Lydia Wahlström

Who was Lydia Wahlström?

Lydia Katarina Wahlström, was a Swedish historian, author and feminist. She was one of the founders of the Swedish Society for Woman Suffrage and its chairman in 1907–1911.

Lydia Wahlström was the daughter of the vicar Johan Gustaf Wahlström and Ida Schmidt. She was accepted at the Uppsala University in 1888, became a Bachelor of Arts in history, Nordic languages and Political science and made a disputation in 1898. As a student, she founded the first organisation for female students at Uppsala University, whose members wore their students caps in public, which were considered unsuitable for their gender.

She later tutored in Christianity in Uppsala, managed a girl's school in England and was finally made principal at the Åhlinska skolan in Stockholm. In 1903, she founded the Swedish Society for Woman Suffrage together with Signe Bergman, Anna Whitlock and Ann-Margret Holmgren. She belonged to its leading speakers, ideologists and writers, and represented the Swedish suffrage movement internationally on several occasions. Her academic titles gave scientific credibility to the movement, and she served as chairman in 1907–1911. She was one of few members to openly confess to be a political conservative. Wahlström was also active within the Fredrika-Bremer-förbundet.