Background
She was born the daughter of a Lutheran nobleman, Axel Adlersparre, governor of Öland, and Carolina von Arbin, and displayed a talent for painting in childhood.
She was born the daughter of a Lutheran nobleman, Axel Adlersparre, governor of Öland, and Carolina von Arbin, and displayed a talent for painting in childhood.
When the artist C. F. Pedersen became shipwrecked near her home, she was taught by him, and when her family moved to Stockholm in 1830, she was educated by the artists Carl Gustaf Qvarnström (1810–1867), Johan Gustaf Sandberg and Olof Johan Södermark (1790–1848).
She debuted in 1836 when Crown Princess, Josephine of Leuchtenberg, the future Queen of Sweden, ordered a painting from her and introduced her to useful contacts. Adlersparre made several trips to study art abroad, to Germany, Italy and France. In 1839–1840, she studied under Leon Coignet in Paris, where she met Carl Wahlbom and Per Wickenberg.
When she returned to Sweden, she opened a drawing school, where Amalia Lindegren was among her pupils.
In 1845, the Queen financed her continued studies in Paris. In 1845–1846, she studied in Dresden, where she was inspired by J. C. Dahl and Caspar David Friedrich and copied older paintings, and in 1851–1855 she was given state support to study in München, Bologna, Florence and Rome.
Her paintings reflected the Romantic stylistic current of the era, though she was also much influenced by the Renaissance artist Raphael. In 1862, she returned permanently to Sweden and was granted a pension from the Litteratörernas och Artisternas pensionsförening.
She died shortly after receiving the first payment.
This demand was met in 1864.