interior portrait The interior portrait (portrait d'intérieur) or, in German, Zimmerbild (room picture), is a pictorial genre that appeared in Europe near the end of the 17th century and enjoyed a great vogue in the second half of the 19th century. It involves a c ...

s she made of her twelve successive homes in

Södermalm Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm. Overview The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wat ...

, where she spent most of her life. She also did a series of interiors from churches and retirement homes for women.

Biography

Sjöberg was born in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden. She came from a family in the upper ranks of the bourgeoisie. Her mother, (1771–1831), was an actor and singer who spent most of her time reading. Her father, Nils Sjöberg. was a Chancellor at the

Royal Swedish Army Materiel Administration The Royal Swedish Army Material Administration ( sv, Kungliga Arméförvaltningen, KAF) was a Swedish central government agency that replaced the War Collegium (''Krigskollegium'') in 1865. It was active between the years 1866 and 1954. History ...

(''Krigskollegium''), although he may have been musically talented as well. Johanna died when Josabeth was eighteen and Nils followed two years later, leaving her without a means of support. As a result her older brother, Nils, who was a Master Builder's apprentice, became her guardian. They shared an apartment with a widow until she got married, then Josabeth lived by herself. At that time, it was common for young women of that social stratum to receive music and drawing lessons. It would appear that she was otherwise self-taught. Living very frugally and moving frequently, she was able to support herself doing occasional illustrations for the publisher, (1827– 1909), and giving music lessons for the guitar and piano. She may also have worked as a

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

. An inheritance in the 1860s did little to change her lifestyle, although a change in her painting style indicates that she may have used some of the money for drawing lessons. Little is known of her social life, although it is assumed that she kept in touch with her two sisters, Sophia and Emilia, and her childhood friends. Ferdinand Tollin (1807–1865), an artist who was a family friend, may have been the one who suggested that she take up painting. One of her nieces recalls the visits of "Mamsell" Sjöberg (as she was known) and remembers her as always wearing a large black hat and carrying a box of

watercolors Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

. It was said that she was also quite clumsy and was generally in poor health. One of her watercolors shows her receiving medical attention from Doctor (1818–1888) for what was likely a breast tumor. Shortly before her death in Stockholm during 1882, she had become so ill that she was moved to a combination

poorhouse A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), ‘workhouse’ has been the ...

and nursing home known as ' on

Kungsholmen Kungsholmen is an island in Lake Mälaren in Sweden, part of central Stockholm, Sweden. It is situated north of Riddarfjärden and considered part of the historical province Uppland. Its area is with a perimeter of . The highest point is at S ...

. After her death, her paintings passed to the family of a friend, apparently per her will. By the 1930s, they had become dispersed, but they were collected by the

Stockholm City Museum The Stockholm City Museum ( sv, Stadsmuseet i Stockholm) is a museum documenting, preserving and exhibiting the history of Stockholm. The museum is housed in Södra Stadshuset at Slussen on Södermalm. The building was completed in 1685. In the 1 ...

in 1936 and have been displayed several times in art exhibitions, including the 700-year jubilee of the city of Stockholm. Despite the technical naivete of her works, they have been widely used to illustrate books and articles on the culture of 19th century Stockholm. In 1968, a public staircase in Södermalm was named after her.

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Biography
@ the ''

Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon ''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' () is a Swedish biographical dictionary, started in 1917. The first volume, covering names ''Abelin'' to ''Anjou'', was published in 1918. As of 2017, names from A to S are covered. Volumes # ABELIN – ANJOU (1 ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Sjoberg, Josabeth 1812 births 1882 deaths Artists from Stockholm 19th-century Swedish painters Swedish governesses 19th-century Swedish women artists 19th-century Swedish artists

Biography

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Further reading

External links