Helena Sophia Isberg (18 February 1819 – 28 February 1875) was a Swedish wood-cut artist. Also known as ''Jungfru Isberg'' (Maiden Isberg). Helena Isberg was born at Säby in

Tranås Tranås () is a locality and the seat of Tranås Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 14,197 inhabitants in 2010. Overview It is close to the lake Sommen in the north of Småland. Its main commercial center is located along the main stree ...

Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...

. She moved with her parents and brother to

Motala Motala () is a locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 29,823 inhabitants (41,956 in the entire municipality) in 2010. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and Norrköping. M ...

in 1840, where she lived her entire life. Her father was a cabinet maker. Isberg was tutored by her father to cabinet maskery, lathing and carving, and was to become famous for her wood carving. In 1847, her work was exhibited in Stockholm, and made a success. She was asked to move to Stockholm, the professor

Carl Gustaf Qvarnström Carl Gustaf Qvarnström (23 March 1810, Stockholm - 5 March 1867, Stockholm) was a Swedish sculptor and painter. Biography His father, , was a chamber servant (kammartjänare) for Princess Sofia Albertina. At the age of eleven, he entered the ...

(1810–1867) offered her a scholarship to study at the

Royal Swedish Academy of Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, archite ...

, Queen Josephine offered her an allowance of $200, but she declined every offer. A contemporary writer wrote about her: ''She preferred to stay in the poor hut where she was born, and remained in the bosom of the poverty which had surrounded her cradle.''Österberg, Carin et al., Svenska kvinnor: föregångare, nyskapare. Lund: Signum 1990. () Her work was exhibited in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

(1862),

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

(1865) and

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(1875), and was internationally admired, but she was happy where she was, and lived with her brother in a cottage in Motala her entire life despite her success. On one occasion, King

Charles XV of Sweden Charles XV also Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''); Swedish: ''Karl XV'' and Norwegian: ''Karl IV'' (3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden (''Charles XV'') and Norway, there often referred to accurately as Charles IV, from 1859 until his ...

, upon a visit in Motala, expressed a wish to see Isberg. She was sent for by message to her cottage, but Helena Isberg answered, that if the King wished to see her, then he would have to come to her. No meeting took place, but Charles also admired her and also purchased her work.

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