Artists Illustrating Boys' Fashions: Albert Edelfelt--Queen Blanka (1877)



Figure 1.--This painting is of Queen Blanka dressed in a long white gown, playing with her young son, Prince Eric. She is dangling him on her knee. Eric is dressed in a historical costume of fanciful medieval design--a short rust-colored tunic with grey long stockings or tights.

This painting is of Queen Blanka (1877) dressed in a long white gown, playing with her young son, Prince Eric. She is dangling him on her knee. Eric is dressed in a historical costume of fanciful medieval design--a short rust-colored tunic with grey long stockings or tights. He wears a band around his full page-boy styled red hair. The painting is a historical recreation of Queen Blanka ( -1363). We have only some sketchy information about the Queen. Finland was conquered by Sweden in the 12th century. Finland has for most of its history since that conquest and subsequent forced Christianization been dominated by either Sweden or Russia. The Scandanavian monarchies (Denmark, Norway, and Sweden) are rather complicated and were united in the late 14th century. Blanka was born in France, the daughter of Count of Namur. She married King Margus Ericson of Sweden. Their son was Eric, crown prince of Sweden, presumably the boy in the painting. Swedish nobles tried to relace King Magnus Ericson with Prince Eric whom they styled Eric XII. Eric died, however, before his father. I believe Queen Blanka also married King Hacon of Norway.







HBC





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Created: 9:22 PM 8/25/2004
Last updated: 3:19 PM 8/26/2004