Princess Eugénie Of Sweden
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Princess Eugénie of Sweden and Norway (Charlotta Eugenia Augusta Amalia Albertina; 24 April 1830 – 23 April 1889) was a member of the royal
House of Bernadotte The House of Bernadotte is the monarchy of Sweden, royal family of Sweden, founded there in 1818 by King Charles XIV John of Sweden. It was also the monarchy of Norway, royal family of Norway between 1818 and 1905. Its founder was born in Pau, Py ...
and a philanthropist and
amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
.


Biography

Eugénie was born to 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 ...
and
Josephine of Leuchtenberg Josephine of Leuchtenberg (Joséphine Maximilienne Eugénie Napoléone de Beauharnais; 14 March 1807 – 7 June 1876), also Josefina, was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 to 8 July 1859 as the wife of King Oscar I. She was also Pri ...
as their 4th child and only daughter. She was named after her maternal grandfather,
Eugène de Beauharnais Eugène Rose de Beauharnais (; 3 September 1781 – 21 February 1824) was a French statesman and military officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marriage of his mother, Joséphine de Beauharnais, ...
. She later wrote of her childhood: "During the years of my childhood I never had a girl of my age for a friend or playmate. Nor did I ever have a doll, but exclusively played boy's games with my brothers."Eugénie (C. Eugénie A. A. A.)
Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Bengt Hildebrand.), hämtad 2016-06-18.
She particularly enjoyed the summers at Tullgarn Palace. Her closest friend was
Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland Prince Gustaf of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Uppland (''Frans Gustaf Oscar'', 18 June 1827 – 24 September 1852), also known officially as Gustav, was the second son of Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, and the younger brother ...
, her favorite among her siblings. She was later to say, that during her childhood, she had the wish to be a boy just like her brothers were. Princess Eugénie was placed under the supervision of her senior lady in waiting Karen Anker, and educated with her siblings by the royal court chaplain dr J. G. Lundberg under the supervision of the royal governess countess Christina Ulrika Taube. Anker and Lundberg were both dominant personalities, which is regarded to have formed the consciously submissive character of Eugénie. In 1843, she accompanied her parents on their trip to her maternal grandmother in Bavaria. Eugénie was later to be known for her fragile constitution. This has been attributed to the fact that one of the teachers of the siblings was once ill with
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
, but was allowed to remain in employment, which may have affected the health of some of the children. In 1844, she took ill with a grave cold. Princess Eugénie had her confirmation in the royal chapel in the Stockholm royal palace 25 October 1845, and was thus considered an adult. The following years, she participated in high society and balls, and was regarded as quite pretty. Contemporaries describe her as having regular features, beautiful hands, and big, glowing dark eyes: "her entire being glows of life and goodness", and that she was "much to her advantage in red and gold" in a Spanish costume at a masquerade ball. Eugénie accompanied her brother
Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
to
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
in 1846 with the thought that she might be presented there as a prospective bride, and she was given proposals from Emperor
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
as well as from princes in both
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
and
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, but none came to fruition. The reason was likely that she had no wish to marry. She stated herself that she appreciated the "sweet, independent life" her unmarried status gave her: according to the
Civil Code of 1734 The Civil Code of 1734 ( Swedish: ''1734 års lag''), was a code of law passed by the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates in 1734, and put in effect after it had been ratified by Frederick I of Sweden 23 January 1736. It became the foundation of the lat ...
, all unmarried women were under the guardianship of their closest male relative unless she petitioned for legal majority, and when a law reform in 1858 allowed for unmarried women to be automatically declared of legal majority by a simple application to the closest court, Eugénie belonged to the first women to use this right. Early on, she had a great interest in the arts, and was active as a composer, painter, sculptor and writer. The year of 1852 signified a great crisis in her life. This year, the royal family fell ill during a visit to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. Her favorite brother and closest friend,
Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland Prince Gustaf of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Uppland (''Frans Gustaf Oscar'', 18 June 1827 – 24 September 1852), also known officially as Gustav, was the second son of Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, and the younger brother ...
, died, which had a great effect on her emotional life. She herself had
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
, and her health never truly recovered from this. For the rest of her life, she suffered from chest problems and had some trouble walking, and in 1861, she is described as prematurely aged by suffering. In 1871,
Fritz von Dardel Fritz Ludvig von Dardel (24 March 1817 – 27 May 1901) was a Swedish diarist, illustrator and early comics artist. He was a courtier, and is known for his diary and illustrations depicting the life of the Swedish court in the mid-19th century ...
commented that she was yellow and thin, though somewhat less grave like than before. In 1860, her doctor
Magnus Huss Magnus Huss (22 October 1807 – 22 April 1890) was a Swedish physician and professor, knighted with his name retained. He is known for coining the term ''alcoholism'' in 1849, which he used to refer to the pathological changes in the body due to ...
recommended that she would benefit from the climate of
Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...
. She visited the island the summer of that year, and from 1861 onward, she spent every summer at her own villa Fridhem outside
Visby Visby () is an urban areas in Sweden, urban area in Sweden and the seat of Gotland Municipality in Gotland County on the island of Gotland with 24,330 inhabitants . Visby is also the episcopal see for the Diocese of Visby. The Hanseatic League, ...
, where she did feel somewhat better. The winters, she still resided in her apartments at the royal palace in Stockholm, but was forced to confine herself to the smaller rooms of the palace, which could be entirely heated, during the cold season: she referred to the winter season as her "winter imprisonment". The crisis of her destroyed health and the death of her brother gave Eugénie a great interest in religion. As the daughter of a Protestant and a Catholic, she was tolerant and predominately an ecumenical Christian, who focused on Christianity as a whole and did not wish commit herself to a particular branch of Christianity and disliked division and discord between the different Christian branches. She was inspired by the teachings of
Thomas a Kempis Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...
, and supported the revival movement of
Carl Olof Rosenius Carl Olof Rosenius (3 February 1816 – 24 February 1868) was a Swedish lay preacher, author and editor of the monthly '' Pietisten'' (The Pietist) from 1842 to 1868.''Twice-Born Hymns'' by J. Irving Erickson, (Chicago: Covenant Press, 1976) ...
, which had been recommended by her lady in waiting Josephine Hamilton. During the winter of 1878–79, the preacher Granville Waldegrave, 3rd Baron Radstock was invited to preach for her. In parallel, Princess Eugénie developed an increasing interest in charity after her crisis, a philanthropy that grew by the years as her health forced her to give up her interests in the arts. She inherited a fortune upon the death of her mother in 1876. However, she spent little money on herself: Count Lewenhaupt noted, for example, that during her stay overnight at his estate, she had eaten nothing but cooked carrots and some boiled water. She freely gave away her money, to such an extent that her brother the king gave instructions to the governors in the cities his sister visited to "protect" his sister from "insolent beggars". Most of her money was spent on her charity projects, so much so that her brother Oscar II asked her to save the family something of the inheritance after their mother. She respected his wish in her will of 1885, where she left two thirds of her fortune to her nephews, and the rest to be divided upon her charities. Princess Eugénie died after a long period of illness on 23 April 1889, just before her 59th birthday.


Artist

Princess Eugénie was active in many forms of art. Early on, she composed music with her brother
Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland Prince Gustaf of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Uppland (''Frans Gustaf Oscar'', 18 June 1827 – 24 September 1852), also known officially as Gustav, was the second son of Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg, and the younger brother ...
. She composed several songs and piano compositions. As a musician, she often hosted concerts. She was a good friend of the composer Lotten Edholm. Her hymn ''O, at jeg kunde min Jesus prise'' is set to a Norwegian folk tune and was translated as ''My heart is longing''.translated by Peter Andrew Sveeggen, it is #198 in Ambassador Hymnal: for Lutheran Worship, #61 in Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary, #326 in
Lutheran Book of Worship The ''Lutheran Book of Worship'' (''LBW'') is a worship book and hymnal published in 1978 and was authorized for use by several Lutheran denominations in North America, including predecessors of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and ...
, and #364 in Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal, see also th
entry for the hymn on hymnary.org
/ref> She studied painting and drawing. As a painter, she is known for her
watercolor painting Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting method"Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to the S ...
s of life at the royal court. The images illustrate both everyday court life as well as outings, travelling and balls, display a humorous tone and has a similar style as those of
Fritz von Dardel Fritz Ludvig von Dardel (24 March 1817 – 27 May 1901) was a Swedish diarist, illustrator and early comics artist. He was a courtier, and is known for his diary and illustrations depicting the life of the Swedish court in the mid-19th century ...
. She is regarded to have had true talent as a painter, but her social position and gender created some difficulty in her attempts to develop her talent, as it was not considered suitable for her to study human male adult anatomy: her mother refused to allow her to study nude models. Later in life, she supported the efforts of her nephew Prince Eugen, who also became a painter. She was also active as a sculptor, and a student of J. P. Molin. Some of her designs were made into
porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...
ornaments in
Rörstrand Rörstrand porcelain was one of the most famous Swedish porcelain manufacturers, with production initially at Karlbergskanalen in Birkastan in Stockholm. History The Rörstrand waterfront site was first documented in the 13th century whe ...
and Gustavsberg. Her mother's refusal to allow her to study human anatomy created difficulties to develop this talent as well. This was partially solved after an incident described by
Fritz von Dardel Fritz Ludvig von Dardel (24 March 1817 – 27 May 1901) was a Swedish diarist, illustrator and early comics artist. He was a courtier, and is known for his diary and illustrations depicting the life of the Swedish court in the mid-19th century ...
. Upon a visit to the princess, he discovered that she was sculpturing a small statue of soldier in clay. She used the uniform of a soldier as a model, but this was not sufficient, as the legs of the soldiers did not look realistic. To assist her, Fritz von Dardel modeled his legs for her. They were interrupted by the queen dowager, who did not approve of a male model. The statue, however, which depicted a Norwegian pipe blower, turned out well after Dardel had modeled for it, and was made into a porcelain statue at Rörstrand. The incident of Dardel's modeling for Eugenie also proved benefiting for her development as an artist: after this, her mother allowed her to study the human anatomy of children, who were allowed to model for her. The perhaps most known piece of art attributed to her is a porcelain figurine of a dog and a child sitting opposite each other, entitled ''Kan du inte tala?'' ("Can't You Speak?"), which was manufactured at Gustavsberg and became a popular ornament. She also designed an allegory of faith and the apostles of Peter and Paul for her mother's chapel. Her work was represented at the Stockholm Art Exhibition of 1866. In November 1873, she was inducted as an honorary member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other fine arts, it is one of seve ...
. As a writer, Eugenie published the conventional ''Svenska prinsessor'' ("Swedish Princesses") in 1864. She also translated ''Korsets Skola'' (The School of the Cross) by M. F. Roos from German. One of her friends was the writer
Lina Sandell Lina Sandell (full name: Karolina Wilhelmina Sandell-Berg) (3 October 1832 – 27 July 1903) was a Swedish poet and author of gospel hymns. Background The daughter of a Lutheran minister, Sandell grew up in the rectory at Fröderyd parish in t ...
. Eugenie used the income from her art to finance her charity. She eventually stopped her art production for health reasons and turned entirely to charity.


Philanthropic work

Princess Eugénie was honored as a philanthropist by C. D. af Wirsén in his poem »De lidandes furstinna» ("The Princess of the tormented") from 1890. Her philanthropic work was focused on Gotland and her summer villa Fridhem. In 1866, she founded an orphanage for boys, and three years later, an orphanage for girls, both attached to her villa and under her personal supervision. To its benefit, she founded Protection Societies in Visby. In 1869, she founded a ''Gotlands sjukhem'' (Gotland Hospital) for the terminally ill, financed by the jewels from her grandmother
Désirée Clary Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary (; 8 November 1777 – 17 December 1860) was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 5 February 1818 to 8 March 1844 as the wife of King Charles XIV John. Charles John was a French general and founder of the House o ...
. In 1875, she created an association to support the fishermen of the west coast of Gotland. In 1879, she became the chairperson of a relief society for poor, terminally ill, invalids and handicapped children: through this society, she opened a home in Sundbyberg in 1882, completed in the '' Eugeniahemmet'' in Solna, named after her (1886). In 1881, she and bishop L. A. Anjou co-founded ''Visby stadsmission'' (Visby City Mission). In 1885, she and her friend Adéle Rudenschöld co-founded an association to the protection of animals, from 1888 renamed ''Gotlands djurskyddsförening'' (The Gotland Animal's Protection Society). She also supported the blind and poor students. She contributed to the
Fjellstedt School The Fjellstedt School (Swedish: ) was a private boarding school in Uppsala, Sweden, founded in 1862 and closed in 1982, with the main aim of preparing students for academic studies in theology and the priesthood in the Lutheran Church of Swed ...
in Uppsala, as well as the ''Lapplandsmissionen'' (Lappland Mission).


Sample of compositions

Piano compositions * ''Drottning Josephinas polonaise'', ( Queen Josephines
polonaise The polonaise (, ; , ) is a dance originating in Poland, and one of the five Polish folk dances#National Dances, Polish national dances in Triple metre, time. The original Polish-language name of the dance is ''chodzony'' (), denoting a walki ...
) (1854) * ''Louisa vals'' (The
waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
of Louisa) (1858?) * ''La priere'' (1844) * ''Sorgmarsch'', (Marsch of mourning), to the memory of Queen Louise (1871) * ''Tullgarns-galopp'' (The Tullgarn gallop) (1853) Songs *''Novemberkvällen'' (November evening) *''Fiskaren'' (The fisherman) (1850) *''Romans vid piano'' (Romance at the piano) (1859) *''Sång Orden af Tibell'' (The Song order of Tibell) (1863) *''Augusta-dagen'' (The day of Augusta) (1865)


Arms and monogram


Ancestry


References


Further reading

* * Österberg, Carin et al., ''Svenska kvinnor: föregångare, nyskapare''. Lund: Signum 1990. () * * Lars Elgklou (1978). Bernadotte. Historien - eller historier - om en familj.. Stockholm: Askild & Kärnekull Förlag AB * Eugénie (C. Eugénie A. A. A.), urn:sbl:15535, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Bengt Hildebrand.), hämtad 2016-06-18.
Swedish Musical Heritage - Prinsessan Eugénie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eugenie Of Sweden 1830 births 1889 deaths Musicians from Stockholm House of Bernadotte Eugenia 1830 Norwegian princesses Swedish people of French descent Burials at Riddarholmen Church Swedish Lutherans 19th-century Swedish composers 19th-century Swedish painters 19th-century Swedish sculptors Swedish women sculptors Daughters of kings 19th-century Swedish philanthropists 19th-century Swedish women composers 19th-century Swedish women painters Artists from Stockholm