Ester falls ill

Ester Henning had artistic ambitions. She was noticed for her works too, among others by the Swedish women's magazine Idun. However, in 1916 Ester collapsed and was brought to a hospital because of persecutional idées. Even her youngest sister Rut got psychotic and died in a mental hospital at the age of 24.

The hospital of Säter
After some years in freedom Ester Henning arrived at the hospital of Säter. During the first years she sculptured and painted and objected against the confinement. But then she gave up, adapted herself to the role as a patient and did not paint for ten years.

When she was troublesome or aggressive she was locked up in the ward for agitated patients or in an isolation cell. The male nursing staff at Säter mostly consisted of members of the armed forces, who were thought to be best fitted to keep things under control.