“My neck and my bosom is white and well shaped. My figure is quite good and fairly well propor

“My neck and my bosom is white and well shaped. My figure is quite good and fairly well proportioned and my stature straight (…). My hands are awful as I didn’t want to wear gloves as a child, but they are small and fairly well shaped. My legs are straight and, as my feet, nicely shaped, yes I can claim it’s the best part of me” (from the diary of Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta, quoted in the book “Underkläder: en kulturhistoria” from 2008)

Portrait:Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta of Holstein-Gottorp, later Queen of Sweden and Norway, painted in 1775 by Alexander Roslin. Nationalmuseum Stockholm ( X).

Attire:The portrait was painted one year after her wedding to prince Charles in July 1774, and it’s said to depict her in her wedding dress. How do we know? Because that very same wedding dress has survived and can today be seen in the collection of Livrustkammaren in Stockholm.