User:Carter (Wiki Ed)/Bror Anders Wikström

Anders Wikström (1854–1909), also known as Bror Anders Wikström, was an artist, costume designer, and art teacher based in New Orleans. He is known for his work designing floats and costumes for Mardi Gras krewes around the turn of the 20th century.

Early life
Wikström was born in Bodarne parish (now Ramundeboda parish) near Laxå, Örebro, Sweden, to mill manager Anders Wikström and his wife Carolina Roth. He had some training in drawing under Olof Hermelin while at the Karolinska Institut in Örebro, before completing his vocational training in 1869.

After spending a few years at sea, Wikström found his near-sightedness to be a liability and he abandoned life as a sailor. In November 1877, he enrolled at the Art Academy where he became friends with Edward Rosenberg, but he soon transferred to Edvard Perséu painting school.

After a broken engagement, he decided to leave Sweden and immigrate to America.

Career
After spending some time in New York and Florida, Wikström settled in New Orleans in 1883.

In 1884, Wikström's ailing neighbor, Charles Briton, a fellow Swede, hired him to assist in designing Carnaval floats and costumes for the Rex Organization. With Briton's death that same year, Wikström was hired as Rex's main designer. He designed the Rex parade for 25 years, as well as Proteus for 10 years. Each parade required about 20 float designs, 100 costumes, and additional drawings for jewelery, masques, slippers, instruments, and other accessories. Because of the lead time needed to create a krewe's floats and costumes, at the time of his death in 1909 Wikström had competed the designs for his final parade Rex's 1910 "The Freaks of Fable."

Death
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Recognition
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