Princess Eugenie of Sweden
Encyclopedia
Princess Eugenie of Sweden and Norway (Stockholm Palace
, 24 April 1830 – 23 April 1889 in Stockholm
) was a member of the Royal House of Bernadotte and a dilettante
artist
.
and Josephine of Leuchtenberg
. She had weak health from birth, and it was therefore decided early that she should not marry. She did accompany her brother Charles
to Prussia
in 1846 with the thought that she might be presented there as a prospective bride, but no serious negotiations were ever made.
She said that this gave her the opportunity to live an independent life. When unmarried adult women in Sweden were granted legal majority in 1858 (initially only if they applied for it), she became perhaps the first woman in Sweden to request, and be granted, legal independence. When the siblings were little, one of their teachers took ill with tuberculosis
, but was allowed to remain in employment, which may have affected the health of some of the children. Eugenie sometimes felt alone as a child: she was later to say, that during her childhood, she had the wish to be a boy just like her brothers were.
In 1852, during the royal family's visit in Oslo
, several of them were taken ill. Eugenie had pneumonia, and her health never fully recovered from this. She also lost her "darling brother"; Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland
, her favorite among her siblings, which affected her. She was an active Christian and interested in spiritual things. She was however, not a believer of any Christian belief in particular, but listened to several different Christian branches.
Eugenie was interested in many forms of art. She composed music, wrote poems, sculpture
d and painted the everyday life of the royal court. One of her friends was the writer Lina Sandell
. Some of her designs were made into porcelain
ornaments in Rörstrand
and Gustavsberg
. The most well-known piece of art attributed to her (incorrectly, however) is a drawing of a child and a dog called "Can't You Speak?", which became very popular as such an ornament. She wrote a book, Svenska prinsessor (English:Swedish Princesses), which was published in 1864 with a German book she had translated to Swedish, and her work was represented at the Stockholm Art Exhibition of 1866.
She used the income from her art to finance her social projects. Royal women were expected to take up charitable causes, but it is said that Eugenie's interest in social issues was genuine and not a duty. 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."
She had pneumonia several times, and was forced to confine herself to the few warm rooms in the royal palace during the winters. Her poor health gave her an interest in medicine
, and she founded two orphanages and a home for incurables near her summer residence, Fridhem on Gotland
, an island were she spent her summers since 1859. She founded an organization to help the handicapped and terminally ill children (1879), as well as Eugeniahemmet, a hospital for sick children (1882).
Songs
Stockholm Palace
The Stockholm Palace is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. . Stockholm Palace is located on Stadsholmen , in Gamla Stan in the capital, Stockholm...
, 24 April 1830 – 23 April 1889 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...
) was a member of the Royal House of Bernadotte and a dilettante
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
.
Biography
Eugénie was born to King Oscar I of SwedenOscar 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...
and Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Josephine of Leuchtenberg
Joséphine of Leuchtenberg was Queen consort of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar I...
. She had weak health from birth, and it was therefore decided early that she should not marry. She did accompany her brother Charles
Charles XV of Sweden
Charles XV & IV also Carl ; Swedish and Norwegian: Karl was King of Sweden and Norway from 1859 until his death....
to Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
in 1846 with the thought that she might be presented there as a prospective bride, but no serious negotiations were ever made.
She said that this gave her the opportunity to live an independent life. When unmarried adult women in Sweden were granted legal majority in 1858 (initially only if they applied for it), she became perhaps the first woman in Sweden to request, and be granted, legal independence. When the siblings were little, one of their teachers took ill with 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...
, but was allowed to remain in employment, which may have affected the health of some of the children. Eugenie sometimes felt alone as a child: she was later to say, that during her childhood, she had the wish to be a boy just like her brothers were.
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, several of them were taken ill. Eugenie had pneumonia, and her health never fully recovered from this. She also lost her "darling brother"; Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland
Prince Gustaf, Duke of Uppland
Prince Frans Gustaf Oscar of Sweden and Norway, Duke of Uppland was the second son of Oscar I of Sweden and Josephine of Leuchtenberg and younger brother to Prince Charles.Prince Gustaf was a trained musician and composer...
, her favorite among her siblings, which affected her. She was an active Christian and interested in spiritual things. She was however, not a believer of any Christian belief in particular, but listened to several different Christian branches.
Eugenie was interested in many forms of art. She composed music, wrote poems, sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
d and painted the everyday life of the royal court. One of her friends was the writer Lina Sandell
Lina Sandell
Lina Sandell was a Swedish writer of Gospel hymns.Born Karolina Wilhelmina Sandell in a rectory at Fröderyd, Småland, Sweden...
. Some of her designs were made into porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
ornaments in Rörstrand
Rörstrand
Rörstrand porcelain was one of the most famous Swedish porcelain manufacturers, with production initially at Karlberg Sea on Kungsholmen in Stockholm.-History:...
and Gustavsberg
Gustavsberg
Gustavsberg is a locality and the seat of Värmdö Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden with 9,682 inhabitants in 2005. It is most known for its porcelain factory, Gustavsberg porcelain, and toilet bowls distributed nationwide and internationally....
. The most well-known piece of art attributed to her (incorrectly, however) is a drawing of a child and a dog called "Can't You Speak?", which became very popular as such an ornament. She wrote a book, Svenska prinsessor (English:Swedish Princesses), which was published in 1864 with a German book she had translated to Swedish, and her work was represented at the Stockholm Art Exhibition of 1866.
She used the income from her art to finance her social projects. Royal women were expected to take up charitable causes, but it is said that Eugenie's interest in social issues was genuine and not a duty. 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."
She had pneumonia several times, and was forced to confine herself to the few warm rooms in the royal palace during the winters. Her poor health gave her an interest in medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, and she founded two orphanages and a home for incurables near her summer residence, Fridhem on Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
, an island were she spent her summers since 1859. She founded an organization to help the handicapped and terminally ill children (1879), as well as Eugeniahemmet, a hospital for sick children (1882).
Sample of compositions
Piano compositions- Drottning Josephinas polonaise, (Queen JosephinesJosephine of LeuchtenbergJoséphine of Leuchtenberg was Queen consort of Sweden and Norway as the wife of King Oscar I...
polonaisePolonaiseThe polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish."The polonaise had a rhythm quite close to that of the Swedish semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska, and the two dances have a common origin....
) (1854) - Louisa vals (The waltzWaltzThe waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
of Louisa) (1858?) - La priere (1844)
- Sorgmarsch, (Marsch of mourning), to the memory of Queen LouiseLouise of the NetherlandsLouise of the Netherlands was the Queen of Sweden and Norway as spouse of King Charles XV of Sweden and IV of Norway.-Birth:...
(1871) - Tullgarns-galopp (The TullgarnTullgarn PalaceTullgarn Palace is a royal summer palace by Häggnäsviken bay in the Trosa archipelago, south of Stockholm, Sweden. Built in the 1720s, the palace offers a mixture of rococo, Gustavian and Victorian styles...
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)