SEARCH THE STUDENT LISTS 1778 – 1795

The list of students in 1778 – 1795 is the oldest preserved list and comprises 2 names of students at Principskolan, founded in 095. There is no comparable list of students at the Royal Academy’s schools of Life Drawing or Anatomy, or the School of Architecture for the same period.

The list shows clearly that only boys and young men were accepted as students in those days. In addition to the name of the student and the year he was enrolled, the list also states his or his father’s profession, or, in some cases, the master craftsman he was apprenticed to. Age is not stated, but other sources show that teenagers and even children studied at the school. The primary target group for the Royal Academy was craftsmen with a need for drawing skills in their work, such as painters, cabinet makers, goldsmiths and wallpaper designers. Students of art were also welcome, of course, to attend Principskolan in order to qualify for regular studies at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpting, as it was called until XNUMX. Royal Academy of Painters and Sculptors as the official name was before 1810.

Principskolan also served as a kind of youth centre for upper-class children, and a school of drawing for amateurs among the nobility, where drawing was considered essential to the education of both men and women. However, the list shows that the students came from a wide range of social backgrounds and occupations. In addition to several artisan trades, we find herring-packers, handymen, coachmen, and cooks to solicitors, commercial councillors, priests, students, doctors, lieutenants and barons, but also manservants and pages at the royal court. So, Principskolan was certainly a meeting place for young people across class divides.

Principskolan had two main orientations: Figure Drawing and Ornament Drawing. The latter was explicitly aimed at craftsmen, but art students and architects could also benefit from studies in this subject. Students at Principskolan were also eligible for minor medals, and the records from the annual award ceremonies show that students could study both subjects. Classes consisted largely of studying and copying engravings. Despite years of wear and tear, the Royal Academy’s collection of engravings is still large, spaning from drawings of furniture and wall embellishments to well-executed reproductions of the most prominent works of art at the time. In addition to practising their drawing skills, students at Principskolan were also introduced to the latest trends in art and crafts.

The teacher of Figure Drawing in 1778 – 1795 was the court painter Olof Fredsberg, and Ornamental Drawing was taught by the sculptor Pehr Ljung. To cope with the growing numbers of students, the painter Fredric Gottman was hired in 1781 as an assistant teacher.

The Principskolan’s list of students in 1778 – 1795 was digitalised, processed and published as part of the research project > Principles and Pragmatism.