I have written about my grandfather Gustaf's career before, for example last summer in a post for Sepia Saturday 675. He started out as a shoemaker's apprentice in his early teens, but what he really wanted to do was write. He gradually managed to shift to a career as journalist, by taking a few correspondence courses, and starting out by freelancing until eventually he got a full time employment as journalist at a local newspaper in the nearest town (1926). He also usually took his own photos when he was out and about on various jobs.
He was more often behind the camera rather than in front of it, and I haven't got a lot of photos of himself related to his job. But there are these:
After he left the shoemaker's business, he had a room at the farm where his childhood friend Nils and his family (mother, two sisters and two uncles) lived - at first probably in exchange for also helping out a bit at the farm. This photo shows him at his desk in that room (which was probably in a small separate cottage rather than in the main farm house).
(He was later to marry Nils' sister Sally, my grandmother; but I think when he first moved in at the farm they were still just friends.)
This is a photo of him at work from later years
(not sure when or where)
(not sure when or where)
This is not my grandfather, but one of his colleagues at the newspaper where he worked between 1926-1938. (In 1938 he was recruited to another, bigger newspaper in the same town.)
Linking to Sepia Saturday 713
That's a strikingly beautiful portrait of your grandfather. The strong light really sets his face nicely in a thoughtful moment. I like the little details of the candle, his dip pen, and an inkwell that give the photo a historic context, too. The second one with his typewriter is also appropriate for depicting a journalist. The third photo of his colleague at his cluttered desk is a great reminder of how newspaper work used to be done. It looks a bit like my desk now, and I have a computer that is supposed to keep me organized!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mike. I love that photo of him, too. The second photo is how i remember him from my own childhood, though!
DeleteAll the pictures are wonderful & so lucky you have them. But as Mike said, that first photo is striking! Looking at it, I could swear I saw that pen actually moving on the paper! Back when I was publicist for the chorus I sing with, I was often 'behind the camera' instead of in the picture. I regretted it in one way because I wasn't in the photo. On the other hand, I had certain ideas about how I wanted the pictures taken and enjoyed having them come out the way I envisioned.
ReplyDeleteThanks Gail. I'm still wondering who took that photo!
DeleteThese are terrific photos. I was a labor journalist for most of my career and hovering over a desk with pen or computer is a typical career pose. I particularly liked the last photo with shelves piled with paper -- still have that problem and am steadily downsizing as much as I can. Glad to see it appears to be an occupational hazard :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Molly. Yes, that third photo is probably rather typical of a newspaper office back in those days - long before computers entered the scene... :)
DeleteAgree with all other commenters, these are great photos all! I also agree with how the skills of writing and giving out news has evolved from dipping pens into inkwells (like so many desks had in my early school years) which actually had pens replacing all those quills. And the wonders of moveable type which led through (lead - get it? ha ha) many publications into our era of virtual sharing of information. If the internet should ever fail (just ask half the doomsayers today) then we might just be back at vegetable dyes and quills, on paper made less industrially. But for now, I'm grateful for Sepia Saturday letting us read so many interesting things about other's histories.
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbara. I remember that my own first school desk at school actually had a hole for an inkwell, too - but I don't think we actually dipped pens in ink to write in school. I did try that at my grandparents' house, though - and even tested making quills from bird feathers found outdoors. (Just for fun.)
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