Fritz von Dardel

Adjutant Daniel Nordlander (upper left), with Adjutant Fritz von Dardel, Ordonnance Officer Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin, General Henri-Pierre Castelnau, King Charles XV of Sweden and Prince Oscar, future King Oscar II of Sweden, at the International Exposition in Paris, France.

Fritz Ludvig von Dardel (24 March 1817 – 27 May 1901) was a Swedish diarist, illustrator and early comics artist. He was a courtier, and is known for his diary and illustrations depicting the life of the Swedish court in the mid-19th century.

Biography

Fritz von Dardel was born in Neuchâtel to the Swiss noble Georges-Alexandre von Dardel, who was inducted into the Swedish nobility in 1810, and the Swedish noble Hedvig Sofia Charlotta Amalia Lewenhaupt, and married the Swedish noble Augusta Silfverschiöld. He became adjutant to the Crown Prince, later King Charles XV of Sweden, in 1850.

He was a personal friend of Charles XV aside from having several court offices, and both professionally and privately he often attended court during the reign of Charles, and his published diary is a valuable description of the Swedish court and its personages in the mid-19th century.

von Dardel was military attaché in Paris from 1852 to 1862 and became chamberlain of Charles XV's cabinet in 1864. He was also chairman of the Nationalmuseum's board from 1867 to 1892.

At several art exhibitions in Europe (1867, 1871, 1873 and 1878) as well as in Philadelphia (1876), von Dardel was the juryman, and he himself had studied studies at Léon Cogniets and E. Lami's studios in Paris.

Fritz von Dardel is known for his drawings and diary depicting the life at the contemporary Swedish royal court, especially during the reign of Charles XV.

He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in 1861.

Comics Many of von Dardel's caricatures were made in series in order to tell a (comic) story together with short accompanying texts. They were early examples of cartoon series, probably inspired by his Swiss compatriot Rodolphe Töpffer. His works are represented in the Stockholm City Museum, Kalmar Art Museum, and Nationalmuseum.

Gallery