Bror Anders Wikström

Anders Wikström (April 14, 1854 – April 26, 1909), also known as Bror Anders Wikström, was a Swedish and American artist, costume designer, and art teacher based in New Orleans. He was known for his work designing floats and costumes for Mardi Gras krewes around the turn of the 20th century.

Early life Wikström was born near Laxå, Örebro, Sweden, to mill manager Anders Wikström and his wife Carolina Roth. He had some training in drawing under Olof Hermelin while at the in Örebro, before graduating in 1869. At age 16, Wikström took to sea, signing on the ship Peru. He spent the next several years on ships carrying guano from South America to Europe.

Wikström studied in the at Gävle to be a sea captain, but his near-sightedness was too great a liability and, rejecting the idea of becoming a shipbuilder, he abandoned life as a sailor.

Career By 1882, Wikström had relocated to the United States, spending about a year in Florida before settling in New Orleans, where he began teaching art classes and, in 1885, co-founding with Andres Molinary and others the Artists' Association of New Orleans. Julia Massie, one of Wikström's students, managed the completion of his Rex 1910 designs.

From his base in New Orleans, Wikström travelled in the summers through the Caribbean and back to Europe. During these trips he sketched scenes that would serve as the basis for his popular marine and landscape paintings. He also returned to Sweden on these trips, connecting with Swedish artists and painting landscapes.

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