La nouvelle caserne de la Garde de Svea c. 1891

This is the title page from “La nouvelle caserne de la Garde de Svea” by Wilhelm Ridderstad, printed in Stockholm in 1881. The book documents the new barracks of the Svea Life Guards, an infantry regiment with roots tracing back to the 16th century. Consider for a moment the cultural associations linked to military architecture and the performance of masculinity and national identity. Barracks, traditionally spaces of intense regulation and discipline, shape soldiers' identities while reinforcing societal power structures. By documenting this architecture, Ridderstad invites us to reflect on how spaces are not neutral, but are active participants in producing identity. With this publication, Ridderstad may be asking us to consider not only the physical structure of the barracks, but also the conceptual frameworks that support military institutions.