#livrustkammaren

The coronation gowns of Queen Sophia of Sweden-Norway

Queen Sofia used another, similar gown when she was crowned queen consort in Sweden: a very similar bodice, and same silhouette in skirt, all in ivory and gold (bottom photo). But a main difference between the two dresses is the use of the coat of arms.  

Her Norwegian version of the dress was made for the 1873 coronation in Trondheim, Norway where her husband was crowned Oscar II of Sweden-Norway. To underline the independence of the two countries, the Norwegian dress featured the Norwegian coat-of-arms: the standing lion with silver blade, while the Swedish version of the dress instead featured the Swedish coat-of-arms: the three crowns. 

The Swedish dress is today in the Livrustkammaren in Stockholm, while the Norwegian dress is at The Norwegian Folk Museum in Oslo (but owned by Bernadottemuseet in Sweden). 

“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.