Emilie Högquist
Encyclopedia
Emilie Sophie Högquist was a Swedish
actress and the mistress
of Oscar I of Sweden. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
, the most celebrated dramatic Swedish primadonna
of her time, called the Swedish Aspasia
, and also famous for her love affairs. She has been called the first female celebrity within Swedish drama.
As her father was the butler
of count
Carl De Geer, Emilie was soon exposed to men from the upper classes. Her mother was the hostess for the ill-reputed "Balls" held to introduce female students from Dramatens elevskola
to rich men. Emilie, like her elder sister Hanna, was placed in Dramatens elevskola by her mother in 1821, and acted as a child actor in the child theatre of Anders Selinder
, the Selinderska Barntheatern. At the age of fourteen, she was "introduced" to a rich old man by her mother.
In 1826-1828 she was a part of a travelling theatre company touring the country, and when she returned, she was accepted as a student at the Royal Theatre in Stockholm
, making her debut in the play "Qväkaren" in 1828. she was given a contract there at 1831. Her younger brother Jean Högquist (1814–1850), who was also considered to be great talent, followed her there, but his self-destructive way of life made him impossible for the theatre, and Emilie sent him to America. Jean was very close to his sister : he returned in 1846, and when Emilie died, he became so self-destructive that he died only four years later.
left the theatre with her husband. Torsslow had been the most notable "sentimental actress" and comic up till then, and when she left, the theatre had to find a replacement for such roles. They were first given to Charlotta Eriksson
, but Eriksson, a star with a different repertoire and expression, was not suited for the parts of Torsslow. Emilie Högvist was now given her chance and immediately excelled. She was received with great enthusiasm in these roles and took over the audience for Torsslow as well as gaining great admiration of her own. Her salary can illustrate her rise in career; in 1835, Emilie Högquist had a vagues of 1.200. As a comparison, the primadonna Henriette Widerberg
had a salary of 1.600, and the minimum salary of an actress was 200.
She was the most celebrated Swedish primadonna
of her time, called the Swedish Aspasia
; few other dramatic actresses in Sweden before her had enjoyed her popularity and success. Emilie Högquist have been compared to the opera singer Henriette Widerberg
, as their lives, personalities and careers were much alike, and she was also to replace Widerberg in many ways, though she is regarded as much more gifted artistically then Widerberg, who was an excellent singer but more talked about for her beauty.
Her talent was demonstrated through romantic and comical parts. She was very appreciated in so called French salon comedies, a very popular genre of the time. An initial critic to her ability was her weak voice; she herself admitted that she had the "voice of a chicken", but she made the most of it. She was helped with this problem after a student trip to Paris
1836-37, where she was instructed by the French actress Mademoiselle Mars
, and when she returned, she was called an ideal of grace and taste, and her earlier "chicken-voice" was replaced by a voice that "caressed the ear". Among her parts were "Qväkaren och dansaren" (The quaker and the dancer) by Scribe, "Shakspears Kär" (Shakespear's love), "Jungfrun av Orleans" (The Maid of Lorraine) by Schiller, Mary Stuart (play) and "Hamlet
" and had 125 roles in her repertoire. She also toured in Finland.
, Emilie made the acquaintance of Oscar, who was at that time heir to the throne. He rented a luxury apartment for her and in time set up a second family with her, close to the royal castle where his queen and legitimate children lived. It is said that the king spent every other night at the castle and every other night with Emilie. With Oscar, Emilie had two sons, Hjalmar and Max. Max was named after Maximilian de Beauharnais, Oscar's brother-in-law (and consequently the queen's brother). The two boys were jokingly referred to as "the princes of Laponia" (Lappland). Max grew up to become a merchant in China
, where he died in 1872. Hjalmar died in 1874 in London
.
Emilies apartment was known for its "Asian luxury". She was a celebrated hostess and held a salon that were quite famous, counting artists and men of important positions among her dinner guests, though it was never visited by female members of the upper classes because of her reputation as a courtesan. During her grand days as a star in the 1840s, she was also active in charity to ease poverty. She was the benefactor of the former primadonna Henriette Widerberg
. Her health, however, declined during these years. In the theatre, she was replaced by Zelma Hedin
.
, Italy
, where she had gone to try to cure her ailments, probably tuberculosis
and cancer
. She was one of the three famous Swedish artistes who were officially celebrated in a memorial in 1847.
:
With King Oscar I of Sweden
:
and Georg Rydeberg
(1939), one of the most expensive made in Sweden during the 1930s.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
actress and the mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of Oscar I of Sweden. She was a star of the Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
, the most celebrated dramatic Swedish primadonna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
of her time, called the Swedish Aspasia
Aspasia
Aspasia was a Milesian woman who was famous for her involvement with the Athenian statesman Pericles. Very little is known about the details of her life. She spent most of her adult life in Athens, and she may have influenced Pericles and Athenian politics...
, and also famous for her love affairs. She has been called the first female celebrity within Swedish drama.
Background
She was the daughter of Anders Högquist and Anna Beata Hedvall. Her brother Jean also became a famous Swedish actor.As her father was the butler
Butler
A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...
of count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
Carl De Geer, Emilie was soon exposed to men from the upper classes. Her mother was the hostess for the ill-reputed "Balls" held to introduce female students from Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola
Dramatens elevskola, i.e. Kungliga Dramatiska Teaterns Elevskola, or in Eng: The Royal Dramatic Theatre's acting school, was the acting school of Sweden's national stage, The Royal Dramatic Theatre, and for many years seen as the foremost theatre school and drama education for Swedish stage actors...
to rich men. Emilie, like her elder sister Hanna, was placed in Dramatens elevskola by her mother in 1821, and acted as a child actor in the child theatre of Anders Selinder
Anders Selinder
Anders Selinder , , was a Swedish dancer, Ballet master, choreographer and director. He was master of the Royal Swedish Ballet in 1833-1856....
, the Selinderska Barntheatern. At the age of fourteen, she was "introduced" to a rich old man by her mother.
In 1826-1828 she was a part of a travelling theatre company touring the country, and when she returned, she was accepted as a student at the Royal Theatre in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, making her debut in the play "Qväkaren" in 1828. she was given a contract there at 1831. Her younger brother Jean Högquist (1814–1850), who was also considered to be great talent, followed her there, but his self-destructive way of life made him impossible for the theatre, and Emilie sent him to America. Jean was very close to his sister : he returned in 1846, and when Emilie died, he became so self-destructive that he died only four years later.
Career
Emilie had her breakthrough after the great strike called "The second Torsslow argument" in 1834, when the great star Sara TorsslowSara Torsslow
Sara Fredrica Torsslow, née Strömstedt was a Swedish actor at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and one of the most popular and notable actors in Swedish history.- Biography :...
left the theatre with her husband. Torsslow had been the most notable "sentimental actress" and comic up till then, and when she left, the theatre had to find a replacement for such roles. They were first given to Charlotta Eriksson
Charlotta Eriksson
Charlotta Maria Eriksson was a Swedish actress, one of the most popular and notable actors in Sweden in the first half of the 19th century. She was also a translator, an actor-instructor, a vice principal, and a painter....
, but Eriksson, a star with a different repertoire and expression, was not suited for the parts of Torsslow. Emilie Högvist was now given her chance and immediately excelled. She was received with great enthusiasm in these roles and took over the audience for Torsslow as well as gaining great admiration of her own. Her salary can illustrate her rise in career; in 1835, Emilie Högquist had a vagues of 1.200. As a comparison, the primadonna Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Sophie Widerberg was a Swedish opera singer , actor and memoirist. The most famed singer on the Swedish stage of her time, she was counted as the most popular singer in Sweden during the 1810s and 1830s...
had a salary of 1.600, and the minimum salary of an actress was 200.
She was the most celebrated Swedish primadonna
Prima donna
Originally used in opera or Commedia dell'arte companies, "prima donna" is Italian for "first lady." The term was used to designate the leading female singer in the opera company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. The prima donna was normally, but not necessarily, a soprano...
of her time, called the Swedish Aspasia
Aspasia
Aspasia was a Milesian woman who was famous for her involvement with the Athenian statesman Pericles. Very little is known about the details of her life. She spent most of her adult life in Athens, and she may have influenced Pericles and Athenian politics...
; few other dramatic actresses in Sweden before her had enjoyed her popularity and success. Emilie Högquist have been compared to the opera singer Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Sophie Widerberg was a Swedish opera singer , actor and memoirist. The most famed singer on the Swedish stage of her time, she was counted as the most popular singer in Sweden during the 1810s and 1830s...
, as their lives, personalities and careers were much alike, and she was also to replace Widerberg in many ways, though she is regarded as much more gifted artistically then Widerberg, who was an excellent singer but more talked about for her beauty.
Her talent was demonstrated through romantic and comical parts. She was very appreciated in so called French salon comedies, a very popular genre of the time. An initial critic to her ability was her weak voice; she herself admitted that she had the "voice of a chicken", but she made the most of it. She was helped with this problem after a student trip to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
1836-37, where she was instructed by the French actress Mademoiselle Mars
Mademoiselle Mars
Mademoiselle Mars, , French actress, was born in Paris, the natural daughter of the actor-author named Monvel and Jeanne-Marie Salvetat , an actress known as Madame Mars, whose southern accent had made her Paris debut a failure.Mlle Mars began her stage career...
, and when she returned, she was called an ideal of grace and taste, and her earlier "chicken-voice" was replaced by a voice that "caressed the ear". Among her parts were "Qväkaren och dansaren" (The quaker and the dancer) by Scribe, "Shakspears Kär" (Shakespear's love), "Jungfrun av Orleans" (The Maid of Lorraine) by Schiller, Mary Stuart (play) and "Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
" and had 125 roles in her repertoire. She also toured in Finland.
Private life
After having a daughter with British diplomat John Bloomfield, 2nd Baron BloomfieldJohn Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield
John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield, GCB, PC, DL was a British peer and diplomatist.-Background:...
, Emilie made the acquaintance of Oscar, who was at that time heir to the throne. He rented a luxury apartment for her and in time set up a second family with her, close to the royal castle where his queen and legitimate children lived. It is said that the king spent every other night at the castle and every other night with Emilie. With Oscar, Emilie had two sons, Hjalmar and Max. Max was named after Maximilian de Beauharnais, Oscar's brother-in-law (and consequently the queen's brother). The two boys were jokingly referred to as "the princes of Laponia" (Lappland). Max grew up to become a merchant in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where he died in 1872. Hjalmar died in 1874 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Emilies apartment was known for its "Asian luxury". She was a celebrated hostess and held a salon that were quite famous, counting artists and men of important positions among her dinner guests, though it was never visited by female members of the upper classes because of her reputation as a courtesan. During her grand days as a star in the 1840s, she was also active in charity to ease poverty. She was the benefactor of the former primadonna Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Widerberg
Henriette Sophie Widerberg was a Swedish opera singer , actor and memoirist. The most famed singer on the Swedish stage of her time, she was counted as the most popular singer in Sweden during the 1810s and 1830s...
. Her health, however, declined during these years. In the theatre, she was replaced by Zelma Hedin
Zelma Hedin
Zelma Carolina Esolinda Hedin, née Bergnéhr, also called Zelma Kinmansson and Zelma Bergmansson, , was a Swedish stage actress, regarded as one of the greatest stars on the stage of the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Stockholm during the 1840s and 1860s in the mid 19th century.- Biography and career...
.
Death
Emilie died at age 34 in TurinTurin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where she had gone to try to cure her ailments, probably tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. She was one of the three famous Swedish artistes who were officially celebrated in a memorial in 1847.
Children
With John Bloomfield, 2nd Baron BloomfieldJohn Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield
John Arthur Douglas Bloomfield, 2nd Baron Bloomfield, GCB, PC, DL was a British peer and diplomatist.-Background:...
:
- Tekla, born October 1833
With King Oscar I of Sweden
Oscar I of Sweden
Oscar I was King of Sweden and Norway from 1844 to his death. When, in August 1810, his father Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden, Oscar and his mother moved from Paris to Stockholm . Oscar's father was the first ruler of the current House of Bernadotte...
:
- Hjalmar Högquist, born 18 June 1839 in HamburgHamburg-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, died 1874 in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - Max Högquist, born 12 August 1840 in StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, died 1872 in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
In fiction
The love between Emilie Högquist and Oscar I of was Sweden portrayed in the film Filmen om Emilie Högqvist ("The movie about Emilie Högquist") starring Signe HassoSigne Hasso
Signe Hasso was a Swedish-born American actress, writer and composer.-Background:Signe Eleonora Cecilia Larsson was born in the Kungsholmen parish of Stockholm, Sweden in 1915...
and Georg Rydeberg
Georg Rydeberg
Georg Rydeberg was a Swedish film actor. He appeared in 75 films between 1932 and 1981.-Selected filmography:* Hem från Babylon * Two Womena * For the Sake of My Intemperate Youth...
(1939), one of the most expensive made in Sweden during the 1930s.