Prince Oscar of Sweden, later King Oscar II

A carte-de-visite portrait of Prince Oscar of Sweden (1829-1907), later King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway.

Baptised Oscar Fredrik and created Duke of Östergötland at his birth, he was the third son of King Oscar I of Sweden. From 1859, when his father died, he was first in line to the Swedish throne after his oldest brother King Carl, who then had no male heirs (his son had died in infancy in 1854). When Carl died in 1872, Oscar became King of Sweden and Norway. He renounced the Norwegian throne in 1905 but remained King of Sweden until his death in 1907, when his eldest son succeeded to the throne as King Gustaf V of Sweden.

His acute intelligence and his aloofness from the dynastic considerations affecting most European sovereigns gave the king considerable weight as an arbitrator in international questions. A distinguished writer and musical amateur, he proved a generous friend of learning, and did much to encourage the development of education throughout his dominions. He was also an enthusiast of Arctic exploration and was the patron of a number of pioneering Arctic expeditions.

Photographed by Eurenius and Quist of Stockholm.