Johanna Strömberg née Malmberg (1830–1894), was a Swedish

fishmonger A fishmonger (historically fishwife for female practitioners) is someone who sells raw fish and seafood. Fishmongers can be wholesalers or retailers and are trained at selecting and purchasing, handling, gutting, boning, filleting, displaying, ...

. She worked in the Stockholm

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

market from 1854 until 1894, and became a well-known figure in contemporary Stockholm, known as Gumman Strömberg (Old woman Strömberg). She was a successful entrepreneur in her trade with customers among the embassies and finest restaurants. She kept an open house for the poor and the capital's bohemian world, helping several artists.

Life

Johanna Strömberg was born to a poor worker in

Tierp Tierp () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Tierp Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 6,143 inhabitants in 2018. Communications Tierp is connected to Uppsala and Gävle by commuter train Mälartåget and the new (2007) sect ...

. At the age of fifteen, she became a maid to a fish merchant in Stockholm. She married Karl Berg, the son of her employer, and learned the fish trade. Widowed soon after marriage, she remarried Johan Strömberg (d. 1890), who became her business partner and assistant. From circa 1854, Johanna Strömberg traded in fish from her stand on the street, being a member of the well-known ''

månglare Månglare was a historical profession in Sweden. A female månglare was often called månglerska. A månglare was essentially a Street Vendor, street vendor with permission from the city authorities to engage in trade without being a member of ...

'', that is to say, the certificated female traders with permission to hold street stands in the capital. She became a successful trader and delivered fish to the upper classes, the finest restaurants, and the homes of government ministers and ambassadors. She was eventually able to move her stand indoors to Hötorgshallen in 1879 and had by that time both male and female assistants. She was a well-known contemporary Stockholm profile and known for the quality of her goods and for: "her never-ending honesty, her business competence, and her vigorous, original character".@Johanna Strömberg"
'' Idun'', Friday 8 februari 1895. Accessed 24 July 2015. She held an open house for the artistic world of the capital and the poor. She was the mother of

Johan Strömberg Johannes (Johan) Strömberg (28 August 1868, in Lapinjärvi – 11 March 1952) was a Finnish farmer and politician. He was a member of the Parliament of Finland from 1909 to 1910 and again from 1911 to 1916, representing the Swedish People's Part ...

(1856–1914), an actor at the Royal Dramatic Theater; and the sister of the artists

Josef Malmberg Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura and is the only company in Japan spec ...

, whose education she financed, and the architect

Karl Malmberg Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl of Austria, last Austrian Emperor * Karl (footballer) (born 1993), Karl Cach ...

. She also financed her brother-in-law, sculptor

Oskar Berg Oskar may refer to: People * Oskar (given name), a masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Jón Óskar (1921–1998), Icelandic poet * Lee Oskar (born 1948), Danish harmonica player, a founding me ...

. She died from

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stromberg, Gumman 19th-century Swedish businesspeople 1830 births 1894 deaths 19th-century Swedish businesswomen People from Tierp Municipality

Life

See also

References