‘One Dress – One Nation!’ : The societal implications of King Gustav III’s National Costume in late eighteenth-century Swedish Court Society

Abstract: This thesis explores the societal implications of Gustav III’s national costume in the context of Swedish court society during the late eighteenth century. With the aims of uncovering King Gustav III’s view of the National Costume and its role in Swedish court society, as well as how we can understand the National Costume’s meaning for the aristocracy in late eighteenth-century Sweden, this thesis presents a post-structural textual analysis of Gustav III’s (1806) REFLEXIONER, angående en ny nationel klädedrägt (Reflections concerning a new national costume) in order to uncover King Gustav III’s perception of and ideology behind the national costume. This is then juxtaposed with a similar analysis of a chapter from Hedvig Elisabeth Charlotta’s (1902) journal, representing an aristocratic counter-perspective. This thesis presents a previously unexplored sociological perspective in studying Gustav III’s National Costume. Departing from Norbert Elias’ work around the court society, arguments are made for the interpretation of the National Costume as an instrument in court ceremonial, at the king’s disposal, holding the potential to create a distance in power between the Swedish court nobility and the monarchy. Furthermore, it is argued that the National Costume represents an oppressive force to the Swedish court nobility as a social class.