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Hammarstedtska skolan

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Hammarstedtska skolan (The Hammarstedt School), also known as Hammarstedtska flickpensionen (Hammarstedt Girl's Pension) and Hammarstedtska pensionen (Hammarstedt Pension) was a Swedish Girls' school or finishing school, active for most of the 19th-century in Stockholm. It was regarded as one of the most exclusive of its kind in 19th-century Stockholm. The school was named after its principals, and therefore changed name several times: from the 1830s until 1881, it was therefore named as Bjurströmska pensionen (Bjurström Pension), Kockska pensionen (Kock Pension), Posseska pensionen (Posse Pension) and, finally, as Hammarstedtska pensionen (Hammarstedt Pension).

History

The school was founded by Mademoiselle Bjurström, and named Bjurströmska pensionen (Bjurström Pension) after her. During the 1830s- and 1840s, it was the most exclusive school for girls in the capital and the successor of the school of Johanna Lohm. The pension accepted students from the upper classes, and the education was conservative and focused on accomplishments. Olof Fryxell was engaged in the school for a time, but came in conflict with the students parents, who considered it unsuitable for females to be educated in human anatomy: it was Fryxell who, out of discontent over the shallow education given to females, was one of the founder of the progressive Wallinska skolan in 1831, the first school to provide girls with serious education. The perhaps most famous student of the Bjurströmska pensionen was Sophie Adlersparre, who was a pupil there in 1836-1838.

In the 1840s, the pension was managed by a "mademoiselle Kock" from Germany, and named after her. Kock was educated in Hamburg, and the school was renowned for the high education in languages during her tenure.

In 1852, the pension was taken over by the unmarried noblewoman Sofia Posse, and renamed Posseska pensionen (Posse Pension). Educated in Germany and a former student of Cecilia Fryxell and colleague of Karin Åhlin in Bjurströmska pensionen, she was described as a person living for religion and education.

After the death of Sofia Posse in 1855, the pension was taken over by Frederique Hammarstedt, one of the students of Cecilia Fryxell. It was then renamed from Posseska to Hammarstedtska skolan, after its new owner. The school was recommended especially for the education of the German language, then progressive as girls were normally only taught French. Hammarstedt also introduced the subject and practice of hygiene, a new a progressive subject in the mid 19th-century. Despite this, the establishment could be regarded as more of a finishing school than an academic institution, with the goal to foster students to "ladies" rather than to academics. As was distinctive for such a school, it was characterized as a "home" rather than a school. During a period when the Free churchs spread rapidly, which concerned many conservatives, Frederique Hammarstedt was recommended for her strict adherence to the state church. The Hammarstedtska skolan was regarded as one of the finest pensions for girls from the upper classes in mid 19th-century Stockholm. Among its famous students were the philanthropist Agda Montelius, the writer Gurli Linder and the artist Anna Billing.

References

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