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Summary
This study aims to describe the environment in which an Invitation to the formation of an association for a college in Stockholm came about.
In the 17th century, Sweden had two universities, those in Uppsala and Lund. The late 18th century saw the establishment of several academies. In the beginning of the 19th century, a few specialised institutions of higher education were established in Stockholm.
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In the mid 19th century, Stockholm was a city trying to catch up and reach the standards for a European capital. The number of inhabitants was low, cholera afflicted the population, child mortality rate was high and street lighting was just about to be introduced.
During the first half of the 19th century Sweden came to emphasize primary education. This was followed by a number of publicly funded courses and studies on the development of the education system. One of these was a “Learning course for women” (“Lärokurs för fruntimmer”). Several of the men who signed the Invitation were also involved in this course.
The seven-page long Invitation argues for a college in the Swedish capital that would combine with the other tertiary education institutions. Among the arguments in favour of establishing a college are that most capitals have one; that the increased communications boost the competition between states; and that all the nation’s
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intellectual resources, particularly the women, have to be taken advantage of. 76 persons signed the Invitation, 33 of them were members of the recently established City Council. They also had contacts outside the Council, like family friends, members of academia who promoted education for women, and journalists.
The study looks in more detail at four of the signatories: one of the initiators professor Pehr Henrik Malmsten of the Karolinska Institute; the organiser Albert Lindhagen; the supporting banker André Oscar Wallenberg; and the educationalist Per Adam Siljeström.
There were also wives and sisters of the signatories who did not themselves sign the Invitation but who must have supported or influenced their husbands and brothers, among those Sophie Adlersparre, Anna Wallenberg and the sisters Alida (who was employed by A. O. Wallenberg) and Jenny Rossander.
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