Anna Maria Brandel facts for kids
Anna Maria Brandel (born 1725, died 1799) was a very successful businesswoman from Sweden. She was an industrialist (someone who owns and manages large businesses) and a merchant (someone who buys and sells goods). When her husband passed away in 1754, she took over his large trading company. She also became the owner of one of the biggest textile mills (factories that make cloth) in Sweden.
Her Life Story
Her Early Life
Anna Maria was born in 1725. Her father, Samuel Schütz, was a merchant in Gothenburg. Her brother, Jacob Schütz, later became the mayor of Gothenburg. He was also a director of the Swedish East India Company, which was a big trading company.
In 1741, Anna Maria married Elias Brandel. He was a merchant from Stockholm. They settled down in Stockholm. Elias owned several businesses. These included a sugar refinery (a factory that makes sugar) and a cotton mill (a factory that makes cotton cloth). He also had a large merchant company.
Anna Maria was known for being very smart and good at business. She had a library with about a hundred books. These books were in Swedish, German, French, and English. This shows she was well-educated.
Her Business Career
When her husband died in 1754, Anna Maria took over all his businesses. This made her a very important person in the business world. She also owned shares in different banks. She traded with companies in cities like Amsterdam and London.
By 1760, Anna Maria Brandel ran the largest import company in Stockholm. This company brought in goods like coffee, sugar, and salt. She managed the main merchant company until 1772. She also ran the cotton mill until 1784.
Anna Maria put most of her effort into the sugar refinery. She made it much bigger and more successful. She managed this business until she died. From 1790, her son worked with her as a partner.
When Anna Maria Brandel passed away, she was one of the wealthiest people in Stockholm. She was the 10th highest-taxed property owner in the capital city. She was also one of only two women among the top 30 highest-taxed property owners in Stockholm.
Between 1750 and 1820, Anna Maria Brandel was one of the three richest women merchants in Stockholm. The other two were Anna Maria Wretman and Christina Fris.
