author
Helena Westermarck
1857–1938
A pioneering Finnish-Swedish artist, writer, and feminist, she moved from painting into literature and became especially known for biographies that brought notable women into focus.
1 Audiobook
George Eliot och den engelska naturalistiska romanen : en literär studie
by Helena Westermarck
About the author
Born in Helsinki in 1857, Helena Westermarck was a Swedish-speaking Finnish artist and writer. She first built her career as a painter, studying art in Helsinki and later spending long periods in France, where her style developed around portraits and figure compositions.
Over time, writing became central to her work. She is remembered for biographies of women such as Sara Wacklin, Fredrika Runeberg, and Adelaide Ehrnrooth, which helped preserve and highlight women’s place in cultural and political history.
Westermarck was also active in the women’s movement, including the suffrage cause, and helped start the journals Nutid and Astra. She died in Helsinki in 1938, leaving behind a body of work that connects art, literature, and early feminism in Finland.