Helena Nyblom

1843–1926.

Author.

Helena Nyblom was one of the most prolific and appreciated fairytale poems at the turn of the century.

She was born in Copenhagen in 1843 and was the daughter of Jørgen Roed and Emilia Amanda Kruse. The father was a painter and professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen and the mother had an interest in ancient art and literature. Helena Nyblom thus grew up in a home characterised by intellectuality and aesthetics.

She met her future husband in Rome and they moved to Uppsala where their home soon became a focal point for artistically oriented people from all over the Nordic region.

He published a series of short stories and poetry collections, but her real literary breakthrough was at the end of the 1890th century with her fairy tales.

Nyblom converted to Catholicism in 1895, which was both noted and criticized in the media.

Helena Nyblom was an active debater in the women's movement and also a cultural writer in magazines, such as Nordic Magazine, new Swedish magazine, Word and image and Idun.

In 1922 the autobiographical work My Memories of life was published.

John Bauer's illustration from 1913, to Helena Nybloms "Bortbytingarna" in "among gnomes and trolls". Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The verse house at Östra Ågatan 65 in Uppsala. The Nyblom family lived in the house from 1864. Photo: Arild Vågen / Wikimedia Commons.

Burial site: 0112-0574

Image description: Helena Nyblom, Stockholm ca 1870-ca 1880. Waldemar Dahllöf / UUB. [The image is cropped]
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Måns von Rosenstein

1755–1801.

Military, Rear Admiral.

Måns von Rosenstein, elder brother of Carl, became a lieutenant at the Army Navy in 1774.

From 1776 to 1778 he served in the British Navy and took part in Sir Peter Parker's squadron in the West Indies and attended the Battle of Quessant against France. As a French naval officer, Rosenstein participated in the American Revolutionary War, was captured by his former chief Admiral Parker, and brought to England.

On his return to Sweden in 1783 he became a second major in the Army fleet. Rosenstein distinguished himself particularly in the first Battle of Swedish Strait on August 24, 1789. He with his ship Oden managed to keep the Russian navy at bay to eventually be forced to surrender after which he was captured.

At the end of the war 1790, Rosenstein became a colonel in the army and was seven years later Rear Admiral.

 

Burial site: 0109-0462A

Image description: Måns von Rosenstein, painting by Per Krafft the Elder. Photo: Swedish Biographical dictionary / National Archives. [The image is cropped]
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Henri Osti

1826–1914.

Photographer.

Heinrich Osti, known as Henri, was born in Berlin and was the son of a band weaver from Italy.

Osti emigrated to Sweden at the age of 26 and in 1856 he began his photographic career in Stockholm. Three years later he opened a photo studio on Kungsgatan in Uppsala. The studio later moved to shoemaker Sven Anders Hägg's farm between Östra Ågatan and Gräsgränd (the park at present Bangårdsgatan) and eventually to Jervingska gården at Kungsgatan 55.

Heinrich Osti was for many years the city's leading photographer and won several prizes for his photographs and together with meteorologist Hugo Hildebrandsson he also photographed cloud formations for scientific purposes.

His collection of glass negatives with 16,000 images provides a broad record of the urban settlements of the time and the population of the city. The collection is a remarkable cultural-historical treasure that is preserved at Uppsala University Library.

 

Burial site: 0108-0450

Image description: Heinrich Osti, Uppsala 1860. Photo: Heinrich Osti / UUB. [The image is cropped]
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Elias Fries

1794–1878.

Botanist, mycologist.

Elias Fries came from Femsjö in Småland and was the son of the Parson Thore Fries and Sara Elisabeth Wernelin. He became one of leading figures of mycology, who produced writings that still play a scientific role.

Originally, Fries studied at Lund University and he became associate professor of botany at the age of 20.

He later moved to Uppsala University and was in 1851 Professor of practical economics and botany. He was also the prefect of the Botanical Garden and the museum there.

Fries was especially focused on the study of fungi, but his research touched on all the fields of botany. His most influential work was Systema Mycologicum, which was Fries's systematic work regarding fungi. Other mycological works were Elenchusfungorum and Hymenomycetes Europaei.

Fries propagated to use fungi as food, by the work of plates Sweden's edible and poisonous mushrooms. The interest in mycology was transferred to several of the children. For example, the son and daughter, Elias Petrus and Susanna (Sanna) Christina, draw several plates with mushrooms which several are preserved in Uppsala.

Fries also published the popular scientific papers Botanical Flyers (1-3, 1843 – 1864).

In addition to rector of the university, Elias Fries was a member of the Swedish Academy.

Title sheet from Elias Fries "Sweden's edible and poisonous mushrooms", Norstedt & Sons, Stockholm, 1860. Photo: Bukowskis Auktioner AB.

Spread by Elias Fries "Sweden's edible and poisonous mushrooms", Norstedt & Sons, Stockholm, 1860. Photo: Bukowskis Auktioner AB.

Burial site: 0103-0185

Image description: Elias Fries, Uppsala 1860's. Photo: UUB. [The image is cropped]
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Hildur Ottelin

1866–1927.

Acommodation inspector, municipal politician, gymnastics teacher.

After graduating from the Gymnastics Institute in Stockholm in 1893 Hildur Ottelin moved to Skolgatan 10 in Uppsala and lived there for some time with her brother. For several years she worked as a gymnastics teacher and physiotherapist at the Lindska School and Anna Wikström's Business School for blind women.

In 1903, Ottelin invested in two farms at Stamgatan (today's Geijersgatan) 7 and 10 with the intention of renting out housing and settled himself in number 10. A year later, she bought land from vicar Otto Myrberg in Rickomberga, which was later sold cheaply to working families and together with them a single-family association, Rickomberga Egna Hem, was formed, where she was CEO from 1904 to 1923.

Later, Ottelin became a acommodation inspector for the Health Care Board and in 1912, as the first woman, was elected to the Social Democratic Party. Likewise, Ottelin was also the first woman in the City board.

As a politician, she became known for her many controversial proposals and dedications in housing issues and in issues regarding the elderly. Hildur Ottelin continued to engage in municipal affairs until her death.

Since 1950 a street in Uppsala, in the area Rickomberga carries her name.

 

Burial site: 0148-1933

Image description: Hildur Ottelin, ca 1916-ca 1927. Photo: Klara Hacksell / UUB. [The image is cropped]
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Anita Nathorst

1894–1941.

Theologian, writer.

Anita Nathorst was active in the Christian student and high school movement and friends with Karin Boye who called her her "spiritual mother". Boye had love for her, but it was an unrequited love.

Nathorst studied in Uppsala and became the first female B.A.. Lic. In Church history. In 1926 her poetry collection was published.

Nathorst suffered from breast cancer early and was treated by doctor Iwan Bratt in Alingsås. They began a love affair in the mid-1930s. However, the love affair ended and Nathorst got an apartment in Skåne. Until it was free, it was a difficult time for her in Bratt's home and Karin Boye then served as a support for her.

Anita Nathorst died at Malmö Nursing home in the summer of 1941, just a few months after Karin Boye.

The following poem, written by Karin Boye, is called "How can I say..." which is in the posthumously published collection The Seven Deadly Sins and other left over poems. The collection was published in 1941 and the poem is directed at Anita.

How can I tell if your voice is beautiful.
I know only that it pierces me
And make me tremble like a leaf
And tearing me apart and blows me up.
What do I know about your skin and your limbs.
It just shakes me that they are yours,
So that for me there is no sleep or rest,
Until they are mine.


Burial site: 0101-0051

Image description: Anita Nathorst, unknown year. Photo: Unknown photographer / From private collection. [The image is cropped]
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Ulla-Bella Fridh

1929–1993.

Actor.

Ulla-Bella Fridh, whose full name was Anna Ulla-Britt Fridh-Gabrielsson, debuted in 1947 as Ice Princess in Gustav Wally's ice cabaret. She also played at the student theatre at the Södermanland-Nerikes Nation and attended theatre school at the Gothenburg City Theatre from 1949 to 1952.

Together with Owe Törnqvist and Rune Ek she participated in Sommarrevyer and worked at the Vasa Theatre in Stockholm with Karl-Gerhard 1952 – 1954.

She also starred in several television programmes and films, and was employed at Uppsala Stadsteater from 1964 to 1980.

 

Burial site: 0322-1802

Image description : Ulla-Bella Fridh, Uppsala, 1951 at Fyrisån. Photo: EC / Sjöberg bildbyrå. [ The image is cropped ]
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Elsa Eschelsson

1861–1911.

Lawyer, Sweden's first female Juris Doctor.

Elsa Eschelsson was born in a wealthy home in Norrköping in 1861. After the mother died, the five-year-old Elsa moved with her father to Stockholm.

Eschelsson was home schooled and learned, among other things, Latin, entirely on her own. In 1882 she graduated with high grades.

The studies continued in Uppsala and later Eschelsson became the first female doctor and associate professor of law. However, she had to fight hard to get posts, not least as a acting professor because that service could not yet be granted to a woman.

She participated in the creation of the formed Women's Association (1904) which seemed to women's right to hold higher government services.

The academic strife took a toll on her powers and after a supposed overdose of sleeping pills, Elsa Eschelsson died on March 10, 1911.

The funeral in Uppsala Cathedral was held by Professor Einar Billing who spoke of "the iniquity of this World".

 

Burial site: 0137-1550

Image description: Elsa Eschelsson, 1883. Photo: Heinrich Osti / UUB. [The image is cropped]
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Karin Arosenius

1851–1932.

Artist.

After studies at the Craft School and the Academy of Fine Arts, Karin Arosenius travelled to Copenhagen, Rome and then to Paris, where she was present at the same time as the spouses Karin and Carl Larsson.

Karin Arosenius sculpted busts and statuettes with genre motifs such as "Fisherman asleep from his fishing rod" in 1881 and "Bathing girl" in 1883, among others.

She exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1885, 1886 and 1888, and at the World Exhibition of 1889.

 

Burial site: 0127-1204

Image description: Karin Arosenius, 1901. Photo: Unknown photographer, Swedish portrait Gallery / Wikimedia Commons. [The image is cropped]
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Olof Verelius

1618–1682.

Scholar, philologist.

After studies in Dorpat and Uppsala, Olof Verelius worked as a teacher in high noble families and traveled to Holland, Switzerland, Italy and France.

In 1653 Verelius was appointed to economist in Uppsala and came to belong to Olof Rudbecks research circle. On his proposal, Verelius received the newly created professorship in "The Fatherland's Antiques" 1662, as the country's first professor of archeology.

The following year, Verelius performed the first archaeological excavation in Sweden, which occurred in a mound at Broby in Börje Parish.

In the 1670s, he had built a house, which was at the current Martin Luther King's place, a building that was probably designed by his friend Olof Rudbeck.

Verelius was also a prominent linguist and published Icelandic fairy tales and a work about runes.

In the feud with Schefferus about placement of the so-called heathen temple, Verelius argued that it was in old Uppsala and not in the cathedral's place as Schefferus claimed.

Olof Verelius was the first to acquire a burial site in the cemetery for the hospital and the poor, which has since become what is called the Old Cemetery today.

The burial site was purchased by the Hospital board on 26 October 1676 and is the oldest known in the original cemetery for the poor.

The first known funeral took place on February 9, 1682, when Olof Verelius was buried in a grave chamber which still is preserved. Olof Rudbeck conducted the funeral according to Verelius wishes.

 

Burial site: 0112-0615

Image description: Olof Verelius, lithograph by Otto Henrik Wallgren. Photo: Wikimedia Commons. [The image is cropped]
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