Erna Behind the Camera

The history of the Hasselblad camera company has long been dominated by Victor and his family - but at his side was always Erna. Now the Hasselblad Foundation presents the exhibition and publication "Erna Behind the Camera", which for the first time provides a clearer picture of her decisive role in the company's early development.

Erna Hasselblad was the driving force behind Victor, a board member and a central figure in Hasselblad AB's history. Yet her contribution has long been diminished, partly due to patriarchal structures and partly because few traces of her remained. The couple lived in the public eye but guarded their privacy, and upon their death, personal letters and documents were burned according to their will. By piecing together fragments from newspaper archives, company documents and other archival material, researchers have now gained new understanding of Erna's position and influence.

The exhibition also highlights Erna as a photographer. The foundation's collections preserve the couple's private photo collection, and closer examination shows that it was far from only Victor who held the camera. Images from travels, parties and social gatherings offer glimpses of the world through Erna's eyes.

- Although we cannot hear Erna's voice or read her words from the documents we have found in our archives, through these photographs we can catch a hint of her gaze, says Andréas Hagström, head of archives and library at the Hasselblad Foundation and curator of the exhibition.