Swedish Immigration Story, 1854
The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Portraits, 1867
(Of Kosta, Sweden)
(Of Kosta, Sweden)
These three portraits arrived in Lindsborg, Kansas at the Deere Home in early December 1955 coming from Stockholm, Sweden after Emma Sohlberg, the last daughter of Ulric's and Antoinette's, died. Ulric Sohlberg and Antoinette Wittborg Sohlberg were my great great grandparents. Their two children in the portrait above are Ernest and Alma. Ernest would be my great grandfather with his marriage to Selma Sohlberg, the daughter of Anders Gustaf, Ulric's brother, who immigrated to America in 1854.
The portraits are oils on tin and were done in Kosta, Sweden of the children, of Ulric Sohlberg, the Kosta Glasbruk Factory Superintendent, and of his wife Antoinette in October 1867 by an unknown traveling Polish artist, Stanislaus Lewinsky.
The portraits are oils on tin and were done in Kosta, Sweden of the children, of Ulric Sohlberg, the Kosta Glasbruk Factory Superintendent, and of his wife Antoinette in October 1867 by an unknown traveling Polish artist, Stanislaus Lewinsky.
- The 1867 Portraits -
of
Ulric Sohlberg, Ernest and Alma Sohlberg, Antoinette Sohlberg
to left on wall are pictures of middle age
Ernest Sohlberg with wife/cousin Selma Sohlberg
my great grandparents
of
Ulric Sohlberg, Ernest and Alma Sohlberg, Antoinette Sohlberg
to left on wall are pictures of middle age
Ernest Sohlberg with wife/cousin Selma Sohlberg
my great grandparents
In California, portraits after full conservation work
Click on portrait to enlarge and move across.
When received in Lindsborg, these frameless portraits were stored in a closet with a blanket over them during a period of nearly 30 years traveling between Sohlberg House and Deere House, until they moved with the rest of the Sohlberg Deere Estate to San Francisco in 1984. There, they were stored similarly for another twenty some years and were finally restored in 2006 by Conservation of Art, LLC in Silicon Valley.
Ten years later, in May of 2016, they were returned to Sweden, to the Kulturarvscentrum Småland Glass Museum in Växjö, forty or so minutes away from Kosta, Sweden. There in March of that year, I walked the grounds of the Kosta Glasbruk Factory where my great great grandfather Ulric Sohlberg was the superintendent. And, I saw where he and his family lived as shown below. The chimney behind the home is part of the Kosta Glasbruk Factory.
Ten years later, in May of 2016, they were returned to Sweden, to the Kulturarvscentrum Småland Glass Museum in Växjö, forty or so minutes away from Kosta, Sweden. There in March of that year, I walked the grounds of the Kosta Glasbruk Factory where my great great grandfather Ulric Sohlberg was the superintendent. And, I saw where he and his family lived as shown below. The chimney behind the home is part of the Kosta Glasbruk Factory.
- Ulric and Antoinette Sohlberg Home -
on
Kosta Glasbruk Factory Grounds
on
Kosta Glasbruk Factory Grounds
Their home is still used today for corporate executives. This photo was taken on Sunday, March 6, 2016.
The family story was told that Ulric would leave his shoes on the top step outside the front door of his home every evening and in the morning his shoes would be polished.
That Kosta Glasbruk Factory had been part of the Orrefors and Boda glass companies, called "Orrefors Kosta Boda." However, Orrefors, left the group a few years ago, and the name of Kosta Boda, to this year of 2019, remains.
Shown here is the only Ulric Sohlberg family photograph that has survived of their Kosta Glasbruk home grounds. Their home is on the left, and the gentlemen, hardly visible in the photograph, are Ulric and his son Ernest.
That Kosta Glasbruk Factory had been part of the Orrefors and Boda glass companies, called "Orrefors Kosta Boda." However, Orrefors, left the group a few years ago, and the name of Kosta Boda, to this year of 2019, remains.
Shown here is the only Ulric Sohlberg family photograph that has survived of their Kosta Glasbruk home grounds. Their home is on the left, and the gentlemen, hardly visible in the photograph, are Ulric and his son Ernest.
- Only Family Kosta Glasbruk Home Photo -
- The Kosta Glasbruk Factory of March 2016 -
- The Kosta Glasbruk Factory grounds of March 2016 -
- The 1955 Swedish Custom Document for the "three portraits" & the "two gold thread embroidery pieces" -
The Swedish towns of Kosta and Växjö began celebrating "275 Years of Kosta Glass" at the Swedish Glass Museum on June 10, 2017. Here I am with Bjorn Arvidsson of the Museum under Ulric Sohlberg's portrait on that date of celebration.
The 2017 Växjö, Swedish Glass Museum, Sweden's 275th Year Celebration of Kosta Glass
- while personally celebrating their gifted Sohlberg Kosta Glasbruk portraits
from the Smoky Valley Lindsborg, Kansas,
Sohlberg Deere Swedish American estate -
to pause click on image
- while personally celebrating their gifted Sohlberg Kosta Glasbruk portraits
from the Smoky Valley Lindsborg, Kansas,
Sohlberg Deere Swedish American estate -
to pause click on image
After my trips to the Swedish Glass Museum in 2016 and 2017, it was confirmed that the "glass" in my own home was from Ulric Sohlberg after I received the very kind gift of the book, "1742 KOSTA 250 1992" from those part of the "Orrefors Kosta Boda" group headquartered in Kosta, Sweden. (To learn more on Kosta Glasbruk, go HERE.)
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Click HERE for the next section, The Swedish Sohlberg Kosta Glass
Click HERE for The Swedish Sohlberg Letters that follow.
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For more information on the
"two gold thread embroidery pieces"
which arrived in Lindsborg at the same time as the three Kosta portraits,
go HERE to
The Swedish Sohlberg Royal Gold Thread Embroidery Sampler (c1890s)
"two gold thread embroidery pieces"
which arrived in Lindsborg at the same time as the three Kosta portraits,
go HERE to
The Swedish Sohlberg Royal Gold Thread Embroidery Sampler (c1890s)
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* * *
"Let Us Celebrate Them"
* * *
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
"Let Us Celebrate Them"
* * *
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
