Charlotte Eckerman
Beata Charlotta "Charlotte" Eckerman (1759 – 16 January 1790 in
Life
Charlotte Eckerman was the daughter of Bengt Edvard Eckerman, cavalry captain of the Royal Scanian Husars, and the writer
In the custody of her father after her parents divorce, she was described as more or less an orphan. She had two brothers and a sister, as well as several halfsiblings by her fathers second marriage and by her mother. She and her sister did not get along with their stepmother, and appears to have moved from home early on.[2] Her sister
Opera singer
Charlotta Eckerman was engaged at the Stenborg Company in 1774, and as a singer at the Royal Swedish Opera in Bollhuset in Stockholm in 1776–81.
In 1774, she and several other actors of the Stenborg Company was called to Gripsholm Castle by Gustav III, who had recently created the Swedish Royal Opera and was in search of talent. The king discovered that she had a talent for drama, and gave the courtier Maria Aurora Uggla, the star of the nobility's amateur theatre at the royal court, the task to instruct her in the part of Mechtild in the opera Birger jarl by Gyllenborg and Adlerbeth, after the part had been refused by Elisabeth Olin.[1] Charlotte Eckerman made a great success in the part at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, and was called in by the audience: Prince Charles started to shout "Miss Uggla! Miss Uggla!", after which the audience applauded also Maria Aurora Uggla in her box as well as the author Gyllenborg for having instructed Eckerman in the part.[1]
Eckerman was given a contract as a singer at the opera in 1776, and was active there until 1781, during which she was "an adored actress and singer".[1] After having been judged as unfit for the ballet, she was given a place in the choir. Though her voice was weak, she was described as beautiful and vivid.[1] While described as failed dancer and a mediocre singer, she was considered a well capable actress.[3]
Charlotte Eckerman was, alongside Ulrica Rosenlund, much recommended for her dramatic talent and belonged to the members of staff in the first national Opera, who proved their talent not only as singers, but also as actors in talking parts, the theatrical performances that were sometimes given at the opera before the opening of the royal theatre in 1788.
Royal mistress
Charlotta Eckerman was from 1774 active as a
In 1781, Charles ended the connection. It was rumoured that the relationship ended because of the scandal, but in reality, it was more likely because Charles regarded it as necessary after having become inducted into the
In 1781, Eckerman became involved in a conflict with the king,
Sparre refused to arrest her, and pointed out that it was against Swedish law for a monarch to threaten the freedom of a citizen without a legal verdict from a court. The whole affair ended in silence. Eckerman was not sent to jail, and the king did not mention it further. Eckerman left the country shortly afterward, possibly banished by the monarch.[1]
Later life
Charlotte Eckerman later lived in Paris in France, where she worked as a courtesan under the name Madame Ahlgren. During this period, she was portrayed by the famous artist Adolf Ulrik Wertmüller: the painting was likely ordered by her then admirer Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt.
In 1784, Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt arranged a meeting with Gustav III during his official visit to France, during which she was reconciled with the monarch and allowed to return to Sweden.[1] During these years, she made a journey through Italy, which was unusual for a single woman in this period.
She returned to Sweden in 1786. Charlotte Eckerman now became active as a spy. She received an allowance from the authorities in exchange for spying on the foreign ambassadors stationed in Stockholm in her capacity of a courtesan.[1] At the time of her death, she was the mistress of the Dutch ambassador to Sweden, baron van der Bork.[1]
She died while being magnetized by Anders Sparrman.[1]
Fiction
Charlotta Eckerman is portrayed as the main protagonist in the novel Kurtisanen (The Courtesan) by Anna Laestadius Larsson (2019).
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Forsstrand, Carl; Hagman, Sophie (September 2011). Sophie Hagman och hennes samtida; några anteckningar från det gustavianska Stockholm [Sophie Hagman and her contemporaries. Notes from Stockholm during the Gustavian age] (in Finnish). Nabu Press. Archived from the original on 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
- ^ Beata Charlotte Ekerman, urn:sbl:16573, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Bengt Hildebrand.), hämtad 2019-06-15.
- ^ Beata Charlotte Ekerman, urn:sbl:16573, Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (art av Bengt Hildebrand.), hämtad 2019-06-15.
References
- Nordisk familjebok / Uggleupplagan. 6. Degeberg - Egyptolog (in Swedish)
- Svensk Uppslagsbok. 1947 års utgåva. (Swedish Dictionary. 1947 edition) (in Swedish)
- Kjellberg, Bertil, Beijer, Agne & Andersson, Ingvar (red.), Gustavianskt: [1771-1810], Wahlström & Widstrand, Stockholm, 1945
- [1] (in Swedish)
- Bohman, Nils & Dahl, Torsten (red.), Svenska män och kvinnor: biografisk uppslagsbok, Bonnier, Stockholm, 1942-1955 (in Swedish)
- [2] (in Swedish)
- [3] (in Swedish)
- Grimberg, Carl, Svenska folkets underbara öden. 7, 1756–1792, Stockholm, 1961 (in Swedish)
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