Prominent women and pioneers

There were several women who, in the practice of a profession and in a work for charity, were actively engaged in the struggle for work and improved working conditions. Some of these women are presented here.

You will find more portraits of women who were prominent in education and working life in the portal Kvinnors kamp för kunskap, [Women’s struggle for education, not translated].

Other significant women:

Elma Danielsson, 1865-1936, journalist, member of staff of the newspaper Arbetet [Work] in 1887-1922. She was one of the founders of Kvinnliga arbetarförbundet [Women workers’ association], later Malmös kvinnliga diskussionsklubb [Women’s debating society of Malmö].

Hulda Flood, 1886-1968, social democratic politician, travelling agitator, specialized in women’s questions, in 1948-1949 member of the parliament’s upper chamber. She was the author of “Den socialdemokratiska kvinnorörelsen i Sverige” [‘Social democratic women’s movement in Sweden’], written in 1939.

Sofia Gumaelius, 1840–1915, pioneer among women business owners, starting an advertising agency business in Stockholm in 1877 that became one of the leading enterprises in advertising. Gumaelius was one of the promoters of Women’s Club, and a member of Landsföreningen för kvinnans politiska rösträtt [the National Association for Women’s Franchise] and Publicistklubben [the Press Club].

Hanna Lindmark, 1860-1941, born in a poor family, boarded out as a parish child, working for many years as a maid. At the age of forty, she opened a restaurant in Östersund, and later, a school of domestic science in Norrköping. The school of domestic science called Margareta was renowned and had branches in twelve Swedish towns and cities. The Christian girls working there got, at the same time, their qualification. Banqueting rooms, and also shops with ready-prepared homely food, were located adjacent to the restaurants. At her death, Hanna Lindmark was one of the richest women in Sweden.

Ellen, 1874-1955, and Maria, 1877-1948, Moberg, sisters, pioneers in the field of preschool instruction. Opened in 1904 the first kindergarten for working-class children in the country. The sisters studied at Pestalozzi-Fröbelhaus in Berlin. In 1909 they founded Fröbelinstitutet in Norrköping, and in 1918 Svenska Fröbelinstitutet was formed, with the aim to “work for sound development of the Fröbelian children’s gardens”. In 1940 the name was changed to Pedagogiska föreningen för förskoleåldern [Educational association for preschool-age children], PFF, and became Sveriges Barnträdgårdslärarinnors Förbund [Swedish association of kindergarten teachers], SBR.

Hilda Sachs, 1857-1935, teacher, translator, journalist, writer. Foreign correspondent in Paris and Rome, in 1899 a delegate of the journalist congress in Rome, as the first female delegate of such events. Sachs was among those who initiated Föreningen för kvinnans politiska rösträtt [Association for women’s franchise], FKPR, in Stockholm, and she visited and reported on most of the international congresses of suffrage. She was member of the board of Kvinnornas diskussionsklubb [Women’s debating society], founded by Ada Nilsson, and active in Svenska kvinnors medborgarförbund [The Swedish Women’s Citizens' Association]. Hilda Sachs was committed to the fight against regulated prostitution, and for single mothers and their children. She argued that in both cases men were obliged to shoulder greater responsibility.

Wilhelmina Skogh, 1849-1926, pioneer in the field of hotel and restaurant business. Began as a nanny and became then a waitress. In 1878 she opened her first hotel, Järnvägshotellet [the Railway hotel] in Storvik, which was followed by many others. Skogh was early in adopting new technology. She was licensed to build a new telephone line between her hotels “so that staff members and travellers were able to speak with her personally wherever she was”, and steam heat and electricity with generators that were operated by steam-engines were installed in the hotels. The highlight of her career came in 1902, when she became managing director of Grand Hotell in Stockholm. It was rebuilt into the present Grand Hotel with Vinterträdgården, completed in 1908. Villa Foresta in Lidingö became her private residence.

You will find further literature on, and writings by, the persons indicated above in the databases KVINNSAM and LIBRIS.