Elsa Barbro "Barbara" Ekenberg (1717–25 May 1799), was the owner and manager of a

coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

in 1772–1799. She was a figure in the work of

Carl Michael Bellman Carl Michael Bellman (; 4 February 1740 – 11 February 1795) was a Swedish songwriter, composer, musician, poet, and entertainer. He is a central figure in the Swedish song tradition and remains a powerful influence in Swedish music, as wel ...

, who dedicated to her one of his ''

Fredman's Epistles ''Fredmans epistlar'' (English: ''Fredman's Epistles'') is a collection of 82 poems set to music by Carl Michael Bellman, a major figure in Swedish 18th century song. Though first published in 1790, it was created over a period of twenty year ...

'', No. 9 " Käraste Bröder Systrar och Vänner", with the dedication ''Till Gumman på Thermopolium Boreale och hennes jungfrur'' ('To the Old woman of the Thermopolium Boreale and her maidens').

Biography

Barbara Ekenberg managed a coffeehouse after the death of her spouse, Carl Ekenberg, and made it a popular and well-frequented establishment in

Gustavian era The history of Sweden from 1772 to 1809 is better known as the Gustavian era of kings Gustav III and Gustav IV Adolf, as well as the reign of King Charles XIII. Gustav III Adolf Frederick of Sweden died on 12 February 1771. The electio ...

Stockholm. Her house was known for the innovation of banning smoking, which was a problem in the rest of the coffeehouses, where the smoke was often so thick as to cause breathing problems.Du Rietz, Anita, Kvinnors entreprenörskap: under 400 år, 1. uppl., Dialogos, Stockholm, 2013 Bellman described her as squinting and fat but her "maidens" (waitresses) as beautiful, and her house widely known for its music and merry atmosphere. In his song ''

Fredman's Epistle ''Fredmans epistlar'' (English: ''Fredman's Epistles'') is List of Fredman's Epistles, a collection of 82 poems set to music by Carl Michael Bellman, a major figure in Sweden, Swedish 18th century song. Though first published in 1790, it was cre ...

no. 9'', dedicated to Ekenberg, he wrote:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ekenberg, Barbara 1717 births 1799 deaths 18th-century Swedish businesswomen 18th-century Swedish businesspeople Gustavian era people

Biography

See also

References