Fredrika Bremer was one of the most famous Swedes of her time and a pioneer in the women’s movement. She wrote about current social issues, for example in the novel Hertha (1856). It concerns women’s right to reach majority and caused a major debate. In 1858, the law was changed and unmarried women could apply to reach majority at the age of 25. As such, women could enter agreements, manage their own finances and run their own businesses without the permission of a male guardian.

Carl Gustaf Qvarnström’s portrait in plaster is dated 1866, the year after Fredrika Bremer’s death. It was probably made from a photograph, and likely intended to be finished in a more durable material. Qvarnström died the following year and did not cut the portrait in marble. He, like Bremer, was important for women’s issues. In 1864, during his tenure as Director of the Royal Academy, the first department for women was established.

If Qvarnström had done the marble bust, the plaster version would had been used as a model. In order to spare the plaster original, the museum instead made a new proportional model. A camera was rotated around the plaster and took 144 pictures. The pictures were processed digitally, and a new 3D printer was used to print a new copy in nylon, which was sent to a sculptor in Carrara, Italy.

With the help of a so-called pantograph, the sculptor transfers the model’s measurements to a stone block. Moving the device between the model and the stone, points are placed showing how deep the stone is to be cut. When all the points are cut to the correct depth, the surface between are cleared.

Marble cutting is time consuming. It took several months to cut the bust of Fredrika Bremer. First, rough tools like chisels, hammers, clubs and drills are used. The finishing work is done with finer tools like files, grindstones and sandpaper. To give life and movement to the stone, the sculptor lets smooth and rough surfaces, reflecting the light in different ways, play against each other. In order to show the several steps of the process, Bremer has not been cut out completely, but is about to emerge from the marble block