Ida Aalberg’s life story is one of the most famous Cinderella stories in Finnish cultural history. Ida Aalberg was born on December 4, 1857, as the second youngest child of Antti Ahlberg, a servant at Leppäkoski Manor, and his wife Charlotta Lindroos. The Ahlbergs had a total of seven children, of whom two died young.

In the late 1850s, Antti Ahlberg had moved from the manor work to construct the Helsinki – Hämeenlinna railway. When Ida was 5 years old, Ahlberg was appointed as a trackmaster, and the family moved to their own cottage located along the railway. From the daughter of a poor trackmaster, Ida Emilia Ahlberg became the most beloved and well-known actress of the Finnish Theatre founded in 1872.

In her early childhood, Ida learned to love the beautiful nature of Leppäkoski in Janakkala, the magnificent forests, groves, vast fields, and the Puujoki river flowing through her homeland. A deep affection for the ‘turf of her birthplace’ remained with her throughout her life. Even as a child, she learned household tasks as her mother’s helper and was considered an exemplary hardworking and energetic person.

Antti and Charlotta had learned to read and write only later in life and deemed it important that their four sons could attend school at Hämeenlinna Lyceum, even though the school fees posed nearly insurmountable difficulties for them. Ida was as eager to learn as her brothers and proved to be so stubborn and strong-willed that she did not relent until she too had found a place in school. At that time, only daughters from noble families had the opportunity to receive an education. Ida first attended a Swedish-language school for small children for two years, then for a year at the newly established Finnish-language girls’ school, and finally studied for a couple of years under private tutors.

When Ida was 15 years old, high school students spending their Christmas holiday in Janakkala asked her to perform with them in a couple of entertainment plays, aimed at providing fun programming for the people of Janakkala during the holiday season. The performances exceeded expectations, and perhaps it was from that experience that Ida got the idea that she could find work in the newly established Finnish theatre. At the age of 16, Ida went to Helsinki to strive for a place in the theatre, where the founder of the theatre, Dr. Kaarlo Bergbom, selected her just after Ida turned 17.

Ida soon proved to be multi-talented, hardworking, and ambitious, and she became the most popular actress in her theatre within a few years. Her enthusiasm for studying did not wane over the years; rather, it strengthened.

Eino Leino admired Ida Aalberg and had seen her in over ten roles on stage and met her many times. Leino provided a vivid close-up portrait of the actress:

”Tall, slender body, as taut as a steel spring. The shape of her head is bold, and her profile is proportionate in a Finnish way. Her mouth is more large than small, with a strongly protruding chin. Her eyes are like electric lamps, steel gray in color, but seen from the stage sometimes blue, sometimes dark, depending on her emotions. Her hair is blonde.”

At the age of 30, she married lawyer Lauri Kivekkää, a marriage that ended with Kivekkää’s death in 1893. Her second spouse was Baron Alexander Uexkull-Gyllenband, a German-Russian living in St. Petersburg, who was also a lawyer. They had homes in Helsinki and St. Petersburg, and the marriage lasted until Ida Aalberg’s death.

Her artistic work continued at the Finnish Theatre from the late 1880s mainly as a guest, even after the theatre moved to its new home on Rautatientori in Helsinki and was renamed the Finnish National Theatre. Her visits to the National Theatre were highly anticipated major events in Helsinki. She was appointed as a director-actress at her old theatre in 1909, but the endeavor did not succeed. The contract between the National Theatre and Ida Aalberg was terminated in 1911, resulting in a prolonged theatre conflict in the press.

Her 40th artist anniversary celebration in January 1911 became “the most splendid celebration” ever held in Finland. Ida played the lead role of Magda in the play Koti. The entire country participated in the celebration, to which several hundred telegrams, addresses, gifts, and flower deliveries were sent. Surely no Finnish celebration has featured such a number of thank-you and praise speeches.

Ida Aalberg died in St. Petersburg on January 17, 1915, from pneumonia. On the day of her funeral, January 21, newspapers appeared with black borders. Obituaries spoke of national mourning and stated that “the most eminent spirit of Finnish art, its brightest heart, and most industrious representative” had departed.

Literature and text:
Theatre Councillor Ritva Heikkilä

Background support
Ida Aalberg Foundation
Ida Aalberg Society r.y.