The archival journey that became an artist's portrait: Anna Maria Thelott (c1683-1710)

How does one achieve historical knowledge about a relatively unknown and little researched woman's artistic professional activity at the beginning of the 18th century, and what does this knowledge tell us about women's driving forces and scope of action on the art scene of the time? The question will be answered through this project and presented in a monograph. The aim is to contribute with in-depth and nuanced knowledge, and to show how to find and interpret sources, thereby encouraging others to take on similar projects. As a result of the subordination and marginalization of women in the 17th and 18th centuries, existing research suggests that the opportunities for women to train and be active in the art scene were very limited. However, the painter and engraver Anna Maria Thelott (c.1683-1710) stands out. Her clients included Charles XII, Olof Rudbeck the Elder and Johan Peringskiöld. Until her death in 1710, she managed to support herself and her parents through her professional activities. Despite these long-established facts, no one had previously researched her, largely because it was assumed that no relevant sources had been preserved. However, this changed ten years ago when Mia Skott discovered, for example, that Thelott had taught drawing, making her the first known female art teacher in Sweden. The project had to be shelved, but is now resumed with a microhistorical approach that builds on the one presented in Mia Skott's book Tapetmakerskor - Självständiga yrkeskvinnor i 1700-talets Stockholm.