Johanna Löfblad
Encyclopedia
Johanna Catharina Löfblad (née
Enbeck or Enbäck) (1733 – 14 September 1811), also known as Madame Gentschein and Madame Löfblad, was a Swedish actor. She was active in both Sweden
and Finland
and employed at the theatres of Bollhuset
, Stenborg Troupe
, Humlegårdsteatern, Eriksbergsteatern and Stenborg Theatre.
in Stockholm
as the nymph Chlorix in the opera comique
Syrinx by Peter Lindhal/Lars Lalin, composed by Johan Ohl, opposite Elisabeth Lillström
(Syrinx), Peter Lindahl
(Harlequin
), Petter Stenborg
(Philemon), Trundman (Sylvanus) and Elisabeth Olin
(Astrild) in the 1747-48 season.
She became one of the theatre's stars and took place in the management's board of director's as one of its twelve directors. She was one of four female directors, others being Lillström, Maria Margareta Fabritz and Sophia Catharina Murman. The last years, she was known as Madame Gentschein after her marriage to Magnus Gentschein, a custom attendant.
When the theatre was closed by the queen after the 1753-54 season, the troupe split in two. She joined the company of Lindahl and Johan Bergholtz and, in 1758, the company of Petter Stenborg. She became a significant member in the Stenborg tropue, which performed in Stockholm and in Finland, where it was the only Swedish speaking theatre at the time. In 1760, she divorce
d Gentschein and remarried Jean Löfblad, (1728–1774), former tailor and "royal wardrobe servant", the male star and Harlequin-actor of the Stenborg troupe, and became known to the Stockholm audience as Madame Löfblad.
The Löfblad couple was the stars of the Stenborg troupe. In 1760, they were given contracts rights to tour with their own troupe and a puppet theatre occasionally on the Stenborg privilege; Johanna and Jean are given equal rights in the contract. Since at least 1761, the Stenborg troupe regularly performed in Finland. In 1767, a new contract was set up between Jean and Johanna Löfblad and Petter Stenborg
, which displays their status as stars; other than them, only Catharina Lindberg, (the leading actress with Löfblad) and Anders Hagendorf had ben given written contracts.
In 1768, director Petter Stenborg sued Jean Löfblad for having broken the contract and not sharing the profit of the couple's own tours. The documentation of this legal wrangle provides a lot of the information from which the life of the troupe is known. Stenborg, claimed that Jean Löfblad had hidden the profit "with all kinds of cunning", even though Stenborg "allowing his wife to have her salary during her childbirths, according to the contract, and given her gifts, but still she is just as difficult to deal with as her husband, who is even so powerful as to influent his wife..." Stenborg won the case, but the Löfblad couple still remained in his troupe, being the stars among his actors.
In 1774, her husband unexpectedly died while he was getting ready for a performance, and a performance was given to her benefit "As a support for her in her poor condition". When she was employed at Eriksbergsteatern 1780 and forwards she was mostly used for the numerous roles as "old woman", and was as such quite popular. When dramatic Didrik Björn set up the performance "The odd spectacle" as an after play in 1790, where the actors of the theatre gave thanks to the audience in the shape of their most popular roles, she did so in the shape of Gertrud in Njugg spar, which she had first done in the 1784-85 season.
She was employed at the popular theatre Humlegårdsteatern in 1773-80, at the theatre Eriksbergsteatern in 1780-84, and in 1784 at the Stenborg theatre
, where she worked until 1796. She also lived in one of the appartements in the Stenborg Theatre. She retired after the 1795-96 season, thereby having the longest career of all the actors in the first national theatre, and one of the longest careers of a Swedish actor in the 18th century. She died in Stockholm
.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Enbeck or Enbäck) (1733 – 14 September 1811), also known as Madame Gentschein and Madame Löfblad, was a Swedish actor. She was active in both Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
and employed at the theatres of Bollhuset
Bollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...
, Stenborg Troupe
Stenborg Troupe
The Stenborg troupe was a Swedish Theatre Comedy troupe, active in Sweden and Finland in the 18th century. It was also called Stenborgska skådebanorna , Svenska komeditruppen and Svenska Comedien or Svenska Teatern...
, Humlegårdsteatern, Eriksbergsteatern and Stenborg Theatre.
Biography
Johanna Enbeck debuted at the Swedish national Opera Theatre in BollhusetBollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
as the nymph Chlorix in the opera comique
Opera Comique
The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street and Holywell Street with entrances on the East Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway...
Syrinx by Peter Lindhal/Lars Lalin, composed by Johan Ohl, opposite Elisabeth Lillström
Elisabeth Lillström
Lisa or Elise Lillström, née Söderman was a Swedish stage actor and opera singer, one of the first professional native female actors in Sweden, mother of Elisabeth Olin, née Lillström...
(Syrinx), Peter Lindahl
Peter Lindahl
Peter Lindahl , was a Swedish stage actor and theatre director. He belonged to the most known of the pioneer generation of actors at the first Swedish theatre....
(Harlequin
Harlequin
Harlequin or Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French, and Arlequín in Spanish is the most popularly known of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'arte and its descendant, the Harlequinade.-Origins:...
), Petter Stenborg
Petter Stenborg
Petter Stenborg was a Swedish actor and theater director who played an important role of the continuation of the native speaking theater in Sweden...
(Philemon), Trundman (Sylvanus) and Elisabeth Olin
Elisabeth Olin
Elisabeth Olin was a Swedish opera singer and a music composer. She is referred to as the first Swedish Opera prima donna. She was a court-singer . She was the first female member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music...
(Astrild) in the 1747-48 season.
She became one of the theatre's stars and took place in the management's board of director's as one of its twelve directors. She was one of four female directors, others being Lillström, Maria Margareta Fabritz and Sophia Catharina Murman. The last years, she was known as Madame Gentschein after her marriage to Magnus Gentschein, a custom attendant.
When the theatre was closed by the queen after the 1753-54 season, the troupe split in two. She joined the company of Lindahl and Johan Bergholtz and, in 1758, the company of Petter Stenborg. She became a significant member in the Stenborg tropue, which performed in Stockholm and in Finland, where it was the only Swedish speaking theatre at the time. In 1760, she divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d Gentschein and remarried Jean Löfblad, (1728–1774), former tailor and "royal wardrobe servant", the male star and Harlequin-actor of the Stenborg troupe, and became known to the Stockholm audience as Madame Löfblad.
The Löfblad couple was the stars of the Stenborg troupe. In 1760, they were given contracts rights to tour with their own troupe and a puppet theatre occasionally on the Stenborg privilege; Johanna and Jean are given equal rights in the contract. Since at least 1761, the Stenborg troupe regularly performed in Finland. In 1767, a new contract was set up between Jean and Johanna Löfblad and Petter Stenborg
Petter Stenborg
Petter Stenborg was a Swedish actor and theater director who played an important role of the continuation of the native speaking theater in Sweden...
, which displays their status as stars; other than them, only Catharina Lindberg, (the leading actress with Löfblad) and Anders Hagendorf had ben given written contracts.
In 1768, director Petter Stenborg sued Jean Löfblad for having broken the contract and not sharing the profit of the couple's own tours. The documentation of this legal wrangle provides a lot of the information from which the life of the troupe is known. Stenborg, claimed that Jean Löfblad had hidden the profit "with all kinds of cunning", even though Stenborg "allowing his wife to have her salary during her childbirths, according to the contract, and given her gifts, but still she is just as difficult to deal with as her husband, who is even so powerful as to influent his wife..." Stenborg won the case, but the Löfblad couple still remained in his troupe, being the stars among his actors.
In 1774, her husband unexpectedly died while he was getting ready for a performance, and a performance was given to her benefit "As a support for her in her poor condition". When she was employed at Eriksbergsteatern 1780 and forwards she was mostly used for the numerous roles as "old woman", and was as such quite popular. When dramatic Didrik Björn set up the performance "The odd spectacle" as an after play in 1790, where the actors of the theatre gave thanks to the audience in the shape of their most popular roles, she did so in the shape of Gertrud in Njugg spar, which she had first done in the 1784-85 season.
She was employed at the popular theatre Humlegårdsteatern in 1773-80, at the theatre Eriksbergsteatern in 1780-84, and in 1784 at the Stenborg theatre
Stenborg Theatre
The Stenborg theatre, also called Svenska Komiska Teatern, Komiska Teatern and Munkbroteatern, was a historical Swedish 18th century theatre, active between 1784 and 1799 in Gamla stan in Stockholm. It was the second theatre of Stockholm during the Gustavian age...
, where she worked until 1796. She also lived in one of the appartements in the Stenborg Theatre. She retired after the 1795-96 season, thereby having the longest career of all the actors in the first national theatre, and one of the longest careers of a Swedish actor in the 18th century. She died in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
.