ABSTRACT
For many years, a postwar baby, a little prince born in 1946, was the favorite photo object of Swedish ladies’ magazines. He was portrayed on his own or at play with his four elder sisters, or as a sweet fatherless orphan, held by the hand of his grandfather, King Gustaf Adolf VI. Blue-eyed and blonde, with curly hair, this little prince (lill-prinsen) matched Nordic fairy tale notions of little princes. He was often portrayed in different play activities, wearing different garments, such as a chef’s hat, an aviation pilot uniform, ski clothes, an American Indian costume, and so on. He and his sisters, the wee princesses at Haga (sessorna på Haga), presented images of the ideal childhood in Sweden: eternally playing in rural settings, yet practicing their future roles as adults.
