Mysterious Girl with Moustache - Sepia Saturday 693

The Sepia Saturday October theme of Portraits gives me an opportunity to repeat another early post from this blog, with an old postcard that I still find very intriguing.

G.001-3 – Girl with Moustache 

Previously posted on this blog 2012-02-17

A postcard sent to Gustaf at Odensberg in 1901, while he was staying with his brother Oscar. (Cf. my post for SS 690. Before he emigrated to America in 1902, Gustaf seems to have alternated between staying with his father at his farm, vs with his brother who was running a country store at Odensberg.)

The postmark PKXP indicates a railway line and a locality along that line. In the early days, post was sorted aboard the trains.

 

The second printed line on the back of the card (Bostad - om den kan uppgifvas)  indicates that this space is set aside for the recipient's residential address – “if it can be given". Most people probably had to collect their post at the nearest post office, railway station or village shop.

The message is rather mysterious. Besides the moustache and beard added to the image, the message is written in incomplete sentences and using abbreviations ("text message" style of 100 years ago?). The last sentence is also written upside-down; and the sender is anonymous. But this is how I read it:

"Undrar hur Ni befinner Er. Hoppas inte som - hjärtligt tack därför i alla fall - i för. vk. [= i förra veckan] Jag har f.n. tandvärk o är mycket retlig."

“I wonder how you are. Hope not like  - many thanks for that anyway -  last week. I am currently having a toothache, and am very irritable.”  

My guess is that sender and receiver had been "up to something" together the week before, which probably made the message easier to interpret for Gustaf than it is for us, 120+ years later.

The sender has also given the young lady in the picture an ink moustache and beard - in the same way one sometimes sees it done to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. 

The remarkable thing is that when I checked, I found that the most famous parody of Mona Lisa with moustache and beard (L.H.O.O.Q by Marcel Duchamp) was not made until 1919. But this postcard was sent in 1901... 

Marcel Duchamp, 1919, L.H.O.O.Q

I also noticed one more thing on "my" postcard: An ink line drawn across one of the girl's fingers, which makes it look like she's wearing a ring. (It's on her right hand, while an engagement ring would normally be worn on the left hand - but still...) 

If anyone has come across similar parody images from before 1919, I'd be interested to learn about it!

Linking to Sepia Saturday 693 - Portraits

Falköping, Storgatan (1901) - Sepia Saturday 690

 (G.003.3 - Postcard previously posted on this blog 2012-02-29)

It struck me recently that there must be postcards in my inherited collection which, although I've posted them on the blog before, I did not link to Sepia Saturday. So I decided to go back and look among those for some image to repost for the current Sepia theme. (Actually interesting for myself as well, as I've both learned and forgotten a lot since I started this blog nearly 12 years ago...)

Falköping. Storgatan. (Main Street)

Lindgrens Bok- & Pappershandel (John Swedmark) Falköping.
Sommar-filial vid Mössebergs Badanstalt.
Lindgren's Books & Stationary - Summer Branch at Mösseberg Spa *

The sign on the building to the left says "Coats Shop"

Falköping (with surroundings) is widely known for its ancient remains of Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. The town is located between the two plateaus Mösseberg* and Ålleberg. The location has been inhabited since the end of the ice age and cultivated by people for 6000 years. (Wikipedia)

* There has been a spa at Mösseberg since 1865. The air up on the hill was considered healthy, there was a spring, and with the railway between Gothenburg and Stockholm passing Falköping (since 1862), the location was easily accessible. In 1885, a sanatorium for patients with tuberculosis was added. (There is still a spa there, but it has of course gone through a lot of changes since the start.)

To: Gustaf Ekman, Storegården, Fristad
From: Oscar Ekman, Odensberg

Obg. 5/10 -01
K.B.! [Käre Broder!] Tack för brefvet! Äfven tack för alla besvär, samt det jag kan få hjälp till erhållande af sågspån. Skall vidare släpas --- [?]. Gerda är som Ni kanske kanske redan vet nu åter uppe o kry, roligt nog! Hälsningar! Oscar

Odensberg 5/10 –01
Dear Brother, Thanks for the letter! Also thanks for all the trouble and for what help I can get to acquire sawdust. Must also be [transported...?] - As you may already know, Gerda is up and well again, I'm happy to report. Regards, Oscar

A postcard from October 1901, about a year before Gustaf and Gerda (brother and sister) both emigrated to America. Oscar was their older brother, manager of a country store in Odensberg, owned by his brother-in-law Brynolf (married to their sister Emma, and running another store in the village Floby, where they also lived). 

Falköping is the nearest bigger town to both Odensberg and Floby.

 

Oscar’s handwriting is not all easy to decipher, but comparing the information on this card with another card written the same month, it seems that he was doing some kind of work that required sawdust as "filling"(?), and is asking his brother (and perhaps also their father) for help with that. At the time, Gustaf was staying with their father Samuel and his new family (baby Sally - my grandmother - not yet two years old). At the end of the message Oscar adds that Gerda is up and well again – as they might already have heard. (She was probably staying with Emma and her husband in Floby.) 

Both Gustaf (23) and Gerda (20) were probably feeling rootless at this point in time - sometimes staying at their father's farm and sometimes with their older siblings, depending on where their help was best needed. No doubt this contributed to both of them deciding to seek their fortune in America instead. 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 690 - On the Street

G.018.2 Folkdräkter, Rättvik (ca 1901)

DALARNA: RÄTTVIK.

To: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Storegd, Fristad
Sent: ?? (Christmas 1901?)
From: ?? (Johansson, Odensberg?)

God Jul! Tycker ni inte dom här äro söta?
Hälsning fr. samtliga O-g bor [Odensbergs-bor]

Ett hjärtligt tack för v.k. [vykort?] men de där halfva meningarna låtsas vi inte om, undrar hur ni själf fördrifver tiden, h. kanske fl. st. på förslag ---

… jag klarar inte av att tyda resten!!!

Tänkte först att avsändaren är Oscar men när jag jämför med handstilen i adressen på andra kort stämmer det inte riktigt. Dessutom kallar avsändaren Gustaf för “ni”. Tanken slår mig att det kan vara “Johansson” som arbetade för Oscar men som flyttade i mars 1902. Jmf kortet G.006.1. Den här julhälsningen borde i så fall vara från julen 1901. Förslagen som jag inte kan uttryda skulle kunna handla om arbeten.

This card was sent as Christmas greeting, including greetings from everybody at Odensberg, and thanks for a card received. Unfortunately I’m unable to dechipher the last few lines, including the signature. (This is worse than modern text messages, way too many abbreviations!) The writer is wondering what Gustaf is doing, and he seems to have some suggestions that might have to do with jobs. At first I thought the sender was Oscar (Gustaf’s brother), but the handwriting does not match other cards written by him. My best guess is that the sender is Johansson, who was working for Oscar – cf. card 6.006.1. As Johansson moved out in spring 1902, and Gustaf emigrated the following winter, this card should be from Christmas 1901.

G.012.1 En glad jul / A Merry Christmas

En glad jul (A Merry Christmas) -  C. Hedelin
Granbergs Konstindustri – Aktiebolags Förlag,Stockholm.
Larsson Broaryd.

Year: 1901? 1911?
To: Herr Gust. Ekman, Storegården, Fristad
From: E. Wilander (Edith? Ella? Erik?)

Vi vänta dig alla till julafton. Välkommen hit. Kom, kom, kom hit. God Jul önskas morbror av E. Wilander. Kom hit.

Antingen måste detta kort vara från 1901 eller från 1911 eller senare; efter att Gustav återvänt från Amerika. Jag lutar åt det senare eftersom jag tycker att den tredje siffran i årtalet ser ut att vara 1 snarare än 0.

In English

This Christmas card was sent to “uncle” Gustav from one of his nieces. Either it was sent in 1901 (because at Christmas 1902 Gustav had already left for America) or it is from 1911 or later. (Looks to me like the third digit in the postmark is a 1 rather than a 0.) E. could be either Edith or Ella. I don’t know their birthdates. The text reads something like this:

We all look forward to seeing you on Christmas Eve. You are most welcome. Please, please, please come. Merry Christmas to you, Uncle, from E. Wilander. Please come!

G.004-2 Hällestad kyrka (1901)

Hällestad kyrka. – Church at Hällestad, Floby, Västergötland.

Poststämpel/postmark: Sörby (30.12) 1901
Till/to: Herr Gust. Emanuelsson, Storegården, Fristad

Godt nytt år! Tillönskar --- a.
Happy New Year! (Best wishes) --- a.

En anonym nyårshälsning sänd till Gustaf under efternamnet Emanuelsson, från Sörby (Floby). Hans äldre syster Emma med familj bodde i Sörby, och troligen vid denna tid med dem även systern Gerda. Men varför skulle Emma eller Gerda inte signera med fullt namn? Dessutom framgår av andra kort från den här tiden att Gustaf (liksom Oscar och Gerda) använde efternamnet Ekman, vilket syskonen måste veta. 

Tar fantasin till hjälp och tänker, att Gustav under vistelsen hos Oscar i Odensberg, i samband med julen, säkert även varit och hälsat på systern/systrarna i Sörby (inte långt därifrån); och gjort bekantskap  någon flicka…

Vad gäller Hällestad kyrka, får jag återigen en ‘tankeställare’ när jag slår upp den i Wikipedia och finner att den byggdes 1901, dvs samma år som vykortet skickades. Så återigen, det som i mina ögon är en gammal kyrka/byggnad – var då splitter ny.

Också möjligt att några av dem kan ha besökt t.ex. julottan i Hällestads kyrka julen 1901. Hällestad ligger ca 1 mil från Sörby. (Hur troligt det är med tanke på deras frikyrkliga bakgrund är en annan fråga - fadern Samuel var ju med om att grunda en missionsförsamling på 1880-talet).

Hällestads kyrka är en kyrka i Hällestad i Floby församling i Skara stift. Kyrkan byggdes av trä 1901 och ersatte en träkyrka från 1600-talet. När 1600-talskyrkan revs fann man ekplankor från en medeltida stavkyrka. --- Kyrktornet är försedd med två kyrkklockor. Storklockan är från 1863 och lillklockan är från 1854. (Wikipedia)

 ´
Nutida bild på Hällestads kyrka (Wikipedia)

In English

Looking up this church in Swedish Wikipedia, I find that it is a wooden church built in 1901, i.e. the same year that the postcard above was sent. It replaced an older 17th century wooden church; and when tearing that one down, they also found some old oak planks from the original medieval church underneath.

Again I have to twist my own time perspective around and realize that when this postcard was sent, it was not a picture of an “old church” but of a brand new one.

The card was sent as anonymous New Year greeting to Gustaf. The postmark says it was sent from Sörby, which is where his older sister Emma and her family lived, and probably with them at this time also his sister Gerda. But why would any of his sisters not write out their name?

Moreover, the card is addressed to Gustaf Emanuelsson rather than Gustaf Ekman, which is the surname he (as well as Oscar and Gerda) was using at this time. His sisters would know that. So I let my imagination run away with me a little, thinking that while staying with Oscar over Christmas (cf. the previous card), he may also have visited the sisters in Sörby (which is quite close to Odensberg); and there met some girl who took a liking to him.

It is also possible that some or all of them may have visited the new church at Hällestad at Christmas. The distance from Sörby is about 10 km.

G.004-1 Falköping Ranten (1901)

Förstoring från vykortet nedan/Enlarged from the postcard below

Falköping – Ranten ¹  (1901)
Lindgrens Bok- och Pappershandel (John Swedmark), Falköping
1183

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Till/to: Herr Gustf. Ekman, Storeg., Fristad
Från/from: Oscar

Obg. 3/12 -01

K.B.! [Käre Broder!]

Tack för brefvet! Wore bra du komme så snart möjligt. Behöfver ej taga med häst ty vi kan nu köra Freja. Lös enkel biljett, du måste stanna öfver jul!

Många hälsningar till er alla!
Wälkommen!
I hast, Broder Oscar

Det verkar som om planerna från det föregående vykortet 3.3 fortsätter. Oscars handstil är inte enkel att tyda men att det finns ett sammanhang mellan flera kort i följd underlättar. Liksom plötsliga insikter som att han i vissa ord stavar med “w” i stället för “v”. (wore, wälkommen)

---

In English

Odensberg 3/12 –01

Dear Brother,

Thanks for the letter. Please come as soon as possible. No need to bring a horse since we can now use Freja. Buy a one way ticket, you must stay for Christmas!

Many greetings to you all!
Welcome!
In haste,
Brother Oscar

So it seems the plans from the previous postcard 3.3 are moving forward. Gustaf is to come to Odensberg to help his older brother Oscar with some work on his farm. It seems there has been some discussion whether Gustaf would also need to bring a horse (from his father’s farm), but no need for that, since there is now a horse available closer at hand. (Whether Oscar’s own or some neighbour’s?) So Oscar suggests that Gustaf takes the train and stays over Christmas.

¹ Falköping Ranten was the first railway station at Falköping, built in the 1850’s. It took its name from a big estate nearby. The area around the station grew to become a sort of suburb and later merged with the town.

---

¹ Falköping Ranten – Falköping C

Det ursprungliga stationshuset uppfördes 1857-1858 och stationen fick namnet Falköping Ranten eftersom den byggdes en bit ifrån dåvarande staden vid gården Ranten. (Namnet Ranten lär härstamma från det ålderdomliga ordet rant, som betyder jordrygg.)

Stationen var en nyckelknutpunkt i den första statsbanenätet i Sverige. Järnvägen Falköping-Malmö anslöt här till järnvägen Stockholm-Göteborg. Att resa mellan Stockholm och Malmö under 1860-talet innebar byte i Falköping.

Ett tag fanns det två järnvägsstationer i Falköping, nuvarande station i Ranten och en station närmare centrum. Efter 1931 bytte den namn till Falköpings Södra och samtidigt bytte stationen vid Ranten namn till Falköping Central.

Källa: Wikipedia/Falköpings Centralstation

Postcard

Summary So Far (1.3.2012)

In Mid February 2012, going through a chest of old photographs at my father’s old house, I found the two old postcard albums, which once belonged to two of my p.grandmother Sally’s older half-siblings from her father’s first marriage: Gustaf Ekman/Samuelsson (1878-1952), and Gerda Ekman (1881-1973).

The postcards were written between 1901 – ca 1930. The larger collection has cards of all kinds addressed to Gustav; some of them written by Gerda. The smaller album contains mostly Christmas and Easter greetings and similar, addressed to Gerda. Since I know from my father’s family tree notes that Gustaf died long before Gerda, I conclude that when he died, Gerda inherited his collection of postcards; and after Gerda’s death in 1973, my grandmother Sally (1900-1979) inherited both albums.

What I knew about Gerda and Gustaf since before  was that both of them back in their youth spent a number of years in America. Gustaf later came back to work on the family farm with his elder brother Carl (after their father Samuel died). Around that time he also seems to have gone back to using the surname Samuelsson (which was his “birthname”).

Gerda also returned to Sweden. At some point she entered into employment as chamber maid or similar to Estelle Manville Bernadotte, American wife of well-known Swedish diplomat Folke Bernadotte, related to the Swedish royal family. I think she remained with Estelle until her old age, and also received a medal for her services (she wears it in a photo probably taken in connection with her 75th or 80th birthday).

Hoping that the old postcards might give further clues about Gerda’s and Gustaf’s life stories, I decided to go through the postcard albums card by card to see what I can extract from them and add up with my father’s and grandfather’s notes + old family photographs (most of those unfortunately without clue who is who or when they were taken).

It is probably a good idea to also try and sum up now and then what I have found out/concluded, so this is an attempt at that.

In 1901, at age 23, Gustaf was basically living at Storegården, the family farm in Fristad; with his father Samuel, elder brother Carl (Emanuelsson), stepmother Selma, young stepsister Hildur (Lundgren) (9) and baby halfsister Sally (my grandmother, born 1900).

Periodically, Gustaf was instead staying at Odensberg near Falköping with his brother Oscar (Ekman), probably also a farmer, and doing some work for him. In the autumn, it seems Oscar had some project going on his farm requiring “filling” consisting of sawdust. Possibly, he might also have been asking their father for financial help in connection with this, but that is not quite clear.

Gerda, in 1901, seems to have been staying with their older sister Emma (Wilander) and her family at Sörby/Floby, also near Falköping. Some time in the autumn of 1901 it seems Gerda had a period of illness, but recovered from whatever it was.

Peeking forward among the cards, it seems that it was in the following autumn/winter (1902) that both Gustaf and Gerda left for America, not to return until around 1911. At Christmas 1902, Gustaf was in Pennsylvania and at New Year 1903, Gerda was in Chicago. In the summer of 1911, Gustaf was back in Sweden at the family farm. In 1913, Gerda was back in Sweden living in Ronneby on the east coast.

I’ve also found postcard evidence that Gerda was in France (Lyon) in 1915. WWI began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918 which means she was in France while the war was going on there.

---

Checking up facts about Estelle and Folke Bernadotte:

Estelle was born Estelle Romaine Manville in 1904 in Pleasantville, New York. She married Folke Bernadotte in 1928, in her birth town. Between 1930-1935 they had four sons, two of whom died in childhood. Folke was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1948. Estelle remarried in 1973 (that’s the same year Gerda died!) and lived until 1984.

Folke Bernadotte, Count of Wisborg (in Swedish: Greve af Wisborg; 2 January 1895 – 17 September 1948) was a Swedish diplomat and nobleman noted for his negotiation of the release of about 31,000 prisoners from German concentration camps during World War II. He was assassinated in Jerusalem in 1948 by the militant Zionist group Lehi while pursuing his official duties.

Their children:

• Gustaf Eduard Bernadotte of Wisborg (1930-1936)
• Count Folke Bernadotte of Wisborg (born 1931), married Christine Glahns
• Fredrik Oscar Bernadotte of Wisborg (1934-1934)
• Count Bertil Oscar Bernadotte of Wisborg (born 1935) married Rose-Marie Heering (1942–1967) and Jill Georgina Rhodes-Maddox.

---

I note that when Gerda first went to America in 1902, Estelle was not even born yet. I’m still going to look out for references to Pleasantville or the Manvilles among the postcards.

I also found one reference that said Folke and Estelle met on the French Riviera.

G.003-3 Storgatan, Falköping (1901)

Falköping, Storgatan. / Falköping, main street. (1901)
(förstoring från kortet nedan / enlarged from the card below)

Lindgrens Bok- & Pappershandel (John Swedmark), Falköping
No 170. Imp.
Sommar-filial vid Mössebergs Badanstalt (se 3.1).

Text på butiksskylten: Kappmagasin – Skrädderiaffär
The sign says: Coat Store – Tailor’s Shop

Till/to: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Storeg. Fristad
Från/from: Oscar

Obg. 5/10 -01

K.B.! [Käre Broder!]
Tack för brefvet! Äfven tack för alla [besvär?] , samt det jag kan få hjälp till erhållande af sågspån. Skall vidare [släpas? ---?] Gerda(?) är som Ni kanske kanske redan vet nu åter uppe o kry, roligt nog! Hälsningar! Oscar

Så här är ännu ett kort från Oscar (i Odensberg) till Gustaf (på Storegården), och daterat ca 2½ vecka innan det förra (3.2). (Jag går igenom korten i den ordning de sitter i albumet.) Oscars handstil är inte den lättaste att tyda! Lägger jag ihop pussel-bitarna från kortet skrivet 22/10 och detta från 5/10, så tolkar jag det som om Oscar höll på med något arbete där det behövdes “fyllning”, som kan ha bestått av sågspån, som han också kan ha behövt ekonomisk och/eller praktisk hjälp att anskaffa, och sedan att köra och få på plats.

Det framgår också att någon åter är uppe och kry; namnet är suddigt, men jag tror att det kan stå Gerda; vilket i så fall troligen syftar på systern – som denna tid verkar ha vistats hos den äldsta systern Emma (Wilander) med familj (i Sörby nära Floby, idag tillhörande Falköpings kommun). (Slutsats från några av korten i Gerdas album.) Detta kan stämma med Oscars osäkerhet om familjen på Storegården kanske redan nåtts av nyheten att hon var bättre.

Från vad jag minns att pappa berättat, så var Emmas make (Brynolf Wilander) “handlar’n i Floby”. Enligt släktträd som pappa ritat upp, hade de tre barn, Edit, Erik och Ella. (Inga datum.) Erik gifte sig med Vera, och de i sin tur fick tre barn, varav ett var Ulla, född 1939.

Oscar var gift med Elin, och de hade (enl samma släktträds-skiss) tre söner: Sven (+ 1973) (ing Malmö), Justus (fondchef Sundbyberg), Ingvar (ing Nr +). (Vad står Nr för??)

 

In English

Odensberg 5/10 –01

Dear Brother!
Thanks for the letter! Also thanks for all the [trouble?] and for what help I can get to acquire sawdust. Must also be dragged [ from there?] Gerda (?) is, as you may already know, up and well again, glad to say. Regards, Oscar

I’m scanning and going through the old postcards in the order they are in the album; which turns out not to be strictly chronological. This card was written 2½ weeks before the one in the previous post (3.2). Oscar’s handwriting is not always easy to decipher, but putting together the information from the two cards, I would say that in October 1901, Oscar was doing some kind of (farm) work  that required sawdust as “filling”, and he needed help with that from his brother Gustaf, who was otherwise living with their father and his new family. Possibly – but this is more of a guess based on a somewhat unclear turn of phrase – Oscar might also have asked their father for financial help in connection with this.

At the end there is the good news that someone is up and well again – as they may already have heard. The name is smudged, but I think it says Gerda. This makes sense, since from cards in her postcard album I conclude that around this time, Gerda was probably staying with their oldest sister Emma and her family, also in the vicinity of Falköping (Sörby near Floby), but not the same village as Oscar and his family (Odensberg).

If memory serves me right from what my father told me, Emma’s husband (Brynolf Wilander) was merchant/shopkeeper at Floby.

A family tree that my father sketched shows that Emma and Brynolf had three children: Edit, Erik and Ella. No birthdates given.

Oscar, according to the same sketch, was married to Elin, and they had three sons: Sven, Justus and Ingvar. No birthdates given.

G.003-2 Swans (Mösseberg, Falköping)

(förstoring från vykortet nedan – enlarged from postcard below)

Mössebergs Svanor (1901)

Lindgrens Bok- & Pappershandel, Falköping
A.J. Lindgrens Tr.

Poststämpel/postmark: 22.10.1901 PKXP (Falköping)
Frimärke/stamp: 5 öre
Till/to: Herr Gust. Ekman, Storeg., Fristad
Från/from: Oscar

Obg.  d. 22/10 1901.  [Odensberg]

K.B.! [Käre broder!]
Tack för brefvet. Om du kunde få tillfälle ånyo komma hit en à 2 veckor o hjälpa till med körning, så vore bra snällt. Kom då snarast möjligt! Det passar så bra köra fyllning[?] här nu. Hälsa pappa o fråga [hur?] svar jag får på brefvet – om han kunde [läsa?] det? Många hälsningar! Broder Oscar.

Det här kortet verkar bekräfta att Gustaf under 1901 tidvis vistades på Storegården i Fristad och tidvis hos brodern Oscar i Odensberg nära Falköping. Vad “köra fyllning” på senhösten innebär vet jag inte riktigt. Jag har också svårigheter att tyda ett eller två ord i den sista meningen… Det verkar som om Oscar väntar på ett brevsvar från fadern (Samuel) också.

 

In English

Odensberg, 22/10 1901

Dear Brother,
Thanks for your letter. If you can find time to once again come there for one or two weeks to help out with driving, that would be kind of you. If you can, come as soon as possible! It’s a good time right now for driving [backfill?]. My greetings to Dad and ask him [when? how?] I’ll get an answer to my letter – if he could read it? Many greetings! Brother Oscar

This postcard seems to confirm that in 1901, Gustaf’s home was the family farm (with his father and stepmother) at Fristad but that he also periodically helped out at his brother Oscar’s farm(?) at Odensberg near Falköping. I’m afraid I’m not able to guess exactly what kind of filling or backfill is referred to here. There are also a couple of words hard to decipher in the last sentence, but it seems Oscar is also waiting for an answer to a letter he sent to their father.

For Mösseberg, see the previous postcard (3.1)

G.003-1 Mösseberg, Falköping (1901)

Ankdammen, Mösseberg (Falköping)/ Duck pond, Mösseberg

Mössebergs Bokhandel, (John Swedmark)
Oscar E. Kulls Grafiska Anst, Malmö - 202

Till/to: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Storeg., Fristad
Från/from: (oläsligt/illegible)
Poststämpel/Postmark: 6(?).10.1901

(Poststämpeln har gjort avtryck i pappret och är därmed halvt läslig trots att frimärket är avlägsnat.)

2 riktigt hjärtliga tack för ni kom ihåg mig med v.h. Sänd flera! Många kära hälsningar från (…?…)

Jag kan inte tyda namnteckningen.

Från http://www.kurortenmosseberg.se/historik/ hämtar jag information som nedan återges något förkortad.

1746 genomförde Carl von Linné sin västgötska resa och kom en blåsig julidag till Falköping. Han studerade floran på såväl Mösseberg som Ålleberg och förundrades över den växlingsrika naturen. Det skulle dock dröja ytterligare ett sekel innan den viktigaste komponenten för en framtida kurort skulle läggas på plats – dragningen av Västra Stambanan.

Greve Gösta Posse, en av initiativtagarna till järnvägens etablering på Falbygden, undersökte traktens möjligheter för en lokalisering av en vattenkurort och Mösseberg valdes då vattnet visade sig vara “särdeles ymnigt” i S:t Eriks källa. Vattnet kunde lätt pumpas upp och komma en kurbadinrättning till godo. En annan god anledning var att Mössebergssluttningen ansågs naturskön med en vegetation av ädellövskog och mattor av vår- och sommarblomster. Efter en studieresa till franska och tyska badinrättningar lades ritningar och förslag fram till byggnation på Mössebergssluttningen.

Den 30 augusti 1864 fick projektet Kungl. Maj:ts godkännande för bolagsordningen för Mössebergs Kallvattenkurinrättning Aktiebolag, en benämning som senare ändrades till Mössebergs Vattenkuranstalts Aktiebolag.

År 1867 tillträdde dr Otto Torstensson, den förste badläkaren vid Mösseberg, i ”den ståtligaste och vackraste badanstalt som detta land dittills skådat”.

I Ny Illustrerad Tidning kunde man samma år läsa följande: “Några minuters väg från Falköpings jernvägsstation å den södra sluttningen av det egendomliga Mösseberg, der bokskog ännu påminner om flydda dagars skogrikhet, framqväller en källa, kring vilken den nya badanstalten blifvit uppförd i smakfull stil. Inredningen är efter nyaste och bästa mönster.”

Det vackraste badhuset i Sverige blev endast fyra år gammalt. I slutet av badsäsongen, natten mellan den 5 och den 6 september 1871, eldhärjades denna stora träbyggnad. Badsäsongen var egentligen slut, inga gäster fanns kvar i byggnaden men tre badbetjänter innebrändes. Anläggningen ödelades helt.

Redan ett år senare uppfördes ett nytt badhus på samma grund som det eldhärjade. Gästerna som mot slutet av 1800-talet till stor del bestod av lungsjuka, ersattes med de som återigen såg kurortslivet som en tillvaro för de mer bemedlade – samhällets toppskikt.

Med sekelskiftet byggdes kurorten till ytterligare. Den 14 november 1907 invigde prins Gustaf Adolf Vintersanatoriet som förutom gästrummen hade en sällskapsvåning med magnifika salonger i svit, rökrum, biljardsal, matsal samt fullständig badavdelning, kök och en stor ekonomiavdelning i en souterrängvåning. Tidens finesser fanns här som elektriskt ljus, centralvärme och vattenklosetter.

År 1901 verkar det troligt att Mösseberg fortfarande huvudsakligen var en kurort för lungsjuka snarare än en “semesteranläggning”.

Jag vistades själv på Mösseberg i två veckor i januari 2003 för en rehabiliteringsutredning, och då såg ankdammen ut så här:

Duck pond, Mösseberg, Falköping, January 2003 (my photo)

In English:

2 really heartfelt thanks for remembering me with friendly greetings. Send more! ‘Lots of love’ from (…?…)

(It strikes me that in translating greeting phrases it’s not easy to be sure that one catches the right level of initimacy. Especially not from 110 years ago!)

I can’t decipher the signature on this postcard.

Mösseberg was and is a spa resort in Falköping. The history page on their (Swedish) website tells me that the spa resort was founded in the mid-1860’s in connection with the railway being built.

[I think my blogging friend GB pinpointed Falköping very well with the following comment on a previous post here: “Between Google Earth and Wikipedia it's interesting to build up a picture of the locality of the sender and the recipient. Falköping looks very much like a road and rail hub despite not being a very large place.”]

Besides beautiful nature in the surroundings there was a spring well suited for a health spa. When it was first opened in 1867, it was described as the most beautiful and luxurious of its kind in our country. Unfortunately, the original building was destroyed in a fire only four years later; but a new building was erected the following year, on the same foundation as the old one.

In 1907 there was a major renovation and additional buildings with the latest facilities were added, and it became more of a fashionable resort for nobility and royalty and other people with a lot of money to spend. In 1901, however, it was probably still mainly a resort for people suffering from consumptive diseases.

So the friend who received friendly greetings and sent thanks back for them may have been someone spending time at Mösseberg spa for that reason. On the other hand, it could of course have been someone visiting or living in or near Falköping for other reasons.  For example, it seems from the two next postcards in the album (coming up here soon), that Gustav’s brother Oscar lived at Odensberg near Falköping. But this seems not to be his signature (comparing with those other two). 

In January 2003, I spent two weeks at Mösseberg myself, in connection with an evaluation of my capacity for work after an accident. Not going into the details of that here (it was not a happy time) but one of the few photos I took while there was one of the duck pond, from the same perspective as that old postcard. It was a very cold January, as I recall around -20°C.

G.002-3 Skara, Water Tower, 1901

G.002.3  Skara, Vattentornet, 1901

Förstoring från vykortet nedan. /Photo enlarged from the postcard below.

Skara, Vattentornet / Skara, the Water Tower (1901)
A Granqvist & Co Skara

Poststämpel/Postmark: Wara 26.9.1901
Till/to: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Storeg., Fristad
Från/from: Axel Jansson

Många hälsningar fr. Axel Jansson.
Many greetings from Axel Jansson.

Tyvärr vet jag ingenting om vem Axel Jansson var. Den enda upplysning kortet ger är att Gustaf i slutet av september 1901 tycks ha befunnit sig på familjens gård Storegården i Fristad. Eller åtminstone att avsändaren trodde det. De två andra korten jag hittills granskat från 1901 var adresserade till Odensberg. Jag hittade en anteckning i pappas pärm som tyder på att brodern Oskar (med familj) år 1901 bott i Odensberg. Det är ju möjligt att Gustaf vistats tidvis där och tidvis på Storegården.

…

Skara i Västergötland är en av Sveriges äldsta städer, och var en tidig kyrklig medelpunkt. Domkyrkan anlades troligen runt år 1000. Nuvarande utseende fick den vid en genomgripande renovering 1886-94.

Skara vattentorn hittar jag på Västergötlands Museums  hemsida, med följande text:

“Skaras vattentorn från 1898 är ett utmärkt exempel på den omsorg och kvalitet som kännetecknade samtidens ”nya” företeelser som elverk, vattenverk och liknande kommunaltekniska anläggningar. En vårdad och påkostad arkitektur bidrog till att orten utstrålade soliditet och framtidstro. Vattentornet ritades av arkitekt Ernst Torulf och är idag skyddat som byggnadsminne.”

Det som plötsligt blir intressant med vykortet från 1901 är att när det skickades, så var det inte en bild av ett gammalt vattentorn – utan av ett nytt och modernt sådant, byggt för bara tre år sedan.

…

In English

For once here is a sender of a postcard who writes out his full name – Axel Jansson – but then I don’t know who he is anyway!

The postmark and address indicate that in September 1901, Gustaf was staying at the family farm with his father and stepmother. Other cards from the same year (exact date on those not visible) tell us that part of the time he was at Odensberg (near Falköping). I found a note among my father’s family research papers indicating that the older brother Oscar might have been living at Odensberg in 1901. Perhaps Gustaf lived by turns in both places.

The photo is of a water tower in Skara.

Skara is a small town in Västergötland with a long educational and ecclesiastical history. According to local legend, Skara was founded in AD 988. With the Christianization of Sweden Skara became the seat for the bishop and a religious centre. The cathedral stems from the 11th century. There have been bishops of Skara in an unbroken succession to this day. The cathedral had a major renovation in 1886-94.

From Västergötlands Museum’s website, I found out that the water tower was built in 1898, and is preserved as a notable building because of being typical of its time. Back in those days, they took great pride in the architecture of public buildings like power plants and water works. The lavish exterior was part of creating an atmosphere of stability and belief in the future. The architect of the water tower in Skara was Ernst Torulf.

Reading this information, I was struck by the fact that in 1901, this was not a postcard of an old water tower. It was a postcard of a brand new water tower, built only three years ago.

G.001-3–Girl with Mustache

G.001-3 – Flicka med Mustasch

▲ Uppförstorad detalj. Se hela kortet längre ner på sidan.
     Enlarged detail. See the whole card further down.
     English translation at the bottom of the page.

BREFKORT – POSTCARD

Poststämpel/postmark: PKXP N¹… (1901? 07?)
Till/to: H Herr Gustaf Ekman, Odensberg²
Från/from: ? ³

John Fredriksons Konstförlag: Christiania

¹Jag sökte på PKXP poststämpel, och fann ett PDF-dokument med JÄRNVÄGSLINJER med PKXP/PLK/PKP mellan 1868 och 1968. Tydligen anger dessa stämplar järnvägslinje och ort efter ett visst system.

Jag tycker sista siffran i årtalet antyder en 7:a, men det är antagligen en 1:a – eftersom andra vykort tyder på att Gustav befann sig i Amerika från dec 1902 till sommaren 1911.

²Under den tryckta raden (Bostad) står: “om den kan uppgifvas”.  Jag antar att det tyder på att inte alla på den här tiden hade vad vi idag kallar för en adress; och kanske inte heller fick posten utburen till hemme. Kanske hämtade man posten i närmaste postkontor eller handelsbod?

³Jag undrar om avsändaren av detta kort möjligen är densamme som det förra kortet (1:2). Adressen på det förra är skriven med ledigare stil, men samtidigt har båda mycket sirliga slängar av samma slag på det stora bokstäverna. Vidare finns en kuriös detalj på båda korten: Ett extra ‘H’ före titeln ‘Herr’. Dessutom är båda uppenbarligen sända av någon med skämtlynne.

---

Meddelandet är svårtytt. Jag läser det som:

Undrar hur Ni befinner Er.
hoppas inte som! hjärtligt tack
därför i alla fall, i för. vk.
[“i förra veckan”?]

Jag har f.n. tandvärk, o är mycket retlig.

Inte som – vad? Inte som jag? Inte som bilden?? Inte som i förra veckan???

Den som sände kortet har också försett den unga damen på bilden med bläck-mustasch och skägg; på samma sätt som man ibland ser med bilder av Da Vincis Mona Lisa. Det anmärkningsvärda, när jag kollar upp data, är att dadaisten/ surrealisten Marcel Duchamps kända parodi av Mona Lisa med mustasch och bockskägg (se nedan) inte gjordes förrän 1919. Men det här vykortet är troligen sänt 1901, och i varje fall inte senare än 1907.

Jag tror att när jag gått igenom den här vykortssamlingen, så får jag ta upp konkurrensen med Dan Brown och skriva en ny DaVinci kod!

T.v.: Duchamps Mona Lisa 1919 ⁴  

    

Duchamp’s Mona Lisa parody ⁴  on the left

In English:

¹Postmarks were coded to show railway line and locality along that line.

²The second line on the back of the card indicates that this space is set aside for the residential address – “if it can be given”. My interpretation is that not everyone back in those days had a proper address, or had their mail delivered to the door. Maybe they had to collect their mail at the nearest post office or village shop.

³I’m wondering if possibly the sender of this card is the same as with the previous anonymous card (1:2). The address on the previous one is more casually written, but they both use similar, very elaborate capital letters. And there is another detail that seems curious to me: And extra ‘H’ before the title ‘Herr’ (Mr.) Besides, both cards were obviously sent by someone with a sense of humour.

The message written on the card is rather mysterious. It seems to be written in incomplete sentences and using abbreviations; and no sender. (Text message style of 100 years ago!) This is how I read it: “I wonder how you are. Hope not like ! [me? or the lady on the picture? or last week?] thanks anyway for last week. I am currently having toothache, and am very irritable.” (The last sentence is written upside-down.)

Whoever sent the card has also given the young lady in the picture an ink mustache and beard; in the same way one sometimes sees it done to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. The remarkable thing is that when I check facts, I find that the famous parody of Mona Lisa with mustache and goatee by Marcel Duchamp (see below) was not made until 1919; while this postcard  seems to have been sent in 1901, or at least no later than 1907. (The postmark is unclear, but other cards indicate that Gustav was in America between December 1902 and summer 1911.)

I think when I’m done with this card collection, I will take up competition with Dan Brown and write a new Da Vinci code.

⁴  In 1919, Duchamp made a parody of the Mona Lisa by adorning a cheap reproduction of the painting with a mustache and goatee. To this he added the inscription L.H.O.O.Q., a phonetic game which, when read out loud in French quickly sounds like "Elle a chaud au cul". This can be translated as "She has a hot ass", implying that the woman in the painting is in a state of sexual excitement and availability. It may also have been intended as a Freudian joke, referring to Leonardo da Vinci's alleged homosexuality. Duchamp gave a "loose" translation of L.H.O.O.Q. as "there is fire down below" in a late interview with Arturo Schwarz.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Duchamp

G.001-1 Fristads Missionshus 1901

Det allra första vykortet i Gustafs vykortsalbum är från 1901 och visar Fristads Missionshus. / The very first postcard in Gustaf’s postcard album is from 1901 and shows the Mission Covenant Chapel at Fristad.

 

 

‘BREFKORT’ – POSTCARD

Poststämplat¹/postmarked: Odensberg 1901
Till/to: Herr Gustaf Ekman, Odensberg²
Avsändare/sender: Gustaf (?)

¹Den andra poststämpeln på vykortet kan jag inte uttyda.
Portot ser ut att ha varit 5 öre.

²Odensberg ligger i Falköpings kommun.
Odensberg is a locality near Falköping, Västergötland.

 

Den handskrivna texten på framsidan har delvis suddats ut, men kortet verkar ha sänts som julhälsning från en annan Gustaf.

The writing on the front of the card is smudged, but it seems to have been sent as a Christmas greeting, from another Gustaf.

♥ ♥ ♥

Missionskyrkan i Fristad idag (foto från deras hemsida 2012):
The modern Mission Covenant Church at Fristad:

Svenska Missionskyrkan är ett svenskt nyevangeliskt, reformert trossamfund grundat 1878, fram till 2003 kallat Svenska Missionsförbundet.

The Mission Covenant Church of Sweden  was founded in 1878.  It is a Swedish Reformed free church with its origins in the Lutheran Church of Sweden. As a movement they have roots in Pietism and the spiritual awakenings of the nineteenth century.

When Swedish Covenanters emigrated to the United States and Canada in the last half of the nineteenth century they formed the Evangelical Covenant Church.

♥ ♥ ♥

År 1884 var Gustafs far (min farmors far) Samuel Emanuelsson, med om att bilda missionsförsamlingen i Borgstena (där familjen bodde under åren 1867-1897). I denna församling var Samuel till att börja med vice ordförande. Han var också söndagsskollärare. (Uppgiften hämtad från en artikel i Fristadsbygden 2007  skriven av Sten Emanuelsson, sonson till Samuel och Selma.)

In 1884, Gustaf’s father Samuel was involved in founding a mission covenant church in the village where he and his family then lived – Borgstena (not far from Fristad). Samuel was vice chairman in the beginning, and Sunday School teacher.