WWI Postcards of Lake Geneva - Sepia Saturday 657

Lake Geneva (French: Lac Léman) is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. 

My great-aunt Gerda, who spent the years of WWI working as lady's maid for an unknown employer in Lyon, France, also during those years travelled more than once to Lake Geneva. On the French side they stayed at the resort Evian-les Bains; but they also went across the lake to Lausanne in Switzerland. 

Cf. these posts of mine from 1922:
1915 - Sepia Saturday 604 (A Holiday at Lake Geneva 1915 - Jan 2022)
1917 - Sepia Saturday 608 ("I have had no News from Sweden in months" 1917 - Feb 2022)
1913-18 - Sepia Saturday 611 (Hotel Postcards 1913-18 - March 2022) 

Below are some unwritten postcards from Gerda's collection which I assume she bought on these trips as well. (I don't think they've been included in previous posts.) From her written postcards I have drawn the conclusion that she loved lake and sea views, and also quite liked to bathe/swim when she had the opportunity. From her many travels I also assume she did not suffer from sea-sickness, but enjoyed boat trips as well. 

Repeating the text from one of the postcards sent to her brother in 1915: 

"Switzerland, 19 sept 1915 - Dear brother, I'm now out alone on a pleasure trip on the lake. Sending you a view from here. I hope you will recieve it soon. Love, sister Gerda."

Lac Léman. - Château de Chillon.

Chateau de Chillon

Chillon Castle (French: Château de Chillon) is an island castle located at the eastern end of Lake Geneva. Chillon is amongst the most visited medieval castles in Switzerland and Europe.

By JoachimKohlerBremen - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46700055

 

1931. - Ile de Salagnon (Lac Léman)

Only found a French article about Salagnon Island on Wikipedia.

6395 Lac Léman. Etude et Ile de Salagnon

 

Bords du Léman - Coucher de soleil.
(The shores of Lake Geneva - Sunset)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 657

Train Station and Post Office - Sepia Saturday 656

 

For this week's Sepia Saturday I'm reposting a photo I've posted before - as far back as ten years ago, for Sepia Saturday 182. I'm also reusing my text from back then, with a few minor adjustments.

The building is the railway station at Fristad (where my grandparents grew up and also lived the rest of their lives). In the early years (not sure for how long) it also served as post office, from where postmen and postcoaches delivered the post around the village and surrounding countryside. 

My great grandfather Samuel (while also being a farmer) used to drive a postal coach between the railway station and a country store in a smaller village. According to family stories, that's where he, as 60+ year old widower and father of nine (two of whom had died at a young age), in the late 1890's,  met his second wife – my great-grandmother Selma (then a young widow with one young daughter, Hildur). Together, the two of them had two more children: My grandmother Sally, born 1900 (the same year the "new" station house in the photo was built) and her brother Nils, born 1902.

Samuel retired in 1903, and then his oldest son Carl took over the task of driving the post as well as the running of the farm. (I know this from an article that my father's cousin once wrote for the local history society's annual magazine.) I think it may be Carl on the wagon to the right (not in a uniform), but I'm not sure. (He died in 1928.) I also think that if this photo is from the mid 1920s, the photographer may have been my grandfather, for some newspaper article. (Just a guess, though.)

Anyway, the photo shows a time when postal service was taken seriously!

This postcard from the same station may also have been included in some previous post, but I'm including it again, as it also shows a train, and people.  It's a reprint of an old postcard, for a railway jubilée (150 years) in 2013.

My father, a railway enthusiast who even published books on local railways, died in 2011; but in 2013, my brother and I had not yet sold the house in the village (where our grandparents lived, and then our parents in their retirement years), and in honour of our dad, we attended that railway jubilée. So here are some photos from that occasion:

 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 656 - Trains

The Lost Letter - Sepia Saturday 655

The Lost Letter - or  'Two Men on the Bummel', Part 3

In October 2022, I wrote two posts based on letters that my grandfather Gustaf wrote to my grandmother Sally from a bicycle trip together with her brother Nils (his friend since childhood). 

'Two Men on the Bummel' - Sepia Saturday 643

'On the Bummel', Part 2 - Sepia Saturday 644

At the end of the second letter, Gustaf closed with: 
"I can't wait to get to Falköping and receive your letter!" 

I thought that letter was missing, though, and had either not arrived yet when Gustaf reached the post office at Falköping, or had just not been saved for posterity. But recently I found it, among some others of later date. Unfortunately, just as Gustaf's letters to Sally from the bicycle trip lack date and year, so does this one from her to him. I can narrow it down to between 1926-29, though. (In 1925, they were still just "friends". They may possibly have become a "couple" in the spring of 1926, but I'm not sure - it may have taken longer. They did not get engaged until the autumn of 1929; and got married in the autumn of 1930.)

Fristad, Sunday a.m.

My dear friend,

I can't start by thanking you for your letter, as I don't know if you sent one or not. Hildur did not find time to go to the post office today. 

I'm so wondering how you are – and where! Here, it's raining quite heavily today. I'm thinking it must be difficult for you if it's raining where you are, too. I'm hoping it will change for the better again in the afternoon. 

The house feels empty with the two of you away. I hope your journey goes well so that you both get back safe and healthy. I've asked God to protect you, that's all I can do now – as always. Then I'm at peace in spite of all my worries. Now I know you'll find me childish and you may be laughing to yourself at me while reading the letter. But you did once ask me in a letter to pray for you, and even if you may have forgotten about that, I have not, and I'll never stop praying for you as long as I live.

Mum misses you both a lot. She's all right as long as she is working, but as soon as she sits down for a while to rest, she gets anxious and sad. Yesterday evening, she and I had to comfort each other best we could. We were sitting on the sofa in the living room. Hildur and Olle were in the glass veranda as usual. While we were down milking, I was wondering to myself where you might be just then. Now I'm hoping to hear from you tomorrow.

This afternoon I'm going to the party at Mölarp, if it's not raining too much. I'll be going alone today – I mean, not having you accompanying me, as I hope I would have had if you had been home. 

Best wishes to both of you from all of us here.
Say hello to Nisse [Nils] for me.
And I'll close this letter with my warmest greetings from me to you.

Yours, Sally

One thing I want to ask of you both: ”Be careful” and do not cycle too fast.

Childhood friends,
and brothers-in-law-to-be:
Gustaf and Nils

Mother & daughters:

Hildur, Selma and Sally

Linking to Sepia Saturday 655 - Open Theme

SVENSKA

Det försvunna brevet eller 'Två män på Velociped, del 3'

I oktober 2022 skrev jag två inlägg baserade på brev skrivna av Gustaf till Sally (mina farföräldrar) på en cykeltur han gjorde tillsammans med hennes bror Nils. I det andra brevet skriver Gustaf att han hoppas på att ett brev från Sally ska vänta honom när han kommer till Falköping. 

Jag trodde inte att detta brev från Sally fanns bevarat, men nu har jag hittat det (bland andra brev av senare datum). Liksom Gustafs till henne saknar det årtal, men måste vara från mellan 1926-1929.

Gustafs brev till Sally återfinns här:

'Two Men on the Bummel' - Sepia Saturday 643

'On the Bummel', Part 2 - Sepia Saturday 644

Och här följer det brev från Sally som antagligen väntade Gustaf i Falköping:

Fristad söndag f.m.

Käre lille vän!

Nu kan jag inte tacka dig för något brev därför att jag vet om du skickat något eller ej. Hildur hann ej gå till posten idag. 

Undrar så mycket hur och var Ni befinner Er nu. Här regnar det rätt mycket idag, häftigt nog. Det skulle väl vara svårt för Er om det skulle bli regnigt nu när Ni ändå äro i väg. Hoppas dock att det ändrar sig igen så det blir vackert tills i eftermiddag. Det är så tomt efter Er här hemma. Gott om resan ginge lyckligt så att Ni kommo friska och välbehållna hem igen. Jag har lämnat Er år Guds beskydd, det enda jag nu, så väl som alltid annars, kan göra. Då är jag lugn trots all oro som jag annars kan ha mången gång. Nu vet jag att du anser mig för barnslig och kanske till och med skrattar för dig själv åt mig när du läser brevet, men en gång har du själv i ett brev bett mig att jag skall bedja för dig. Det kanske du nu glömt bort, men jag har ej glömt det och jag skall aldrig upphöra att bedja för dig så länge jag lever. 

Mamma saknar Er mycket. När hon är i arbete går det rätt bra, men sätter hon sig stilla en stund blir hon så ängslig och sorgsen till mods. I går kväll fingo Mamma och jag trösta varandra bäst vi kunde. Vi sutto i soffan i rummet, Hildur och Olle i verandan som vanligt. Kvällen var så ovanligt lång i går kväll. När vi voro nere och mjölkade undrade jag var Ni voro just då. Hoppas nu få höra från Er i morgon. 

I eftermiddag har jag tänkt gå till festen i Mölarp om det inte regnar för mycket. Nu får jag gå ensam i dag, jag menar jag har inte dig i sällskap, vilket jag hoppas jag fått om du varit hemma. 

Hj. hälsn. Till Er båda från oss alla här. Hälsa Nisse så hjärtligt från mig.

Du är nu till sist varmt hälsad från mig. Din Sally.

En sak vill jag be Er om och det är: ”Var försiktiga” och kör ej för fort. 

It's All in Your Head - Sepia Saturday 654

 

19th century phrenology map

Among old letters written by my paternal grandparents, I also found this note by my grandfather Gustaf, dated 10 January 1925. (A couple of months before he went off to do his mandatory military service; and about six months before he turned 21.)

Sten Frödin's statement about my predisposition

You have a sanguine temper. You sometimes feel discouraged, but then think: "It will probably be all right."  --- You have a talent to become a writer, with good imagination, and faculty of combination. You also have an aptitude for journalism, and should choose this as livelihood, and do other writing on the side. You have an artistic talent, but also a predisposition towards any intellectual profession. You should not choose a business career, as you don't have a sufficiently marked sense of economy. You should study languages and aesthetics. 

When I first read this note, I had no idea who Sten Frödin was. I assumed he must have been a local friend and mentor of Gustaf's, perhaps a newspaper journalist or editor (as I knew Gustaf was already writing short notices and articles for a local paper at the time). However, I googled the name, and something rather more interesting turned up: Sten Frödin was a famous Swedish phrenologist - i.e. "someone who claims to be able to read your character from the shape of your skull" [vocabulary.com]

There is a Swedish Wikipedia article about Sten Frödin. He was born 1881 and died in 1938. He lost his parents at an early age, and after (six or so years) of elementary school, worked for a while on a farm. Later he worked as a tailor in Stockholm, while at the same time attending various classes and lectures - also including phrenology. He was always interested in people, and developed a remarkable talent for character analysis. From 1907 onwards, he made a living out of this, and went on tours giving lectures etc; not only in Sweden but also in Denmark and Norway. He claimed to be applying phrenology, and published two pamphlets entitled Phrenology (1912) and Physionomy (1916). He also undertook to analyse people by photos they sent to him. On the whole, though, his individual advice was probably based on intuition, insights in human nature, and being a good judge of character in general. In later years, he particulary gave career advice to students. 

As the notes made by my grandfather are his own rather than a letter written by Frödin, I suppose he must have found an opportunity to meet with Frödin in person on one of his lecture tours. And I suspect that if they talked for a while, it would not have been too difficult for Frödin to get an idea of Gustaf's talents, dreams and ambitions, as well as his fears and doubts... Nevertheless, I imagine that Frödin's assessment probably did influence his decision to pursue a career in journalism (in which he turned out successful). 

Gustaf at his writing desk at Storegården, 
from around the time when these notes were made.

 

A definition of phrenology with chart from
 Webster's Academic Dictionary, circa 1895

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrenology

* * *

Linking to Sepia Saturday 654

(One of the fields in which phrenology was applied was criminology.)

 

SVENSKA

Bland gamla brev skrivna av mina farföräldrar hittade jag också denna anteckning gjord av min farfar, daterad 10 januari 1925. (Ett par månader innan han påbörjade sin militärtjänstgöring på Kviberg i Göteborg; och ca ett halvår innan han fyllde 21.) 

Sten Frödins uttalande om mina anlag

Ni har sangvinistiskt temperament, blir ibland modlös, men tänker som så: "Det går nog bra."  [---] Ni har författaranlag, god fantasi och kombinationsförmåga. Även anlag för journalistyrket, bör välja det som levebröd och driva författeriet därjämte. Är konstnärligt anlagd, men anlag för alla finare yrken. Bör ej slå in på affärsbanan, emedan Ni ej äger ett tillfyllest utpräglat ekonomi-sinne. Bör studera språk och estetik. 

Lörd. d. 10 januari 1925

När jag först läste detta hade jag ingen aning om vem Sten Frödin var. Jag antog först att han var en lokal mentor eller rådgivare som Gustaf vänt sig till för hjälp sitt yrkesval. Kanske en journalist? Men när jag googlade på namnet hittade jag en svensk Wikipedia-artikel som upplyste mig om att Frödin var en svensk frenolog, som givit ut ett par skrifter i det ämnet, och på sin tid även var en välkänd kringresande föreläsare. Frödin "hänvisade huvusakligen till frenologins lära om huvudets proportioner för sina analyser" men "i själva verket torde det ha varit hans intuition och människokännedom som låg bakom framgången". (Sv. Wikipedia, Sten Frödin)

Eftersom anteckningarna är nedskrivna av min farfar (och inte är ett brev från Frödin själv), får jag intrycket att han måste ha fått ett tillfälle att träffa Frödin personligen. Kanske i samband med en föreläsning någonstans i västsverige? Och jag antar att om de samtalade en stund, så torde det inte ha varit alltför svårt för Frödin att bilda sig en uppfattning om Gustafs anlag, drömmar och ambitioner, och även vissa tveksamheter och tvivlel. Hur det än må vara med den saken, så kan Frödins utlåtande ändå ha stärkt honom i hans eget beslut att gå vidare mot sitt mål att bli journalist (ett yrkesval som visade sig framgångsrikt för honom).

Projekt Runeberg:
 Svenska Män och Kvinnor - biografisk uppslagsbok:

http://runeberg.org/smok/2/0696.html