Madam Johanna’s Room

Johanna Gustava Franzén née Lang (1796-1826) was the daughter of Johan Lang, who built the house, and Sofia Vidbäck. In 1814, Johanna got married to Zachris Franzén (1787-1852) who worked as an accountant at her father’s trade house. Johan Lang and Sofia Vidbäck (1760-1834) had only daughters.
During those times, one’s wealth was inherited from the father, not from the mother, and the inherited wealth was always taken care of by a man, whether that was one’s father, husband or son. The owner family of the Lang Trade House changed thus twice when the company was transferred through marriage first to the Franzén family (1823) and afterwards to the Sovelius family (1859).

Johanna and Johan had three daughters, Helena, Sofia, and Charlotta, and the son Johan. Johanna died in 1826. In 1829, Zachris got remarried to Lovisa Eleonora Frosterus. The couple had three daughters: Johanna (Jenny), Betty, and Nanny and two sons, who both died when they were young. Johanna’s room’s décor is based around the painting in the ceiling. The painting has originally been on the ceiling of a so-called small hall, but as the arrangement of the rooms had been changed already on the 19th century, the painting was hiding underneath a lowered ceiling.
The painting’s motifs were used to create decorations on the top parts of the walls, and the room colours have been chosen to match the painting’s colouring as well. The lower parts of the wall are decorated in the Swedish New Classical style with a simple horizontal panel, which is painted grey according to the style.
Johanna’s estate inventory was used in the planning of the interior decoration as it included her possessions from ships to darning needles.
Johanna was the daughter of a wealthy merchant family and later on a married woman, but from her father Johan, she probably inherited the humble and straightforward personality, which is also reflected in the décor of this room.