With the Winter Olympics in full swing, I thought it might be fun to share this carte-de-visite portrait of a young man holding a pair of ice skates in Uppsala, Sweden. Nineteenth-century images of people dressed specifically for winter sports are relatively rare. Because of the limitations of early cameras and photographic processes, such portraits were more often made in a studio than outdoors.
The back of the carte has an inscription in Swedish which I can only partially make out. It includes a name which might be Axel Nevelius, but I’m not sure. Maybe a kind reader in Sweden can translate?
The studio is identified on both the front and the back as belonging to Joh. Sterner. The Swedish website DigitaltMuseum lists his name as Johan Sterner (1866-1936). The Swedish genealogy website Rötter (“Roots”) gives his name as John Sterner. Maybe his legal name was Johan but he went by John? Both websites display numerous examples of his work.
Historical evidence suggests that ice skating first appeared in southern Finland more than 4,000 years ago. In China, according to a 2013 article in People’s Daily Online, its history dates back to the Song dynasty (960-1279).
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In February 2020 I shared an early studio portrait of a boy wearing ice skates in St. Louis, Missouri. You can see that carte-de-visite in the post titled Dreaming of ice in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tokens of Companionship 
A great topical post! He looks so good in his skating suit doesn’t he?
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His suit was designed for speed! The only change I’d make would be to replace the hat with a pair of ear muffs. My head doesn’t get cold in the winter but my ears do!
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Such a lovely hat and jacket! The text on the back of the card says: “A skilled ice skater in Uppsala end of 1800’s. Could be X, father of Axel X”
I can’t really make out the surname, hence the X. It could say Neudius as well?
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That’s very helpful, Thérèse, thank you! His suit suggests he was a serious skater, maybe even someone who participated in competitions. I’d be very curious to know what kind.
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Yes, that would be interesting. And that he might be the father of this Axel – perhaps they were both well- known?
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Don’t often see bed knobs and Ferns on the piste! 🤣 he does look very spiffing in his suit!
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I’m surprised there isn’t a backdrop of ice and snow. Maybe Sterner just hadn’t gotten around to painting one!
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I was surprised by the bed knob as well!
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I assumed it was supposed to be a newel post, but it does look like a bed post. 🤔
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It actually looked like a headboard to me!
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What an interesting photo! His figure and clothes say that he was a serious skater. I wonder where exactly in Sweden people skated? Was there a particular popular place for it? I have always been afraid to skate. I love skiing. But I haven’t gone skiing since I was 25…I think last time was with my friend from overseas)) I’m afraid to teach my daughter to skate, I think it’s very dangerous. Thank you very much for this unique photo and for a very interesting investigation!
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I’ve only skated a couple of times in my life. It was easier to learn than I expected. But you’re right, it’s possible to get hurt. I like to ski, as long as the ground is flat. 😄 Downhill skiing is very popular here in Vermont, but I’ve never enjoyed it.
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I loved skating when I was a kid. I was too afraid to do downhill skiing. I’d end up sitting down on the skis.
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I usually snowplowed, with limited success. Just when I’d start to gain confidence, I’d fall down and swear never to put on skis on a mountain ever again. 😂
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A nice portrait! The difficult-to-interpret last name could be “Nemlin”! 🙂
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Thank you, Michael! Now I’m thinking it might be Nevelius. One of these possibilities is probably correct. 🙂
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There was an Axel Nevelius who was born in 1896 and died in 1985. He lived in Vaksala in Uppsala and was buried at the old cemetery. See: http://www.svenskagravar.se/search?ShowFilters=False&Query=nevelius&ParishId=&GraveNumber=&BirthDate=&DeathDate=&BurialDate=&OrderByDesc=False&OrderBy=
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The young man with the skates might have been Axel’s father. I’ll see if I can find out his name (probably tomorrow). We may be getting close!
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The website http://nevelius.se/Namnet%20Nevelius.htm tells about an Axel Edvard Lorentz Nevelius who was born in 1875 and who lived with his sister in Tegelsmora north of Uppsala. Their father Carl Johan emigrated to America in 1881.
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That’s very interesting! I’ll see if I can find out anything else today. The photo of the man with the skates was probably taken in the 1890s, but I don’t know for sure.
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I should probably also mention that I bought the photo from a dealer in Finland.
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Sounds like you’re on track to identify your skater. I agree with you about the hat – something to keep the ears warm would be much better! But serious skating contestants would not worry about that, I suppose. I’ve skated off and on through life, but now I do worry about falling on ice. Skiing, though, I will continue to do as long as I’m able.
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I enjoy x-country skiing. We had good conditions in January, so I was able to get out several times. Now it’s too icy. February usually brings some snow, but it doesn’t stick around long, which is very frustrating!
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Nice portrait of the skater. I found two named Axel, Axel Edvard Lorentz and A E Florentin Nevelius.
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Thank you! I’ll see if I can find more information about them. The photo came to me from a dealer in Finland, so that may be a clue.
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I was hoping there would be interesting comments on this photo, and I wasn’t disappointed!
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You never know, Liz! 😉
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🙂
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The first thing that crossed my mind when I read the name “Axel” was the famous “triple Axel” that’s such a part of competitive skating. It was named after a Norwegian speed and figure skater named Axel Paulsen (1855-1938). We name babies after famous people; perhaps this Swedish Axel was named after the famous Norwegian skater.
I loved ice skating, and always spent as many nights as I could at a local park that flooded a huge area to make a rink. I’d walk there after supper, skate for a couple of hours, and walk home. There was a large shelter with two big fireplaces for warming, and minimal lighting. On nights with new snow and a full moon, it was magical. The last time I skated was in Houston, in 1983. We had a terrible freeze, and all the water pipes in my apartment complex burst, flooding the concrete area around the pool. Three inches of ice was enough for me to get out the skates, and have at it!
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Ice skating in Iowa makes sense, but not Houston, haha! Your neighbors must have thought that quite a sight. When I was growing up in Virginia, there wasn’t any place to skate. Local ponds didn’t freeze hard enough. Up here in Vermont, the town clears a pond for skating, but I’ve never tried it. It would probably be delightful, with snowy forest all around.
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Interesting – he posed by a bed, yes?
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Admittedly, it looks like it might be a bed, but it probably wasn’t a bed. I’ve never seen a bed used as a prop in a nineteenth-century studio. My first assumption was that it was a fake staircase, but that may not have been right, either. Maybe a large, ornately carved chair? I’ve seen those in studios before. It’s a bit of a mystery!
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I love that skating apparel he’s wearing. Looks warm but not cumbersome – a person could really work up some speed in that attire.
I’ve never tried ice skating with just the blades that you tie onto your shoes/boots. I like ice skating per se, but the thought of those blades makes me very nervous…
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Hi Ruth! I’ve never used those blades, either. Are there many skating ponds where you live?
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There are a couple in our small town, but… The problem with skating on an open surface in Canada is that people will invariably show up with a puck and hockey sticks. It’s hard to have a pleasure skate through a hockey game. 😉
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Oh, that’s too funny! (Sorry.)
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I love the coat and matching hat! Unfortunately Swedish is too different to German for me to be of any help, but I see that you are already on the way to finding out more.
I used to skate when I was growing up, I wasn’t very good though, it was just for fun. The local lake used to freeze over regularly in winter, but now not so much.
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It’s always nice to hear from you, LS!
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He looks kind of fancy, doesn’t he? Love the hat. And I hope his name is indeed Axel Nevelius – I would like to imagine he is some guy from Harry Potter.
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Yes, a wizard, haha! He looks dressed for the part!
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Not from Hogwarts though. Perhaps Durmstrang? And thank you for adopting another nest this season! What name should we add to your nest?
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Whatever name you used last year is fine (probably Brad Purinton). It was great to see a post from you and the turtles!!
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Nice find!
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Thanks!
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