Märta Helena Reenstierna

Märta Helena Reenstierna
Born	1753
Died	1841
Residence	Årsta manor, Sweden
Other names	Märta Helena von Schnell, Årstafrun (English = "The Årsta lady")
Occupation	Tobacco farmer
Known for	Diarist
Spouse	Christian Henrik von Schnell (d. 1811)
Children	Hans Abraham von Schnell (d. 1812)
Notes Her diaries are considered as an important source for the life of the mistress at a Swedish manor in the late 18th-century and early 19th-century.

Märta Helena Reenstierna (1753–1841), also von Schnell, known as Årstafrun (English = "The Årsta lady"), was a Swedish diary writer. Her diaries were written in the period 1793-1839, and are kept at the archives of Nordiska museet in Stockholm. They were published in 1946-1953 as Årstadagboken (The Årsta diary). They are considered as an important source for the life of the mistress at a Swedish manor in the late 18th-century and early 19th-century.

Biography

Märta Helena Reenstierna was the spouse of Cavalry Captain Christian Henrik von Schnell (d. 1811). She had eight children, among whom only her son Hans Abraham became adults; he died in a riding accident in 1812. She was a personal friend and benefactor of Bellman, whom she helped financially on several occasions. Årsta was a large estate with a tobacco farm. She continued with the diary and the managing of the estate until she became blind in 1839.

Märta Helena Reenstierna was portrayed in the novel På Årstafruns tid (English: The times of the Årsta lady) by Lars Widding (1969).

References

Sources

• This page is a translation of its Swedish equivalent.

Persondata
Name	Reenstierna, Marta Helena
Alternative names
Short description	Diarist
Date of birth	1753
Place of birth
Date of death	1841
Place of death