Lovisa von Plat

Lovisa von Plat (died October 1785), also known under the names Platskan ('The Plat woman') and Moster von Platen ('Aunt von Platen') was a Swedish brothel owner and procurer, active in Stockholm for about forty years until her death. She belonged to the elite of her trade and became a known figure of her time, mentioned in memoirs, diaries and literature.

Life The activity of Lovisa von Plat is first documented in a well known court case of 1747, which centered around Helena Bohman, one of the prostitutes of von Plat's keeping.

The background and identity of von Plat is sketchy, and the information she gave in 1747 may not have been truthful.

Legacy

von Plat is referred to in many diaries, memoirs, letters and chronicles of the time, and was the subject of many so-called "Whore Poems" from 18th-century Stockholm.

Her brothel is portrayed in the famed erotic memoirs of Gustaf Hallenstierna, who named himself, Nils von Rosenstein and Carl Fredrik Fredenheim as her clients.

The poet Johan Henrik Kellgren claimed in a libellous 1778 poem that Sweden's bard, Carl Michael Bellman, had learnt to make love in the "Plat Woman's Maiden Cage".

She is portrayed several times in Bellman's songs, as were many other members of the contemporary criminal world of Stockholm. After her death, Bellman wrote a poem about her death, "Platskans överfart på Styx i Oktober 1785" ('The passing of The River Styx by the Plat Woman in October 1785'). She is also mentioned in Fredmans Testamente nr 149.

A silhouette image of von Plat is preserved in the Kungliga biblioteket.