Ulrika Eleonora Säfström (9 October 1770 – 9 June 1857) was a Swedish stage actress, described as a great dramatic star of

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in her day. She was used for heroine parts and was also popular in

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

Biography

Säfström was born in Stockholm, Sweden. She was the daughter of Johan Fredrik Säfström and Brita Christina Lindholm and twin sister of Eva Säfström. She and her twin sister Eva were employed in the

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

of the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the centre of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, in the borough of Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...

in 1785. In 1787, she debuted at the

Stenborg Theatre The Stenborg theatre, also called Svenska Komiska Teatern, Komiska Teatern and Munkbroteatern, was a historical Swedish 18th century theatre, active between 1784 and 1799 in Gamla stan in Stockholm. It was the second theatre of Stockholm during t ...

. She was described as a

fairy A fairy (also called fay, fae, fae folk, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, generally described as anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic, found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Cel ...

-like beauty with a voice that "cuddled the ear", and was anticipated to become one of the "greatest ornaments" of the theatre. She did meet with success, and in the following years, she was given a great repertoire of leading roles which generally received good reviews. She was called the "first actress" of the theatre and was placed by the side of

Lisette Stenberg Caroline Lisette (Maria Elisabet) Stenberg (23 October 1770 in Stockholm or Gothenburg – 18 June 1847 in Vänersborg) was a Swedish stage actress, singer and pianist. She was a popular stage celebrity artist in Gustavian era Stockholm, and a ...

as one of the two leading ladies of the theatre.Johan Flodmark : Stenborgska skådebanorna (The Stenborg Stages). She played Susanna in ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' (, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premiered at the Burgtheater in Vienn ...

'' opposite Didrik Gabriel Björn (1757-1810) at the Swedish premier performance of this play on 20 December 1792. She also played the title role in '' Minna von Barnhelm'' by

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (; ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a German philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the dev ...

in 1793. Her most acclaimed parts were the title roles in ''Nina'' (1792) and ''Azemia'' (1793). As the mentally ill Nina, she was called "irresistibly touching", and "As the heroine of the play one of the most excellent actresses the Stenborg Theatre ever owned." In 1788, a poem was published in the paper Stockholmsposten:

To Mademoiselle Eleonora Säfström, when she was at the new Swedish Theatre performing in the opera Colonien Belinde on the 23rd May. At the waves of the sea, shocked and frightened /in a poor costume and ornament/You stood at the naked line of the sea/mourned your freedom with the obedience/which is always expected by cruelty/Alack as your song shared my pride!/I beg you - act as you did/ so as to once more delight me.

The writer is believed to have been

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet, and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as wel ...

(1740–1795). She admired King

Gustav III of Sweden Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of King Adolf Frederick and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Sweden. Gustav was a vocal opponent of what he s ...

, and she was present at the masquerade ball where he was assassinated in 1792. In 1795 she debuted at the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre (, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The theatre has been at its present lo ...

, where she was given a contract in 1796. She had several big parts with good reviews, but the competition was much greater at the Royal Theatre, and she did not take the same role of a star there. She gave her last performance in 1802. Shortly afterwards, she was injured in the head by a falling block of ice, which caused her a "nerve illness". After she recovered in 1806, she was fired and denied a pension. In 1807, she moved in with her married twin sister in

Ystad Ystad () is a town and the seat of Ystad Municipality, in Scania County, Sweden. Ystad had 18,350 inhabitants in 2010. The settlement dates from the 11th century and has become a busy ferryport, local administrative centre, and tourist attracti ...

, where she founded a school.

Personal life

At the age of seventeen, she was to have been engaged to Count F. Posse, who died young; his letters were buried with her on her request. She died unmarried during 1857 in Ystad.

References

* Johan Flodmark: Stenborgska skådebanorna: bidrag till Stockholms teaterhistoria, Norstedt, Stockholm, 1893 * Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772-1842, Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917(Swedish theatre and Swedish actors from Gustav III to our days. First book 1772–1842) (Swedish)

Biography

Personal life

References

Notes

Further reading