The Nobel family traces its origins back to Petter Nobelius, who was the district magistrate over parts of Uppland and died in 1707. During the 19th century, the family took advantage of the new opportunities brought by industrialism. Robert H. Nobel (1829-1896) constructed, among other things, a factory for explosives and was involved in the oil industry in Baku, now Azerbaijan. His younger and more famous brother, Alfred (1833-1896), was also involved in industrial activities, and in 1862, he began experimenting with nitroglycerin. The following year, he successfully mastered the principle of detonation for the first time.

The Nobel family is fascinating, and we are pleased to present several portraits from their collection in this themed auction.