Swedish Dress Reform Association (Swedish: ) was a Swedish women's association, active from 1886 to 1903.Jerremalm, Sanna (2010). Svenska reformdräkter : kvinnokläder för en ny tid. Uppsala: Uppsala Universitet, Textilvetenskap. Libris 13941878 It was a part of the

Victorian dress reform Victorian dress reform was an objective of the Victorian dress reform movement (also known as the rational dress movement) of the middle and late Victorian era, led by various reformers who proposed, designed, and wore clothing considered more ...

, and worked to reform women's dress toward a more healthy and comfortable style, including abolishing the corset. The movement attracted a lot of attention and achieved some success during its duration, such as making corsets unfashionable among school girls.

History

Foundation

The views of the

were made known in Sweden by the book ''Dress and Health'', which was translated to Swedish under the name (likely by Oscara von Sydow) with an introduction by

Curt Wallis Kurt is a male given name of Germanic or Turkish origin. ''Kurt'' or ''Curt'' originated as short forms of the Germanic Conrad, depending on geographical usage, with meanings including counselor or advisor. In Turkish, Kurt means "Wolf" and i ...

and

Hanna Winge Hanna Mathilda Winge, née Tengelin (4 December 1838 – 9 March 1896) was a Swedish painter and textile artist. She was one of the five founders of the Swedish women's association Nya Idun. Biography Hanna Mathilda Winge was born in Gothe ...

. In February 1885,

Anne Charlotte Leffler Anne Charlotte Edgren-Leffler, duchess of Cajanello (1 October 184921 October 1892), was a Swedish author. Biography She was the daughter of the school principal John Olof Leffler and Gustava Wilhelmina Mittag. Her brother was noted mathematician ...

held a speech on the subject in the women's club

Nya Idun Nya Idun is a Swedish cultural association for women founded in 1885, originally as a female counterpart to Sällskapet Idun ('the Idun Society'). Its aim was to "gather educated women in the Stockholm area for informal gatherings". There was a ...

, and asked Hanna Winge to design a Swedish reform dress; when this was done, Leffler became the first woman in Sweden to wear a reform dress. This created publicity, and in April 1886, a group of women founded the with the purpose of introducing and adapting the Victorian dress reform movement's ideas in Sweden. Many famous contemporary Swedish women were members of the . Among the members were

Anna Hierta-Retzius Anna Wilhelmina Hierta-Retzius, née ''Hierta'' (24 August 1841 – 21 December 1924), was a Swedish women's rights activist and philanthropist. She was the co-founder and secretary of the ''Married Woman's Property Rights Association'' (1873), fo ...

and

Ellen Key Ellen Karolina Sofia Key (; 11 December 1849 – 25 April 1926) was a Swedish difference feminist writer on many subjects in the fields of family life, ethics and education and was an important figure in the Modern Breakthrough movement. She was ...

, who acted as its first, temporary chairperson upon its foundation, until a permanent one could be elected.

Activity

The society was active in changing public opinion toward a more healthy dress style for women by public lectures, articles and publications. It was given wide support by Scandinavian medical doctors, and

Karolina Widerström Karolina Olivia Widerström (10 December 1856 – 4 March 1949), was a Swedish doctor and gynecologist. She was the first female physician with a university education in her country. She was also a feminist and a politician, and engaged in the qu ...

and

Lorentz Dietrichson Lorentz Henrik Segelcke Dietrichson (1 January 1834 Bergen - 6 March 1917) was a Norwegian poet and historian of art and literature. Biography Lorentz Henrik Segelcke Dietrichson was the son of Fredrik Dietrichson (1800–52) and Marie Heiberg ...

all wrote supporting articles which denounced particularly tight lace corseting as unhealthy. In 1889, Queen Sophia invited the chairperson to an official audience and invited her to display the reform dresses designed by Augusta Lundin at

Ulriksdal Palace Ulriksdal Palace ( sv, Ulriksdals slott) is a royal palace situated on the banks of the Edsviken in the Royal National City Park in Solna Municipality, 6 km north of Stockholm. It was originally called ''Jakobsdal'' for its owner Jacob De la ...

, and afterward gave the society her formal support, which was publicized as a great success.

Impact

While no separate dress reform society was established in the other Nordic nations of Denmark, Finland and Norway, the women's movement in these countries was influenced by the Swedish dress reform society and was also active in the issue. The reform dress of the society was manufactured by

Friends of Handicraft The Friends of Handicraft ( sv, Handarbetets vänner) is a Swedish association for the education, development, production and experimentation of advanced textiles and design. History The association was founded in 1874 by Sophie Adlersparre. From ...

and by the studio of

Augusta Lundin Augusta Lundin (13 June 1840 in Kristianstad – 20 February 1919) was a Swedish fashion designer. She is considered to be the first international Swedish fashion designer as well as the first well known fashion designer in Sweden. Early years a ...

, who dressed her gofers in the reform dress. The reform dress in itself never managed to become popular, although a few radical women such as

Calla Curman Calla Curman, née ''Lundström'' (1850–1935), was a Swedish writer, salon-holder and feminist. She was also the founder of Stångehuvud nature reserve and one of the five founders of the women's association Nya Idun. Family Calla Curman w ...

, Sonja Kovalevsky,

Alfhild Agrell Alfhild Teresia Agrell (14 January 1849 – 8 November 1923) was a Swedish writer and playwright. She is known for her works about sexual equality in opposition to the contemporary sexual double standard, and as such a participator in the fa ...

and

Anna Boberg Anna Katarina Boberg, née Scholander, (3 December 1864 – 27 January 1935) was a Swedish artist married to prominent architect Ferdinand Boberg. Anna Scholander was the daughter of architect Fredrik Wilhelm Scholander and the granddaughter o ...

wore the reform dress in public. However, the society did achieve some success in regard to the use of corsets on girls. In the 1890s, it was reported that the use of corsets within Swedish girl' schools had diminished markedly, as it was no longer regarded proper for a school girl to wear a corset.

Dissolution

In 1890, the association became a part of the

Fredrika Bremer Association The Fredrika Bremer Association ( sv, Fredrika Bremer Förbundet, abbreviated FBF) is the oldest women's rights organisation in Sweden. The association stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism, and advocates for wome ...

. It was considered a natural step for Swedish women's associations at the time to organize under the FBA, but it sorted as a separate entity under the FBA and continued to function independently. After 1896, however, the progressively more simple and comfortable fashions, the introduction of sportswear during cycling and the decrease in tight-laced corsets made the activity of the society diminish. In 1903, it was dissolved.

Chairperson

* 1886-1889: Kerstin Bohman * 1889-1892: Marie-Louise Berg * 1892-1896:

Gurli Linder Ane Gurli Linder née Peterson (1865–1947) was a Swedish writer and feminist who was active in Stockholm's social life in the late 19th century when she also encouraged women to become more directly involved in culture. A strong supporter of l ...

References

{{reflist 19th century in Sweden 1886 in Sweden Feminist organizations in Sweden 1886 establishments in Sweden 1903 disestablishments in Sweden 1886 in women's history 19th-century fashion Clothing controversies History of clothing (Western fashion)