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Calla
Curman was born on 12 november 1850 in Jönköping. Her parents were factory owner, later
landlord Carl
Frans Lundström and Sofie Malmberg.
C.F.
Lundström and his brother Johan Edvard (Janne) Lundström developed the
Swedish safety matches that Gustav Erik Pasch
had invented in the 1840s. The two Lundström brothers set up the safety match industry that later grew into a worldwide
business.
Calla, who was the only child of Carl Lundström and Sofie Malmberg,
showed early promise of both musical and literary talent and she received private
lessons in French and English.
At the age of 17, she married doctor Adolf Liljenroth. But
already in 1874 he died, so four years later she married Carl Curman, a
professor at the Art Academy in Stockholm, who was a physician and founder of
Lysekil as a seaside resort (1863).
Holiday homes in Lysekil
In 1873 Carl Curman built holiday homes in Lysekil. On Midsummer´s
Day 1878 - three months after their wedding - the
"Storstugan" burned to the ground. Two years later, Mr and Mrs
Curman were able to move into a newly built holiday house, also in Old Nordic
style, a building that still stands today at the side of the
"Lillstugan" that is a few years older and was not affected by
the fire.
Today the Curman houses (see picture above) are
owned by the descendants of Carl and Calla Curman (AB Curmans villor in
Lysekil).
Calla was a true lover of nature and spent a lot
of time outdoors. During the 1880s and 90s she undertook numerous
mountaine hikes both in Sweden and Norway. Many summer evenings she went with her
walking stick to Stångehuvud, where she sat down at one of the
viewpoints at "Vindarnas grotta" (the cave of the winds) or
Valhall to see the sun go down.
Floragatan 3 the middle point
In Stockholm Carl and Calla Curman had a house built at Floragatan 3
(see photos from 2012) on Östermalm and
this became something of a cultural centre in the social life of
Stockholm during the 1880s and 1890s.
Every summer to Lysekil
Calla Curman returned faithfully every summer year after year to Lysekil
and Stångehuvud.
In 1913, her husband Carl passed away and a few years
later she started to purchase land in the Stångehuvud area, a labour that
was completed in 1920.
Calla Curman passed away on 2nd February 1935
at the age of 84. Her
children from her marriage to Carl Curman were
Sigurd,
director-general of the National Heritage Board, Ingrid married to
pediatrician
Hjalmar Fries, Nanna married to professor Robert
Fries and Carl, a landlord in Antuna.
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