Helena Schulin

Helena Schulin (1755–1811), m. 1. Franzén, 2. Keckman. Possibly by A.U. Berndes, circa 1800

Helena Schulin was born in 1755 to a family of merchants in Oulu. Her father was born in Savonia and originally called Suhonen. Helena Schulin married merchant Zachris Franzén (1744–1787) at a very young age and had her first child at the age of 16 in 1772. The firstborn was Frans Mikael Franzén, who later became a well-known poet and Bishop of Härnösand. Helena Schulin was known for her beauty, and after becoming a widow in 1787 at the age of 32, she was remarried to merchant and shipowner Lars Henrik Keckman (1755–1833). Helena Schulin died in 1811.

The miniature is not signed, but it is thought to be by A.U. Berndes. The painting dates to circa 1801. Based on the timing of the object, the silhouette on the reverse of the miniature probably depicts Lars Henrik Keckman (1754–1833), the second husband of Helena Schulin.

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