Pontus Fürstenberg

During this time, Pontus started to engage himself in local politics, and at the age of 42 was appointed leader of the city council (stadsfullmäktige) in 1869.

He was also involved with many community activities, including serving as Vice President of the Gothenburg Ancient Monument Society.

[1] Pontus had long been in love with her, but they were forbidden to be together by Göthilda's father, the rich banker and financier Edvard Magnus.

He considered that his rich daughter should not spend time with a "hunchbacked man ten years older than she," which Pontus was.

Pontus and Göthilda decorated a beautiful home in Brunnsparken, in the center of Gothenburg, which would later be called the "Fürstenberg Palace".

Pontus supported artists in many ways, not only with food, room, clothes and art materials, but he also helped them to study abroad in places such as Paris.

Without Pontus's direct and indirect patronage, artists like Carl Larsson, Ernst Josephson and Anders Zorn would not have been able to focus exclusively on their art.