The Bank of Finland was founded in 1811 by the Russian emperor Alexander I. The Bank of Finland is the world’s fourth oldest national central bank The Bank was originally based in Turku but was moved to Helsinki in 1819. During the second half of the 19th century the Bank of Finland became more of a central bank due to the introduction of the Finnish markka and the establishment of many commercial banks in Finland. Karl Zachris Bergbom became deputy governor of the Bank of Finland in 1894.
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Uniform for the deputy governor of the Bank of Finland. Belonged to Karl Zachris Bergbom. Photo by Karl Heikkilä.
Karl Zachris Bergbom was born in 1845 and died in 1903. He was the second eldest child of Carl Gustaf Bergbom (1798–1861) and Helena Franzén m. Bergbom (1819–1880). Karl started studying law at the Imperial Alexander University in Finland (University of Helsinki) in 1867. Karl owned Hertonäs Manor together with his younger brother John Bergbom (1850–1917) after their father passed away in 1861. Karl was not interested in owning and taking care of Hertonäs Manor and he sold his share of the inheritance to his brother John, but he kept Villa Tammelund. He used Villa Tammelund as a summer residence. After his studies Karl worked as an official in the Senate of Finland and later in the Bank of Finland. He was deputy governor for the Bank of Finland from 1894 to his death in 1903. Karl’s uniform, which he wore when he worked in the Bank of Finland, was owned by his son Ragnar Bergbom (1890–1948), who donated it to Hertonäs Manor Museum in 1940.
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Buttons with the Russian double headed eagle. Photo by Karl Heikkilä.
The uniform consists of five parts: a vest, a uniform jacket, two pieces of cloth and an elongated hat (which is missing). The vest and the uniform are black. The uniform’s collar and cuffs have red piping. The uniform has golden buttons with the Russian double headed eagle depicted on them. The vest and its pockets also have red piping. The cuffs and the collar have golden leaf-patterns. The uniform is in good condition, and it had been conserved properly. The elongated hat, which is mentioned in the catalogue, is missing and it is a mystery how it went missing. When I read about this subject, I encountered a picture of Victor von Haartman (1830–1895), who was the former governor of the Bank of Finland. In the picture von Haartman is dressed in his civil servant uniform, which bears a likeness to Karl Zachris’ uniform.
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Victor von Haartman dressed in his civil servant uniform 1889. Victor von Haartman was the governor of the Bank of Finland from 1866 to 1870. Wikipedia.
It is interesting working with old items, and you discover something unique such as Karl Zachris Bergbom’s old uniform. When I wrote this blog, I learned a lot about John Bergbom’s brother Karl Zachris, who was an unknown person to me. It is interesting to learn about the lesser-known members of the Bergbom-family and who have not so much to do with Hertonäs Manor.
Karl Heikkilä’s historical internship at Hertonäs Manor Museum is financed by the Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland.
Literature:
Backman, Sigbritt 2017: Hertonäs gård - från säteri till museum. SOV: Helsingfors.
Kunnas, Hilkka 1986: Nationens Egendom - Finlands Bank 1811–1986. Helsingfors.
Snellman, Alex 2014.: Suomen Aateli - yhteiskunnan huipulta uusiin rooleihin 1809–1939. Helsinki.
Sources:
AcademySampo, Karl Zachris Bergbom (1845–1903), https://akatemiasampo.fi/en/people/page/p18771/table, visited 18.07.2022.
Ylioppilasmatrikkeli 1853–1899, https://ylioppilasmatrikkeli.helsinki.fi/1853-1899/aakkosittain.php?init=b, visited 18.07.2022.