Charlotte Eckerman

Charlotta "Charlotte" Beata Eckerman (1759 – 16 January 1790 in ), was a Swedish opera singer and actress. She was also a very well known courtesan during the Gustavian era, and the official royal mistress of Charles XIII of Sweden from 1779 to 1781.

Charlotte Eckerman was the daughter of Bengt Edvard Eckerman, cavalry captain of the Royal Scanian Husars, and the writer Catharina Ahlgren. Her father was the cousin of Carl Fredrik Ekerman, speaker of the burghers in the Swedish parliament, and her mother was at one point the chamber lady of the queen, Louisa Ulrika of Prussia. In the custody of her father after her parents divorce, she was described as more or less an orphan. She had two brothers and a sister, as well as several halfsiblings by her fathers second marriage and by her mother. Her sister Julie Eckerman (1765–1801) was also a courtesan and the mistress of nobleman count Carl Sparre, governor of Stockholm.

Charlotta Eckerman was hired as a singer at the Royal Swedish Opera in Bollhuset in in 1774. After having been judged as unfit for the ballet, she was given a place in the choir. Though her voice was weak, she was described as beautiful and vivid. Gustav III discovered that she had a talent for drama, and gave the courtier Maria Aurora Uggla, the star of the nobility's amateur theatre at the royal court, to instruct her in the part of Mechtild in the opera Birger jarl by Gyllenborg and Adlerbeth, after the part had been refused by Elisabeth Olin. Charlotte Eckerman made a great success in the part at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, and was called in by the audience; prince Charles started to shout: "Miss Uggla! Miss Uggla!", after which the audience applauded also Maria Aurora Uggla in her box as well as the author Gyllenborg for having instructed Eckerman in the part.

Eckerman was given a contract as a singer at the opera in 1776, and was active there until 1781, during which she was "a adored actress and singer". Charlotte Eckerman was, alongside Ulrica Rosenlund, much recommended for her dramatic talent and belonged to the members of staff in the first national Opera, who proved their talent not only as singers, but also as actors in talking parts, the theatrical performances that were sometimes given at the opera before the opening of the royal theatre in 1788.

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