Elise Hwasser

Elise Jakobsson was born in Stockholm as the daughter of the custom caretaker Johannes Magnus Jacobson and Catharina (Cajsa) Maria Bergström. As a child, she worked as the gofer of her elder sister, and delivered the artificial flowers her sister made to her clients. Career She was enrolled as a student at the Royal Dramatic Training Academy in 1848. She was given a position as actress student of the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1849 and employed as an actress in 1850, initially as a replacement for Aurora Strandberg (1826–1850). In 1853, she was contracted as a premier actress at the theater, Hwasser was early noted to have high talent. Already in 1850, Fredrik August Dahlgren commented of her: "The actress Mlle Jacobson acted excellently. She is the only dramatic actor worth seeing at present. Acting with much illusion. I have not seen anything like it on that stage for years." Private life Elise Hwasser's private lifestyle was considered eccentric, as she enjoyed smoking cigars and pipes and drinking punch, which was at that time regarded to be masculine habits, and she was seen as an emancipated woman. She was reportedly interested in the contemporary Women's movement and in how the roles she performed in the plays she participated in portrayed the lives and circumstances of women. She was particularly interested in Ibsen in that regard. At one point, Elise Hwasser had a brief affair with the Crown Prince, the future Charles XV of Sweden. Reportedly, it was Charles who advised her to marry Daniel Hwasser (1817–1871) whom she married in 1858.{{cite web That year, her spouse was appointed director of the Royal Dramatic Theatre. In parallel, Elise Hwasser was given more main roles within the productions of the theater, which resulted in her breakthrough. This chain of events did not go unnoticed, and there where accusations made of nepotism. However, as the ability of Elise Hwasser was evident, the matter soon died out. She was given main roles because of her own talent for many years after the crown prince had acquired a new lover and her spouse was no longer director. Privately, the Hwasser couple entertained a large social circle, not only in artistic circles, but also socialized in the intimate and informal intimate circle of King Charles XV, especially during the summer vacations of the royal court at Ulriksdal Palace. Elise Hwasser retired in 1888. She was the mother of the actress Anna Lisa Hwasser-Engelbrecht (1861–1918). She died in her villa Västråt in Fiskebäckskil in 1894.{{cite web|url = https://runeberg.org/eurkonst/0132.html == Repertoire ==