Sepia Saturday 826: Stormy Weather at Varberg (Repost)

This is a modified repost of an early post on this blog, from 2012-02-21 .

Varberg: Hamnpiren i storm. / Varberg: The Pier in storm.
Publisher: Vilén & Johanson, Borås 

Varberg 6/8 (1903). Heartfelt thanks for the postcard. Yesterday there was quite a storm here. Rather beautiful to behold. Mother does not have to be anxious about us going out on the sea, because that is impossible. Otherwise we are quite well. Greetings G.J.

This is a card that seems to fall outside my own family history. My great-uncle Gustaf (in whose postcard album the card is found) probably got it second-hand later in life, from some friend who knew he collected postcards. In August 1903, Gustaf was living in America; but he returned to Sweden in 1910. This card was written by a  G.J. to an J.A. Johanson. My guess is that J.A. was the sender's mother, as it was common in Sweden back then to address your parents “in the third person” rather than using “you”. 

The card shows quite a magnificent picture of stormy weather at the pier in Varberg, a town on the west coast in the county of Halland. Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into the Bohuslän archipelago.

Varberg is still a popular summer and spa resort for  people living further inland. Its reputation as a spa resort was founded in the early/mid 19th century. The railway line between Varberg and Borås was established in 1880. The town has an old fortress from around 1280-1300; now museum + hostel.

Below are my own photos from a visit there in 2001 - in not so stormy weather...

1. The Fort
2. The Pier
3. A beach beneath the fort, with an old wooden bathhouse

Linking to Sepia Saturday 826

G.025.1 - Happy New Year 1904

To: Herr Gust. Ekman

Portallegany Box 148, PA, North Amerika

Arrived at Port Allegany Dec 28, 10 AM

Forwarded to Galeton, PA; arrived there in the afternoon of the same day

From: Augusta (with Ester, Gustaf's sister)

Possibly sent from Grolanda, a location from where Ester wrote in 1902 - cf G.017.3

Godt Nytt År

Tillönskas dig af Augusta. Tack så hjertligt för kortet. Jag är hos Ester i kväll. Vi mår så godt. Ester ber om sin helsning. Skrif någon gång då tillfälle gifves. Må det kommande år blifva rikt med välsignelser och trefnad. Hjertliga helsningar från D.S. den 13/12 1903.

Happy New Year

to you from Augusta. Thanks very much for the postcard. I am with Ester tonight. We are both well. Ester sends her love. Write some time when you find the opportunity. May the next year offer an abundance of blessings and comfort. Best Wishes / 13 December 1903. *

* 13 December in Sweden is celebrated as Lucia, St. Lucy's Day. Before calendar reforms, it coincided with the Winter Solstice; so it was and is still celebrated as a mid-winter festival of light. 

G.024.3 - Christmas 1903

The Universal Postal Union (UPU) (French:  Union postale universelle), established by the Treaty of Bern  of 1874, is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. [Wikipedia]

It's a Christmas card to Gustaf from his (unmarried) sister Ester in Sweden.  Judging by the print on the back, it's not likely to be any of their own family or friends on the photo.

The card still provides some valuable information from family history research point of view, as it can be concluded from the writing and the postmarks on the back that in December 1903, Gustaf moved from Port Allegany to Galeton (also in Pennsylvania) - where he was to remain living until he returned to Sweden in 1911.

(The previous card in the album shows that he was still in Port Allegany at the end of November.)

The postmarks on this card show that it arrived at Port Allegany Dec 25, 1903, at 3 pm; and was sent on  to Galeton at 6:30 pm the same day; to arrive there the next morning (that postmark is a bit blurry but I think it says Dec 26, ?? AM). No Christmas holiday for those handling the postal services, it seems! 

(I do wish that the stamps on all these cards had not been removed by some fanatic stamp collector in the past... whether that was Gustaf himself, or someone else!)

G.024.2 - Odla vänskap / Cultivating Friendship

To: Mr Gust. Ekman

Portallegany, Box 148,
Pennsylvania, U.S.A. (Nort-America)

Sent: From Sweden, Nov 13, 1903

Arrived: (via New York) Port Allegany Nov 25, 1903

Gods Skola d. 12/11 03.

Undrar just om du känner igen detta ställe och dem som äro med. Detta kort togs här i somras.

B.B.! (Bäste Broder!)

Tack för senaste brev. Hur mår du gamle "hedersknyffel"? Jag mår godt. Skrif snart beder (?) vännen (Georg?)  [cf. card G.021.1]

[Kan inte tyda den extra hälsningen tillagd ovanför bilden.]

Först läste jag avsändarplatsen som "Guds Skola" och undrade om det var någon slags bibelskola. Men vad är det i så fall för redskap som kvinnorna t.v. håller i - och varför? Kom fram till att det nog i stället står "Gods Skola", som i någon form av lantbruksskola (?)

Hittar också en artikel om Trädgården som bildningsmönster och pedagogisk modell under 1800-talet (av Åsa Klintborg Ahlklo, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet), som lyfter fram att det under 1800-talet, i anslutning till nya jordbruksmetoder på gods och gårdar, även växte fram ett intresse för trädgårdsskötsel som binäring till jordbruket; och att "trädgården som lämpligt område för kvinnans engagemang är ett ämne som återkommer hos de framstående trädgårdslobbyisterna under 1800-talet". 

Jag undrar om det är Georg själv som är med på bilden, med cykeln?

In English:

[Manor] [agricultural] School, Nov 12, 1903
I wonder if you recognise this place and the people. The photo was taken this past summer.

Dear Brother,

Thanks for your latest letter. How are you, old "brick"? I am well.
Write soon asks your friend Georg (?) [cf. card G021.1]

[I can't decipher the upside-down greeting written over the image.]

At first I read the Swedish name of this school as something to do with God (Sw. "Gud") and wondered if it was a Bible school. But then why were the women to the left holding that wooden tool thing... (I'm not sure what it is, but to me it looks rather like the grip of a scythe.) I arrived at the conclusion that it must be 'gods' as in the Swedish word for manor or estate; i.e. some kind of agricultural school. If the writer is the same as on the card G.021.1 (Georg) he seems to be a friend of Gustaf's living in the Swedish countryside. I wonder if he's the man with the bicycle??

G.023.3 - Från Sveriges Bygder (1903)

Från Sveriges Bygder. / From the Swedish countryside.

Axel Eliassons Konstförlag, Stockholm. No. 3113

To: Mr Gust. Ekman
Box 148, Port-Allegany, Pennselvania, U.S.A., Nort-America

From: Elin (sister-in-law)

Arrived: Mars 7, 1903

Tack för hälsningarne genom bref! Samtidigt med "gubbens" bref vill jag medsända min innerliga hälsning. Skulle vara roligt veta om detta vykort får troget följa brefvet till framkomsten. Gunnar hälsar äfven! Vänligen, Elin

Thanks for the greetings by letter! I'm sending my heartfelt greetings together with "hubby's" letter. It would be fun to know if this card gets to travel together with the letter all the way to the destination. Gunnar also sends his regards. Best wishes, Elin.

I'd like to know that, too! But I only have postcards sent TO Gustaf, and none of the letters or replies...

G.023.1 - Chicago Water Tower (1903)

Greetings from Chicago - Gruss aus Chicago

Water Works and Tower - Wasserwerke

*Koelling & Klappenbach Publishers, Chicago Ill. No. 36

Printed in Germany. Sepia O.L.M.  623:02

*(I found the publishers listed at Metropostcard .com)

To: Mr Gustaf Ekman

Port Allegany, Box 148, Pennsylvania
Sent from: Chicago, Ill., Jan 21, 1903
Arrived at: Port Allegany PA, Jan 22, 1903

Tack för senast. God fortsättning. Undrar hur det är nu med hälsan och trefnaden. Vi mår bra här i Chicago. Hälsningar från Gerda, hon sitter bredvid mig. Många hjärtliga hälsningar från Frida o Annie.

Thank you for last time. Happy New Year. How are things now with your health and well-being. We are well here in Chicago. Gerda sends her love, she is sitting next to me. Best wishes from Frida & Annie.

Frida was mentioned by Gerda on her card G.022.2 written in December 1902.

I'm wondering what "last time" was... Did they perhaps all travel together to the US? Both Gerda and Gustaf did emigrate in the autumn of 1902. Whether on the same ship or not, they must have arrived in New York before they went on to their respective destinations. Chicago is further inland than Pennsylvania; which makes it unlikely that Gustaf would have gone first to Chicago and then back to Pennsylvania. It makes more sense to me to think that they travelled together and then parted ways after their arrival in the US. (On the other hand: The postcard did not take more than one day to travel between the two places!)

---

The Chicago Water Tower was built in 1869, and is the second oldest water tower in the US. It was named an American Water Landmark in 1969. Nowadays it houses an art gallery: The City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, featuring the work of local photographers and artists. [Wikipedia]

R.003.1, R.003.2 - New Year & Easter 1903, and Gerda's Whereabouts

From Gerda's postcard album:

Around New Year 1902/03, Gerda was living at:
6019 Morgan Street, Chicago, Illinois

Godt Nytt År tillönskas af Elin o Oscar.
(Har du fått brefvet?)

Happy New Year from Elin & Oscar.
(Did you receive the letter?)

In April 1903, Gerda was living at: 

c/o Mrs Deutsche, 35 Elaine Street, Chicago

(or had perhaps already moved away from there?
but it seems the card reached her anyway!)

Nu har ni väl sommar i America? Tänker mig eljest vågade vi inte begifva oss iväg dit på velociped, som du ser. 

En glad Påsk! tillönskas dig hjärtligt från Elin! Hur snart får vi något fotografi från dig "såsom Americanare"? Jag väntar storligen! Tack för hälsningarna med Oscars bref. Helena bad mig åter hälsa dig så innerligt! Skrift snart igen.

I suppose you have summer in America now? Otherwise we would not dare go there by velocipede, like you see here. /  I wish you a Happy Easter! How soon will we get a photo of you as an "American"? I'm very much looking forward to that! Thanks for your greetings with Oscar's letter. Helena asked me again to send you her best wishes. Please write again soon. / Elin
[Elin is Gerda's sister-in-law, married to her brother Oscar]


When I read Elin's request for a photo of Gerda "as an American", the photo below comes to mind as one that may have been sent back to Sweden as reply. (I don't even remember just now where I have the original photo! but luckily it turns out I both scanned and edited it before.)

Found the original. That is printed as a postcard as well, and from Chicago. And I guess the odd position of the image on the card may be deliberate, to make room for Gerda's habit of scribbling her messages all around  it!

(Image edited by me back in 2013)

PS. I see now that I already posted about Elin's postcards as well as the car photo back in 2013, for two different Sepia Saturdays: March 22 (Painting A Bright Future) and April 14 (Destination Unknown). Never mind - that was a while ago now! :)

G.021.3, G.022.1, G.022.3 - Happy New Year 1903

The spelling of Pennsylvania is a challenge...

To:

Herr Gustaf Ekman / Ben K. Andersson

Port Allegany, Pennselvania, Box 101

Nordtamerica

Happy New Year from [your] sister Ester

To:
Herr Gust. Ekman / Ren K. Andersson
Port allegany, Pellnselvania, Box 101
North Amerika

Happy New Year from Oscar Wilander 

On this card, the name of the sender is printed rather than handwritten - which indicates to me that he must have sent a lot of cards.

Who was Oscar Wilander? Gustaf's sister Emma was married to Brynolf Wilander, a country store owner. Did Brynolf have a brother called Oscar? I've been told that Gustaf's brother Oscar became manager of a branch store to the Wilander store. But it seems a bit far-fetched that he would also change his own surname? Besides, brother Oscar and wife Elin also sent a New Year card (in different handwriting): 

To: Mr. Gust. Ekman

Box 148, Port-Allegany

Pennselvania U.S.A.

Nort-America

Sent Dec ? 1902

Arrived Port Allegany Jan 19, 1903

Happy New Year from Elin and Oscar

K.B.! [Käre Bror]
Tack för brefvet! Skall snart skrifva men roligt om du vill skrifva snart igen. / Broder Oscar

Dear Brother,
Thanks for the letter. I will write soon but it would be nice if you'll write again soon. [Your] Brother Oscar

Sepia Saturday: Painting A Bright Future

R.003.1, R.003.2

“So this week we are celebrating those who paint with oils or pastels and those who paint with light.”

This week’s inspirational photo from Sepia Saturday shows photographers and artists portraying cherry blossom trees in Washington. I can’t recall any photos of photographers in action in my old family albums - only the results! So I decided to go with the spring theme instead, and bring in some colour; in the form of two greeting cards sent to my great-aunt Gerda shortly after her emigration to North America. A New Year card posted from Sweden in January 1903, and an Easter card stamped 7 April 1903. (Easter Sunday 1903 was 12th April.)

R.003.1 – Happy New Year! (Godt Nytt År)

No. 7502

To:
Miss Gerda Ekman
6019 Morgan St.
Chicago Ills.
Nort-America

Happy New Year, from Elin and Oscar
[Oscar was one of Gerda’s brothers, and Elin his wife]
[Upside down:] Did you receive the letter?

 

R.003.2 – Happy Easter (Glad Påsk)

Miss Gerda Ekman
in care of Mrs. Deutsche
35 Elaines St.
/Chicago Ills./
Nort-America

Happy Easter! – best wishes from Elin. How soon can we expect a photograph of you “as American”? I’m waiting with great anticipation! Thanks for the greetings sent with the letter to Oscar. Helena asked me again to send you her best wishes. Please write again soon. / I suppose you have summer in America now? I imagine it must be, or else we would not dare go there by velociped, as you see.

The Easter card was first stamped on board a train (7.4.1903), and then again on board the ferry Trelleborg-Sassnitz (8.4.03). The street address is scored out with a different colour, indicating that Gerda had moved on again before it arrived. (She stayed in Chicago though, at least through 1910. In June 1913 I know she was back in Sweden. She might have gone back earlier; but I’m not sure.)

…

“Den ljusnande framtid är vår”

Veckans inspirationsbild från Sepia Saturday föreställer både fotografer och konstnärer i färd med att avbilda våren i Washington (för ca hundra år sedan) med körsbärsträd i blom.

Jag kan inte påminna mig några foton av andra fotografer i de gamla familjealbumen, så istället går jag på temat “vår” och scannar ett par kort från Gerdas samling av gratulations-kort från första decenniet av 1900-talet.

Dessa två är de första adresserade till henne i Chicago, vintern/våren 1903:

R.03.1
Godt Nytt År! tillönskas dig af Elin o Oscar.
PS. Har du fått brefvet?

R.03.2
Glad Påsk! tillönskas dig hjärtligt från Elin! Hur snart får vi något fotografi från dig “såsom americanare”? Jag väntar storligen! Tack för hälsningarna med Oscars bref. Helena bad mig åter hälsa dig så innerligt. Skrif snart igen. / Nu har ni väl sommar i America? Tänker mig så eljest vågade vi inte begifva oss iväg dit på velociped, som du ser.

Påsk-kortet är poststämplat först ombord på tåg 7.4.1903 men även ombord på färjan Trelleborg Sassnitz 8.4.03. Gatuadressen i Chicago har strukits över med penna i annan färg vilket tyder på att Gerda flyttat därifrån innan kortet nådde dit. (Men fick det ju uppenbarligen i alla fall!) Det framgår av övriga vykort adresserade till henne att hon vistades i Chicago minst hela 1910. (Från 1911 och 1912 finns inga kort i vykortsalbumet. Det sista kortet i albumet är från 1913 och adresserat till henne på Brunnshotellet i Ronneby i Sverige.)

Gustaf E. ~1903

Gustaf, 25 years old, Port Allegany, Pa. (1902-03)

Vid genomgång av ytterligare en låda med foton och dokument som jag hittade förra veckan, fann jag detta ungdomsporträtt av Gustaf. Eftersom det är taget av en fotograf (A.J. Puhl) i Port Allegany, Pennsylvania, bör det vara taget under första året efter hans ankomst till USA, dvs sent 1902 eller under 1903. Poststämplar och adresser på vykorten vittnar om att han i december 1903 flyttat vidare till Galeton, Pa.

Porträttet har antagligen tillhört Gerda, och inte kommit i farmors ägo förrän efter Gerdas död (1973).

…

In English

Portrait of Gustaf, the postcard collector, from late 1902 or 1903. It is not dated but it was taken by a photographer in Port Allegany, Pennsylvania, where he spent the first year or so after his arrival in America. The postcards tell me that in December 1903, he had moved on to Galeton, Pa. The photo probably belonged to his sister Gerda, who lived until 1973. I can’t remember seeing it before.

G.002-2 Stormy Weather at Varberg

Varberg: Hamnpiren i storm. / Varberg: The Pier in storm.
Förlag: Vilén & Johanson, Borås¹

Poststämplar/postmarks:
PLK 208 B (=Herrljunga-Varberg) 6.8.1903
Borås 6.8.03 – 2 tur
Porto: 5 öre
Till/to: J.A. Johanson, Lugnet 51, Borås
Från/from: G.J. (?)

Varberg 6/8. Hjärtligt tack för brefkortet. Igår var här en väldig storm. Ganska vackert att se. Mamma behöfver ej vara orolig att vi gå på sjön, ty det är omöjligt. Vi mår eljest ganska bra. Helsn. G.J.

Det här är ett kort som inte verkar passa in i familjehistorien. Varken Gustaf eller Gerda kan vara inblandade, eftersom de 1903 befann sig i Amerika. Till skillnad från de flesta korten i albumet är frimärket kvar. Jag gissar att Gustaf kan ha fått kortet senare av någon som visste att han samlade på kort.

¹ En sökning på utgivarnamnet Vilén & Johanson visar att det fortfarande finns ett bolag registrerat med det namnet (i Mölndal), men ej aktivt. Registrerat som aktiebolag 1929 med syfte att “bedriva handel med pappersvaror, emballage och kontorsutensilier jämte därmed förenlig verksamhet”.

 

In English:

Varberg 6/8 (1903). Heartfelt thanks for the postcard. Yesterday there was quite a storm here. Rather beautiful to behold. Mother does not have to be anxious about us going out on the sea, because that is impossible. Otherwise we are quite well. Greetings G.J.

This is a card that seems to fall outside the family history.  Gustaf probably got it second-hand later in life – perhaps from some friend who knew he collected postcards? In August 1903, both Gustaf and his sister Gerda were in America; and this card seems to have been sent from some G.J. to J.A. Johanson, possibly his/her mother. (I think it was usual in Sweden back then to address your parents “in the third person” rather than using “you”.) The name rings no bells with me.

Johanson is a very common surname or it might have been interesting to note that this is also the name of one of the publishers of the postcard – Vilén & Johanson. The company still exists but is not active.

The postcard shows quite a magnificent picture of stormy weather at the pier in Varberg, though.

Varberg is a town on the west coast in the county of Halland. Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into the Bohuslän archipelago.

Varberg is still a popular summer and spa resort for  people living further inland. It’s reputation as a spa resort was founded in the early/mid 19th century. The railway line between Varberg and Borås was established in 1880. The town has an old fortress from around 1280-1300; now museum + bed and breakfast.

Below are my own photos of the pier and the fortress from 2001. (In not so stormy weather!)