- Lea Ahlborn
Lea Ahlborn, née Lundgren, (1826-1897) was a famous Swedish artist. She was a member of the
Royal Swedish Academy of Arts , and the first woman to be appointed royalprintmaker . The position of royal printmaker was public office, and thereby also made her the first female official in Sweden.Biography
As the child the printmaker Ludvig Lundgren, she early decided to follow him in his profession. In 1849, she, as well as
Amalia Lindegren and Agnes Börjesson, became one of the four women who were given permission to study art at the Swedish Royal Academy of Arts. In 1851, she made a study-trip toParis with her teacher Carl Gustaf Qvarnström and her brother Pehr Henrik, were she worked with the sculptor Toussaint, the printmaker Barre and her maternal uncle, the medal designer Johan Salmson.In 1853, she returned to Sweden; the same yer, her father died, and she functioned as royal printmaker until the return of her brother, who was decided to take over their fathers position, but her brother died in Paris. In 1855, she was appointed royal printmaker and elected as a member in the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. She kept herself updated in everything regarding her work, and was given assignments from the Swedish Academy, the science academy and the royal academy Pro Patriaa and
Empress Eugenie of France . She made the medal-portraits to the celebration of the anniversary of the wedding of the king and queen, and she was hired by theUS government to make the medal ofGeorge Washington at the centenary (hundred years anniversary) of the end of the war of independence in 1883, and to the celebration of Christopher Columbus' discovery of America in 1892. In 1892, she was given the medal "Illis Quorum" by the king.Her sister, Carolina Weidenhayn, (1822-1902), became the first professional female xylographer, who after studies in Paris 1858-1867, became an instructor at the technical school
Tekniska Skolan in 1859-1881. Lea Ahlborn married the artist Carl Ahlborn and had several children.See also
*
Anna Maria Thelott
*Ulrika Pasch
*Maria Rohl Sources
* Carin Österberg, "Svenska kvinnor", (In Swedish).
*http://runeberg.org/sqvinnor/0014.html
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