MUSEOS DE LA SEDA / SILK MUSEUMS

panded also to involve ready-made clothing: Almgren Kravattfabrik (Necktie Factory) in 1867 and Almgren Kappfabrik (Coat Factory) in 1930. Oscar Mauritz passed away in 1910. His son Oscar Almgren did not want to head the family business and instead became a professor in Archaeology at Uppsala University. The employees asked the wi- dow for permission to run the company and in 1916 a limited liabi- lity company was formed and took over the business. It was directed by Viktor Brattberg, who previously had been a bookkeeper at K.A. Almgren Sidenväveri. In 1924, Viktor Brattberg replied to a letter from Kommerskollegium regarding the income of the silk-weaving mill by saying: “The business operates to employ old, women fac- tory workers and has not generated any profit this year.” Already Oscar Mauritz stated that he ran the unprofitable weaving mill for the sake of his employees and set aside a fund that would provide life-time pensions to all those employed prior to his passing. 20 In 1909 the weaving mill was called “a dying Swedish industry” in a newspaper article and in 1925 K.A. Almgren Sidenväveri was ca- lled a “factory of the old people”. 21 Factory space was reduced and around 1928 the finishing machines from the house of Sidenfabri- kssocieteten were moved to the second storey. After 1945, several limited liability companies were formed and divided the business between the four sons of Viktor Brattberg: 1. the main company, Almgrens AB – an import business (Anders Brattberg), 2. Almgren 20 Almgren, p. 40. 21 Svenska Dagbladet 6/7 1909, press clipping in Edvard Linés’s book NM 116 294, Dagens Nyheter 1925 quoted in Bergström2007 p. 97. 157