Posted on July 6, 2021
Founder and editor of the first women's magazine in all of Scandinavia!
One of the first two women to be a member of a state committee in Sweden!
Pioneer of women's rights!
Sophie Adlersparre was all that and more.
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| The "and more" surely includes being quite the painter! This portrait of Sophie Adlersparre is actually a self-portrait, painted by the writer / editor / activist herself! |
A lot of times it is people born with privileges of rank and/or wealth that end up having the time and energy to work on social justice issues. Adlersparre - who was born in Sweden on this date in 1823 - was the daughter of a baron who was also a lieutenant colonel, and she married a nobleman who was a commander. Her husband had five children from a previous marriage, so Adlersparre had an instant family; Sophie's husband, it turned out, was very supportive of all her causes.
One of her big causes was helping women to become educated in fields where they could work as professionals - and therefore gain financial freedom!
She organized evening classes for women, created a successful employment agency, and prevailed upon the Swedish parliament to allow women to study at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts as equals with men. She started a magazine (as reported above), organized a free library for women, and helped found the Swedish Red Cross. She even co-founded and served as the chairperson of an organization that helped women gain more money and status from their handicraft work.
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| Above, woven pillow cover. Below, traditional Dala horse. |
Here is a taste of Adlersparre's wisdom:
"Women need work, and work needs women."
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| It is possible that Adlersparre's work to raise the status of handicrafts helped give rise to the Swedish Arts and Crafts Movement in the late 1800s and the early 1900s! |
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