Idunas äpplen. Fredrika Bremers bokdonation till Högre lärarinneseminariet
Fredrika BremerHögre lärarinneseminarietBooksHistoryPrivate Book CollectionEmancipationEducationWomen's history19th centuryÅrsta slottFredrika BremerHögre lärarinneseminarietBokhistoriaBoksamlingEmancipationUtbildningKvinnohistoria1800-taletÅrsta slott
In the early 1860´s, the author and opinion former Fredrika Bremer made a large donation of books to Högre lärarinneseminariet, which is the first governmental institute for higher education of women in Sweden. The aim of this thesis is to describe the collection of donated books as well as to extract information regarding Bremer's international network of contacts, her views on women's education and her relation to Högre lärarinneseminariet. Furthermore, the aim is to highlight the unique relationship between Fredrika Bremer's private collection of the books and the library of Högre lärarinneseminariet from a gender perspective. A handwritten list of the 321 titles constitutin the donation has been preserved in the seminar archive and three quarters of the books have been re-discovered in a bookcase at Årsta castle. The donation is characterized by its double origin as stamps and personal dedications remain as permanent traces in the books. The archive list of the donation defines the scope of the current thesis. A sub-population of the books was selected for a more thorough investigation which was performed according to a bibliographical form. By considering each individual book as an artefact and the donation as its context, information was derived both from the individual book as well as from the book in relation to the collection as a whole. The investigation shows that the collection reflects Fredrika Bremer's areas of interest, her travels and her contacts with other writers throughout the world. The donation of the books, as well as the Iduna statue which she also donated, confirms that she saw her vision of a college being realized in Högre lärarinneseminariet. She was also aware of her own efforts for women's education and emancipation, and her significance as a role model for future students at the school. There is a high cultural history value in the preservation of Fredrika Bremer's book collection and it is desirable to make the collection more accessible for research.