Charlotta Letitia Skjöldebrand ( Ennes; 29 June 1791 – 17 April 1866) was a Swedish court official. She served as senior lady-in-waiting ''(

överhovmästarinna Court Mistress (; ; ; ; ) or Chief Court Mistress (; ; ; ; ; ) is or was the title of the senior lady-in-waiting in the courts of Austria, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Imperial Russia, and the German princely and royal courts. Chief c ...

)'' to Queen Josefina from 1835 to 1866.

Life

Skjöldebrand was the daughter of businessman Pehr Ennes (1753–1829) and Elisabet Margareta Brändström (1766–1822). She married Count Anders Fredrik Skjöldebrand (1757–1834) in 1811. She was the mother of artist and military officer Eric Bogislaus Skjöldebrand (1816-1868). In 1836, she was appointed to succeed

Elisabet Charlotta Piper Elisabet Charlotta Piper (26 April 1787 - 26 February 1860), was a Swedish court official. She served as ''överhovmästarinna'' (Senior lady-in-waiting) to the crown princess of Sweden, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, from 1823 to 1835. She was the ...

(1787–1860), as senior lady-in-waiting to Crown Princess Josefina (1807–1876). She kept her office after the elevation of Queen Josefina in 1844 and into her widowhood in 1859. Upon the succession of King

Oscar I of Sweden Oscar I (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; 4 July 1799 – 8 July 1859) was King of Sweden and List of Norwegian monarchs, Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. The only child of Ki ...

in 1844, a number of reforms were introduced to subdue "the most spectacular pomp" and provocative grandeur of court life, and several courtly ceremonies, customs and rituals were abolished. Additionally, while the king allowed his mother the queen dowager to keep a full queen's household of the old standards and the use of the queen's apartments, most offices of both the king's and queen's household was left vacant for political reasons, and Skjöldebrand was to introduce the reforms at a queen's court where the posts of married ladies-in-waiting ('' statsfru'') was left vacant, leaving her without a deputy, and with only maids-of-honour ('' hovfröken'') to supervise. She was in service during the Union of Sweden-Norway, but only served in Sweden: during their visits in Norway, the royal family left their Swedish entourage at the border and was welcomed by their Norwegian court staff, and Charlotta Skjöldebrand thus turned over her duties to her Norwegian equivalent Fanny Løvenskiold at such occasions. Emil Key (1822–1892) described her in 1864–65: :"One of these sons-in-law where count August Skiöldebrand. He was the son of the state secretary etc. A. F. Skiöldebrand. He has been brought to life to our epoch through the memoirs of

Malla Silfverstolpe Magdalena Sofia "Malla" Silfverstolpe (''née'' Montgomery; 8 February 1782 – 17 January 1861) was a Sweden, Swedish writer and Salon (gathering), salon hostess. Her house in Uppsala was a meeting place for many prominent writers, composers ...

, as has his wife Laetitia Ennes. I saw her often during the winter of 1864–65, when I was basically at boarding house at the Åhlins, but spent my weekends and Sundays i the pleasant home of my aunt Ingeborg and uncle, the governor's residence at the royal palace. The elder countess Skiöldebrand's excellently beautiful youth portrait by Breda was displayed on the wall, but she was not more beautiful there than in the silvery haired old woman. Formerly the senior lady-in-waiting, she had funny court stories to tell and did not deny herself to spice them with many a charmingly performed expletive." Skjöldebrand was active as an amateur painter.Svenskt konstnärslexikon del V, sid 193, Malmö: Allhems Förlag, Libris 8390293

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skjoldebrand, Charlotta 1791 births 1866 deaths Mistresses of the Robes (Sweden) 19th-century Swedish painters 19th-century Swedish women painters