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Eva Ekeblad
Swedish agriculturalist (1724–1786) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Eva Ekeblad (née De la Gardie; 10 July 1724 – 15 May 1786) was a Swedish agriculturist and salon hostess. She discovered a method to make alcohol and flour from potatoes, significantly reducing Sweden's incidence of famine. She became the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Ekeblad was the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (1748).[1][2][3]
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Life
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Early life
Eva De la Gardie was born on 10 July 1724 in Stockholm[1] as the daughter of Count Magnus Julius De la Gardie, state marshal and privy councillor and Hedvig Catharina Lillie. She was the tenth of fourteen children, but only two of her siblings survived to adulthood. Her family was influential in Swedish politics, and her mother was active in politics, holding salons for the members of the Hats.[4]
Eva De la Gardie was the sister of Captain Carl Julius De la Gardie and Hedvig Catharina De la Gardie and the aunt of Axel von Fersen the Younger. Her brother was married to Catherine Charlotte De la Gardie and the brother-in-law of the royal favorite Hedvig Taube.[1][3][5][6]
Married life
In 1740, Eva married at the age of 16 the riksråd count Claes Claesson Ekeblad, and became the mother of seven children; one son and six daughters,[1][7] Claes Julius Ekeblad (1742–1808) and Hedda Piper among them. Their spouses belonged to the elite of the Swedish nobility.[1][2]
Upon her marriage, her father, Julius De la Gardie, gave Eva the estates Mariedal Castle and Lindholmen Castle, Västergötland.[8] Her husband, additionally, owned the Stola Manor estate as well as a residence in the capital of Stockholm.
Because of the frequent absence of her husband on business, Eva Ekeblad was given the responsibility of the management of the three estates, including the tasks of supervising the bailiffs and presiding at the country-assemblies of the parishes of the estates.[1][3][9] She is described as imposing and temperamental with great authority: fair toward the peasantry, whom she protected against abuse from the bailiffs in return for obedience,[8] and as someone who did not hesitate to rectify and punish wrongdoings during conflicts with local dignitaries.[1] She also had a leading role in the local aristocracy, and Stola manor was renowned for its good order.[8]
In the Ekeblad residence in Stockholm, she hosted a cultural salon and was described by the wife of the Spanish Ambassador de marquis de Puentefuerte as "one of few aristocratic ladies whose honor was considered untainted".[1] The first concert performances of the mass music of Johan Helmich Roman were performed in her salon at the Ekeblad House.[10] She was on friendly terms with queen Louisa Ulrika.[8]
Later life
After the death of her husband in 1771, she retired to the countryside. Mariedal and Lindholmen estates served as her dower estates, the former being her personal residence. She initially also kept control of her son's estate Stola, he being also absent from his estates like his father because of his career.[8]
In 1775, her son Claes Julius Ekeblad (1742–1808) married Brita Horn, and three years afterwards Stola manor was granted to her daughter-in-law as a dower.[8] In November 1778, Eva Ekeblad attended the royal court by making use of her rank in her capacity as riksrådinna (wife or widow of a riksråd) and was present as a witness at the birth of the future Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden.[8] She stayed in the capital for two years, during which time she was much celebrated. She was offered to succeed Ulrika Strömfelt as överhovmästarinna (chief lady-in-waiting) to the queen, as well as offered the position of royal governess for the Crown Prince.[8] However, though she was reportedly flattered, she was forced to refuse the offers of a position at court because her hitherto good health was affected by an illness that year which left her much weakened and made her periodically bedridden for her remaining eight years.[8] She spent her last six years in Mariedal Castle, where she continued to be celebrated by the local aristocracy until she died.[8]
Scientific discoveries
Ekeblad experimented with potatoes, which had been introduced to Sweden in 1658, but were only cultivated in the greenhouses of aristocrats. She discovered how to make starch from them which could then be grounded and sifted. She developed a bread recipe using oat flour and mashed potatoes, and also described a method for the preparation of potato liquor from the same.
In 1746, she detailed her discoveries to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[1] They were reviewed by Jonas Alströmer and Jacob Faggot, who both praised it. She was elected its first female member on 3 December 1748.[1] Her essay, Försök att tillverka bröd, brännvin, stärkelse och puder af potater ('Attempts at Producing Bread, Spirit, Starch, and Powder from Potatoes') was also published by the Academy that year. It was hoped that recognising her would encourage Swedish women to invent useful household products.[4] There are no records of her participation in the meetings of the Academy and from at least 1751, she was seen only as an honorary member.[1] She described a new method for bleaching cotton textiles 1751 and bleaching yarn in 1752 to the Academy, which were both published.[1]
She promoted replacing dangerous ingredients such as arsenic in cosmetic powders with potato flour. She is said to have advertised the plant by using its flowers as hair ornaments.[11]
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In popular culture
Ekeblad was featured in a Google Doodle on 10 July 2017.[12]
See also
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