Charlotta Eriksson
| Charlotta Eriksson | |
|---|---|
Drawing by Maria Röhl 1832
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|
| Born |
Charlotta Maria Lambert 11 February 1794 Sweden |
| Died | 21 April 1862 (aged 68) Düsseldorf, Germany |
| Other names | Charlotta Wikström |
| Spouse(s) | Johan Fredrik Wikström |
Charlotta Maria Eriksson (11 February 1794 – 21 April 1862) was a Swedish actress, one of the most popular and notable actors in Sweden in the first half of the 19th century. She was also a translator, an actor-instructor, a vice principal, and a painter.
Eriksson's father was an innkeeper with the surname Lambert, but in 1797, her mother married E. Eriksson, a servant in the royal household, who later became a pad-maker, and Charlotta took her stepfather's name. She was accepted as a student at Dramatens elevskola in 1805, and was contracted as an actress in the Royal Dramatic Theatre in in 1812, at the same year as the other female star of her generation, Sara Torsslow. That same year, she married the choirmaster Johan Fredrik Wikström. In the first years of her career, she was considered pretty and nothing more; she had her breakthrough in 1820, when she played Ophelia instead of Carolina Kuhlman and was highly admired for her realistic interpretation of insanity.
The public, it seems, could not get enough of her, judging by the critics; they appeared to be in awe of her beauty, admiring of her graceful movement, which was described as relaxed, soft and elegant, and of the sensitive, delicate way she interpreted the parts she was given. In the press, Sara Fredrica Strömstedt-Torsslow, Charlotta Eriksson and Elisabeth Frösslind were compared to a rose or a tulip, a jasmine or a daisy, and a lily or a myosotis; Torsslow was claimed to represent "the deeply moving", Eriksson "the sensitive pleasantness and the female lovability" and Frösslind "the small sweetness, wittiness and naivety". The paper Freja said that she was: "far superior to all the other actresses" at the Royal Dramatic Theatre.
In the beginning of her career, her way of acting was described as "naive" and "pure", and by the end as "noble." Her roles were solemn, sensitive, but cold and elegant; she also did comedy, and the press called her "the darling of the public". Her most appreciated role, Sömngångaren (Sleepwalker) by Piccini, can describe the style she had; here, she walked, talked, and finally danced, during which she showed no feelings whatsoever, just like a sleepwalker, and stared with eyes wide open, unseeing and expressionless.
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