Carl Gustaf Estlander enrolled at the Imperial Alexander University in 1850 to study aesthetics and modern languages. He had found his field, and over the half-century that followed he was to leave his indelible mark on its development.

In the conferment ceremony of 1857, Estlander received the title of primus master. A year later, he published his doctoral dissertation, Richard Lejonhjärta I historien och poesin (‘Richard Lionheart in history and poetry’), which earned him a doctorate in 1860. In the same year, he was appointed docent in aesthetics and modern literature.

As a scholar, Estlander was mainly interested in the arts and art history. He made lengthy study trips to the cultural capitals of Europe, getting to know their learned communities, libraries, museums and art exhibitions. The result of his research was a ground-breaking volume on art history entitled De bildande konsternas historia ifrån slutet af förra århundradet intill våra dagar (‘A history of visual arts from the end of the last century to our times’), published in 1867 to great success.

In 1868, Estlander succeeded Fredrik Cygnaeus as professor of Aesthetics and Modern Languages. He was the first person to teach art history in a Finnish university and had a profound influence on the work of the first full professor in the field, his former student Johan Jakob Tikkanen.

Estlander was among the first to delve into the works of Finland’s national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg, publishing several articles and books on him. His commentary on Runeberg’s complete works (Runebergs skaldskap […], 1902) is still regarded as serious scholarship on the subject.

Estlander also had an interest in folk poetry, sparked by Elias Lönnrot, the compiler of the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. However, Estlander had reservations about Kalevala since he found Lönnrot’s compilation methods dubious. One of his most valuable works is Bidrag till den provencaliska litteraturens historia (1868), which examines the origins of the poetry of Provence.

Estlander was an influential figure in Finnish academic and cultural life even outside of the University. He played a key role when the Society of Swedish Literature in Finland (Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland) was founded in 1885. He served as the first president of the society that continues to give an award for a Swedish literary work from his memorial fund.

Estlander was a key player in the Finnish Art Society as well as in the founding of the Ateneum Art Museum. After a tumultuous process that lasted a decade, the museum was finally inaugurated in 1887.

Estlander’s motto, borrowed from Sallust, the Roman historian, was Concordia res parvae crescunt (‘Unity makes strength’). And the phrase graces the pediment on Ateneum’s façade to this day.

Sources:

• Johan Wrede, ‘Estlander, Carl Gustaf’, National Biography of Finland online. Accessed 24 April 2015. (In Finnish.) Available via NELLI.
• ‘Estlander, Carl Gustaf’, Dictionary of Art Historians online. Accessed 24 April 2015.
• Ilkka Huovio, Carl Gustaf Estlander (1834–1910), University of Industrial Arts Helsinki. Accessed 24 April 2015.