Nancy Edberg

Nancy Fredrika Augusta Edberg (12 November 1832 in Ytterjärna– 11 December 1892 in Stockholm), was a Swedish swimmer, swimming instructor and bath house director. She was the first Swedish woman in these fields. Edberg was a pioneer in making the art of swimming and ice skating accepted for women in Sweden

Biography

Nancy Edberg was taught to swim by her father. At this point, there was little physical education for females, one of few female role models being Gustafva Lindskog, the first instructor in physical education in 1818. Nancy Edberg was employed as a swimming instructor at the newly founded bath house for women in Stockholm in 1847. This was the first bath house open to women in the nation: first located at Riddarhuset, it was moved to Kastellholmen the following year. In 1851, she was made swimming master at Åbomska simskolan, and from 1853, she held her own swimming lessons at Djurgården. She was given the license to open her own bath house by King Oscar I of Sweden in 1856, and in 1856-1858, she held public swimming exhibitions at Gjörckes simskola with her students to finance the opening of her own bath house, likely the first public swimming exhibitions by women in Sweden and, possibly, also Europe. She could open her own bath house in July 1859, and served as its swimming master until 1866.