"Ihanteiden ilmiloihtija"
Nuori Ida Aalberg suomalaisuuden personifikaationa
Abstract
The Finnish Theatre Company was founded by the Finnish nationalists (the Fennomans) in 1872 to promote a unified national culture and to create a national identity based on the Finnish language. The value of the theatre’s first star actress Ida Aalberg (1857–1915) to the Finnish movement was understood early on. As a Finnish-speaking young woman with a rural background
Aalberg provided the Fennomans with an instrument to embody an “original” Finnishness. In the early years of her career, Aalberg was assigned the roles of innocent and naive young women, which can be seen as a medium to establish and naturalise the representation of Finland and Finnishness in the form of “The Finnish Maiden”. In the article, I examine Ida Aalberg’s transformation into a female personification of Finnishness in the light of her early roles and the image provided of her beyond the stage. I try to open the imagery produced through Aalberg as part of the nationalist phenomena of the late 19th century but also outline the significance of later interpretations in strengthening the notions and representations of Finnishness.
