Old Cars - Sepia Saturday 782

 In one of my many envelopes, I recently found this photo, which I can't recall having made its way into any of the family albums:

This is the car my parents had in my early childhood. The photo is from my paternal grandparents' yard, and was probably snapped by my grandfather Gustaf when we were about to leave after a weekend visit. My grandmother is leaning into the back - probably saying goodbye to little me. 

Another photo of the same car, on an icy winter road. Sweden had left-hand traffic back in those days (until 1967). Whether my dad stopped on purpose just to take this photo, or the car stopped by itself, I don't know. I'm probably in the back seat here too. We lived around 100 km away from both sets of grandparents, and did quite frequently drive to visit them on weekends.

In summer, my paternal grandparents Sally and Gustaf liked to go for a drive and have a simple picnic outdoors. 

Before my parents bought the Volvo - probably in connection with little me coming into the picture - they (or my dad) had an older car, which they called Patrick. 

In this very blurry photo he's doing something with it in his parents' yard.

This I think is my parents setting off on their honeymoon, in 1954. 

A couple of years before they got married (I think they had just about started "dating"), my mum was a teacher in a small countryside school, for a small number of pupils of varying age. There weren't many books for the youngest, and my mum then made some of her own (with her own illustrations). One of them is about a young troll getting a lift by an old car called Patrick (with a tendency to sometimes stop "for no apparent reason").

I've used some of these photos before, in older Sepia posts:

Sepia Saturday 590 (2021), Sepia Saturday 679 (2023)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 782

Nils the Bus Driver - Sepia Saturday 681

 

I recently found (or re-found) this photo of my grandmother Sally's younger brother Nils as a bus driver. I recall being told in the past that he worked both as a bus driver and a taxi driver. I don't know the exact year when this photo was taken, but I'd say around 1930 (give or take a few years). From the text on the bus I can see that it ran between the centre of the town of Borås and one of its outskirts (Hestra) - which in those days must have been more of a rural area than it is today.  

Last year in my online searches I found a population census from 1930. It must have been carried out in the month of December that year, as it has my newly-wed (since September 1930) grandparents Gustaf and Sally settled in their new house, Nils and his Carin (married 30 November) at another address, but their older sister Hildur still living at the farm, listed as unmarried (she and her fiancé Olle got married on 30 December that year, and then moved into the upstairs flat in my grandparents' new house). 

Nils was born in 1902, and lived on the family farm until he got married (28 years old). In the 1930 census, his profession is listed as "driver" (not specified whether taxi or bus, so it may have been both), and on the side also working at a driving school, teaching others to drive. The same census also contains the information that back in 1925 his main occupation was farm work. So evidently it was between then and 1930 that he sought a new career. I've also already concluded from Sally's letters that in 1930, he must have had a car (or at least access to one). 

Nils' wife Carin was born in 1903, in the province of Småland. How or where she and Nils first met, I don't think I've ever heard,  but I think she probably moved to Borås to work in one of its many textile factories. According to the church record of their wedding, she was a seamstress. Oddly the 1930 census does not mention her occupation, even though it does state an annual income - it just has her down as "married" and "wife".  I don't know if she gave up her job already in connection with her marriage; but about a year later, their first son was born, and followed by two more sons and one daughter over the next few years - so from then on I guess she was probably busy enough "just" being a housewife. 

Their oldest son (Sten) was born only a couple of months after my dad, towards the end of 1931; and their next son only a year after that. I've been told that in their childhood, Sten periodically stayed with my grandparents and my dad (who was an only child), to ease the situation for his own parents a bit during the years when they had three or four young ones. Sally and Gustaf did not get any more children; but my dad and Sten remained rather close throughout life, and he was also almost like an uncle to my brother and me. He was a journalist, and when I've thought about it in later years, I guess he may have been influenced by my grandfather in that choice of career. He did not have any children of his own, but several nieces and nephews (the children of his younger brothers), and also still kept in touch with me even after my dad died. And when Sten died in 2016, I attended his funeral.

In my dad's and his cousins' childhood, the extended family had a tradition of coming together most years at midsummer at my grandparents' house and garden. Midsummer Eve (back then always on 23 June) also happened to be my grandfather Gustaf's birthday. There are quite a few photos in the old albums to confirm that these family gatherings were a recurring tradition. Most of those also include some people I can't identify - but I think they were Carin's siblings, with spouses and children.  

In this photo from 1937 we have Nils on the left, probably holding his youngest son Olof. (The daughter Marianne was not born yet.) I suppose it must be Carin to the right of them, even if I can't say I quite recognise her here. Of the three boys standing in front it's my dad (Bertil) to the right, probably Sten in the middle and his younger brother Bernt to the left. Behind my dad is their grandmother Selma; on her left her daughter Hildur; and behind Hildur to the left her husband Olle. Behind Selma to the right is my grandmother Sally. The rest of the faces unknown to me. My grandfather Gustaf is not in the picture - I assume he was behind the camera.

This one is from 1939. Here my grandfather Gustaf is in the picture, on the far right, next to Nils. Hildur in front of them, and her husband Olle on the far left. In front of him my dad - wearing glasses now. Probably Sten next to him and Bernt behind (one step up?) - not all easy to tell them apart at that age, though! The woman standing with a baby on her arm is Carin, with daughter Marianne. Sally's face in the middle of the back row; and Selma in the row below, wearing glasses. 

Collage of three more similar photos from 1940, 1941 and 1942, just to show that the summer reunion  tradition continued. (In the top one my dad is half hidden behind one of the other boys.)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 681

SVENSKA

Det första fotot är av min farmor Sallys yngre bror Nils som busschaufför, ca 1930. Bussen  gick mellan Borås centrum och området Hestra (som på den tiden måste ha varit ganska lantligt). 

Den svenska folkräkningen från 1930 måste i den här delen av landet måste ha utförts i december månad, ty av densamma framgår att Gustaf och Sally (som gifte sig i september) nu var bosatta på Nysäter, medan Nils och Carin (som gifte sig 30 november) var registrerade på adress Öreberg, men Hildur fortfarande bor kvar på Storegården. (Hon och Olle gifte sig 30 december 1930, och flyttade då in på övervåningen i mina farföräldrars hus.) 

Nils var född 1902 och bodde på Storegården tills han gifte sig vid 28 års ålder. I folkräkningen 1930 anges hans yrke som chaufför, med bisyssla “bilskola”. (Jag tror att han förutom buss även körde taxi.) Samma folkräkning innehåller också uppgiften att han 1925 var "jordbruksarbetare".

Nils hustru Carin var född 1903 i Lenhovda i Kronobergs län. Var och hur hon och Nils träffades vet jag inte, men antagligen flyttade hon till Borås för att arbeta på någon av textilfabrikerna. I vigselregistret anges att hon var sömmerska. I folkräkningen 1930 står hon bara som "gift", och “mor/fru”. Om hon fortsatte att arbeta under första året som gift vet jag inte. Deras förste son föddes i slutet av 1931 och sedan fick de ytterligare tre barn (totalt tre söner och en dotter) ganska tätt, så snart lär hon i alla fall ha haft fullt upp som hemmafru.

Äldste sonen Sten föddes bara ett par månader efter min pappa (Bertil). De två kom att stå varandra ganska nära under hela livet. Efter vad jag hört berättas, så bodde Sten periodvis hos mina farföräldrar i barndomen, som avlastning för Carin och Nils. (Min pappa var enda barnet.) Sten blev till yrket journalist, och jag tänker att han kanske påverkades i sitt yrkesval av Gustaf (min farfar).

I min pappas och hans kusiners barndom var det tradition att familjerna/släkten samlades hos mina farföräldrar vid midsommar. (Midsommarafton, som på den tiden alltid firades den 23 juni, var också min farfars födelsedag.) Ett antal gruppfoton bekräftar denna tradition. Med på dessa är också en del personer som jag inte kan identifiera – antagligen Carins syskon med familjer.

Old Cars (1950s) - Sepia Saturday 679

In Alan's introduction to this week's Sepia Saturday, he writes: 

"This might take you back to the days when getting a car was such a big event in life that you would instantly drop your kids, your pet dog and your Great Aunt Sophie and rush outside with your camera and take a picture of the car." 

Having searched my grandparents' albums for photos of cars, I can only come to the conclusion that for my grandfather Gustaf, the car was no more than a means of transport, of little interest in itself. He was obviously far more interested in great aunts, kids and dogs! I can't find a single photo of the car (their first one bought in 1947) even though it obviously brought about quite a big change in their lives. I know they loved going for outings, visiting friends, having outdoor picnics, and exploring an extended area around where they lived. But the photos are all of the people and the places; not the car itself.

Moving on to my dad's albums, he seems to fit Alan's description better...

My parents as newly-weds, with their first car (which I know they named Patrick). (1954)

Their second car, which I think they bought in connection with Little Me entering the world, in August 1955 - followed by a very wintry winter. Here dad obviously did leave wife and kid in the car and rushed outside with his camera to take a picture! (Only a few months old, I assume I must have been lying in some kind of cot in the back seat. Special car seats for babies were still unheard of back then.)

 

Photo from a family outing the following summer (1956). My grandparents in the foreground, and I suppose the other car must be theirs. My mum and me (in a stroller) in the background.

In dad's album I also found these photos below that he snapped of an unusual accident he happened to witness. Not sure if he actually saw it happen, or passed by after. Judging by the crowd gathered, my guess is on the latter alternative.

Dad's note in the album says this was in July 1955 - which is the month before I was born. I recognise the shop ("Milk & Groceries") as the corner shop in the street where we lived (in a flat) during my first five years - in the house of which you only see the roof in the background. So what seems most likely to me is that dad happened to pass by this scene, rushed home and fetched the camera and rushed back again to take the photos... 

(Dad's interpretation of the cause of the accident was drunk driving. Not even out of the womb yet myself at the time, I have to take his word for it...)

Linking to Sepia Saturday 679

A Car Adventure, a Wedding, and a Well - Sepia Saturday 669

 

A letter from Sally to Gustaf, written on Monday before Easter, 1930. Sally, Hildur, Nils and Carin (Nils' fiancée) have been on long car trip. Sally does not mention the purpose of the trip (Gustaf no doubt knew that already) - the letter focuses on the troubles they ran into on their way home. But she does mention the name Hjelmsered - modern spelling Hjälmseryd - which is in the province of Småland, 140 km or so (~87 miles) from their home village, Fristad. This tells me that they had probably been to the wedding between Carin's brother Verner and his fiancé, for which an invitation was mentioned in an earlier letter - cf. my post for Sepia Saturday 665.  Ulricehamn, also mentioned here, is a town around 35 km (22 miles) away from Fristad. (Distances approximate and may have been even longer back then, depending on the roads). The wedding is likely to have been on Saturday, with an overnight stay for them there, and then driving back on Sunday. 

Storegården, 14 April 1930 [Monday before Easter]

My Darling,

Well, thankfully we're now back home again, after a long and difficult journey. Nils didn't get back home until this afternoon. He stayed the night on the other side of Ulricehamn, after the rest of us had gone home, and fixed one of the tires. You see, one tire got a puncture even before we reached Hjelmsered yesterday afternoon. And unfortunately we didn't have a spare one. Nils tried pumping it up several times, and that got us close to Ulricehamn, but that was it.

Nils then had to go somewhere to borrow a bike, and then down to Ulricehamn to get a cab to come and get the rest of us and drive us all the way home – i.e. Hildur, Carin and me. Nils stayed behind, spent the night alone in the car, and has today got the tire mended, and now he too is safely back home. Otherwise we're all all right - just very tired after all the hardships. Because of all the stops along the way we didn't get home until around 2 o'clock in the morning. It was the most difficult and despairing trip I've ever been on. Sitting on the road in the countryside in the middle of the night, far from home, and seeing no way to get back home really is despairing. When you get here, I'll tell you all the details if you want to hear them. Just now I'm just happy that we're all back home again.

I do hope you'll be coming on Thursday. I can't wait. Today Olle is going to get started on the well, he said last night when we got back. He was here with Mum when we got home, which was a blessing, as she was of course devastated that we were so delayed. And it would have been even worse if she'd been alone.

Signing off with lots of love to you, my Darling. Looking forward to seeing you on Thursday!

Yours, Sally

"Olle is going to get started on the well". This refers to the well on the property where Sally and Gustaf were building their house. Access to water was of course at the top of their priority list, before they got started on the house itself. Olle, Hildur's fiancé, was a carpenter, and built the well for them. I knew that already, because I also have the bill he sent to my grandfather for the finished job - dated 26 April. 1930. 

I've probably shown this photo mor than once before, but it's one of my favourites: My grandparents, Sally and Gustaf, behind the well at the property where they're going to build their house!

Linking to Sepia Saturday 669

Storegården d. 14-4-30

Min Älskling!

Ja nu äro vi, som väl är, hemma igen efter en lång och besvärlig resa. Nils kom hem först i dag på e.m. Han har liggat ett stycke på den andra sidan Ulricehamn, sedan vi reste hem i natt, och lagat den ena av bilringarna. Du förstår att den ena ringen gick sönder redan innan vi voro framme i Hjelmsered i går e.m. Och så till all olycka hade vi ingen reservring med oss. Nils låg väl och försökte att laga den så att vi med tillhjälp av åtskilliga pumpningar kunde taga oss en bra bit ner mot Ulricehamn, men sedan var det också stopp.

Nils måste då gå till ett ställe och få tag i en cykel, och så ner till Ulricehamn efter en droskbil som hämtade oss och skjutsade oss ända hem. Det var bara Hildur, Carin o jag som voro med. Själv stannade Nils kvar, övernattade i bilen ensam och har i dag lagat ringen, så nu är även han lyckligt hemma. För övrigt äro vi ju oskadda, men så trötta efter alla strapatserna. Resan blev ju också, på grund av att vi fingo sitta så länge på vägen gång på gång, fördröjd, så vi voro ej hemma förrän vid 2-tiden i natt. Det var den besvärligaste och mest förtvivlade resa jag varit med om förut. Att sitta ute på landsvägen nattetid så långt från hemmet, och inte se någon utväg att komma hem är förtvivlat. När Du kommer hit skall jag i detalj återgiva händelseförloppet om Du vill höra på mig. Jag känner mig så lycklig över att vi alla äro hemma igen.

Nu kommer Du väl riktigt säkert hit på torsdag. Jag väntar redan på Dig. I dag skulle visst Olle börja med brunnskaret, sade han i natt. Han var hos mamma när vi kommo hem, och det var ju för väl, för hon var ju förtvivlad över att vi dröjde så. Och ändå värre hade det varit om hon varit ensam.

Slutar nu med hjärtevarma hälsningar till Dig min Älskling. Varmt välkommen på torsdag!

Din Sally

Anledningen till resan till Hjelmsered (i Småland) var antagligen den inbjudan som omnämndes i ett tidigare brev (7.2.1930), till bröllopet mellan Carins bror Verner Abrahamsson och Anna-Lisa Elgström. Jmf mitt inlägg för Sepia Saturday 665.

'Speaking of Car Accidents' - Sepia Saturday 651

Storegården, [Saturday] 1 August 1925

My dear friend Gustaf,

Thanks for your letter. When I got it, I was in church – that is, Hildur had been to the post office on her way to the church, and gave me the letter there. Of course I didn't read it while I was still in church, but later, on my way home. That Sunday – it will be 2 weeks ago tomorrow – was an especially ceremonious day in the church, as our new vicar was inaugurated then. Bishop Danell, and I think 15 other clergymen were here. It's the biggest ceremony I've ever seen in the church at Fristad. The church was packed with people, and some weren't able to stay inside, partly because it was crowded and partly because of the heat. You see, it was so terribly hot that day, that it got almost unbearable at the end.

I have greetings to you from 'Milady' at St Skedeshemman. I got a letter from her this week, in which she pretended that she wanted us to come and visit there tomorrow, but she asked us to write and tell her if we were coming or not, and yesterday I wrote to her that we won't be coming. She also mentioned that she had been out on a drive, which ended up in a mound of stones so that they nearly drove themselves to death.The driver was also drunk.

Speaking of car accidents, I suppose you've probably read in the paper about the terrible accident that occurred here one night this week, and which cost 2 people their lives. That's really awful! And a similar accident very nearly occurred the next night, just in front of the chapel. The telephone wire that crosses the road there was hanging so low that a van full of furniture, driving from Halmstad to Vara, got caught in it. There were 3 people in the van, but fortunately no one was injured. Well, you've probably already seen and read all about it in the newspaper, I suppose.

Rickard Carlsson at Solhem has also bought a car now – but perhaps you already know that, too. I suppose he'll at least be driving sober, but accidents can of course happen anyway. Drivers staying awake should make a difference, though. That accident by the chapel was only caused by the wires hanging low, though – they were driving very carefully. Had they been speeding, they too might have been killed.

Now I think I shall have to stop writing for today. Best wishes from all of us here.

I can also add greetings from your grandfather – he is well.

And now, to finish off, also best wishes from your friend 'Bengtamor'

Comments

The postcard of the church at Fristad is an unwritten card from my grandmother Sally's collection. 

'Milady' [Swedish: 'Fröken'] at St Skedeshemman: This would be Thea, who has been mentioned or referred to in other letters from 1925 as well. In the previous one, Sally mentioned that for Midsummer 1925, they had two visitors staying with them at the farm - Thea and Thyra. In that letter, Sally referred to both girls as 'our ladies'; which I take to imply that in her opinion, they were both 'putting on airs', as in considering themselves above the daily chores on a farm etc.

This week, I found yet another photo of Thea in one of Gustaf's albums. She's wearing the same kind of hat as in the two photos included in last week's post (SS 650). N.B., not the same hat, though... Here, she's obviously dressed for cold winter weather - wearing a fur collar, and the hat is probably fur, too. 

From Sally's choice of words when writing about them, I suspect that neither Thea nor Thyra was as used to hard work as Sally and her sister Hildur were. I don't think the family at  Storegården were poor; but on the other hand, they weren't wealthy either. It's obvious both from letters and from photos, that all the members of the family were involved in everyday chores at the farm. While they might have had some extra help with heavy outdoors work, I have found nothing to imply that they ever had a maid employed in the household. 

"Speaking of car accidents..."  From this letter, I think I can also safely conclude that I've been right in assuming that they did not have a car at the farm. In one of the albums, there is a photo of a "visiting Ford", though. Evidently an occasion rare enough to get a camera out:

"Ford modell äldre på besök i Storegården"

Sally is sitting in the front seat (closest to the camera), and Hildur in the middle in the back seat. I don't recognise any of the others.

I recalled also having seen a photo of "Nils at the wheel" of a similar car. I found it in another album. Comparing the two now, I'd say it's not only the same car, but even the same occasion - as the car is parked in the same spot in both. So Nils is probably only pretending to be driving here.

"Nils vid ratten"

Maybe it inspired him, though! - because later on, Nils would be working as a bus driver and taxi driver. That probably wasn't until after he moved away from the farm and got married, though (which he did the same year as his sisters, in 1930). 

My grandparents Gustaf and Sally did not get a car of their own until the mid 1940s (after the war). By then, Sally did appreciate the freedom of being able to go on outings by car to visit friends etc. (With her husband at the wheel. She did not drive herself.) In 1947 she started making notes of various such excursions in a notebook - a habit she kept up for around 25 years. (I've only had a quick "peek" in those notebooks yet, but I'm thinking that they may perhaps come in helpful with identifying some later photos.)

'Bengtamor' - Sally is again signing herself with this nickname, also used in earlier letters written to Gustaf in 1925. The meaning is 'Mother Bengta' (mor means mother). Why the name 'Bengta', I have no idea; but I've suggested before that the nickname might be related to a tendency of hers to act 'motherly' towards him. (Gustaf was a few years younger than Sally, and childhood friend of her younger brother.) 

Thinking about it again, and related to Sally referring to Thea as 'Fröken', I could perhaps add that it was common in those days to call a farmer's wife (or widow) Mor [+ her first name], or Mor i (at) [the name of the farm]. Notes in the photo albums imply that Sally's own mother was often referred to as "Mor Selma" or "Mor i Storegården". Mor as a 'title' implied respect, but was at the same time also a marker of social class. From what I've picked up from literature, Mor would not be used (except by family) to or about a 'lady'. Upper or middle class women would instead be addressed as Fru or Fröken (Mrs vs. Miss); or a title derived from their husband's status or profession.  

- - -

Linking to Sepia Saturday 651

As for matching the Sepia prompt this week, I'll have to just lean on the caption 'Granny'... And oh, maybe the hat...! (Thinking of Thea, and her hats.) It strikes me that I rarely (if ever) saw my grandmother Sally in a hat. If she was wearing anything on her head, it would be a scarf, tied either at the back, or on top of her head (never under the chin).  

This is the the last of the letters that I have in this series - written by Sally to Gustaf in 1925, while he was away at military service. I have some more letters of later date, though, and I hope to continue with those next year, after the holidays. (In the meantime, I might have a look at some old Christmas and New Year cards.)

SVENSKA

Storegården den 1-8-25

Bäste vän Gustaf!

Tack skall du ha för brevet.

När jag fick ditt senaste brev var jag i kyrkan, dvs att Hildur varit på posten när hon gick till kyrkan o så lämnade hon mig brevet i kyrkan. Jag läste ju ej brevet medan jag var kvar där, men sedan på vägen hem. Den söndagen, det blir 2 veckor sedan i morgon, var det högtidligt i kyrkan må du tro. Vår kyrkoherde installerades i sitt ämbete då. Biskop Danell jämte, jag tror det var 15 andra präster voro här. Det var den största högtidlighet jag någonsin sett i Fristads kyrka förut. Kyrkan var alldeles full med folk, och många kunde ej stanna inne, dels för utrymme o dels för värmens skull. Det var nämnligen kolossal värme, det blev nästan outhärdligt till slut.

Kan hälsa dig från Fröken i St Skedeshemman. Hade en dag i veckan brev från henne, däri hon låtsade att hon ville vi skulle komma dit i morgon, men hon bad att vi skulle skriva o tala om om vi skulle komma eller ej, och i går skrev jag till henne att vi ej komma. Hon talade om att hon varit ute o bilat o kört upp i ett stenröse, så de höll på att köra ihjäl sig. Chauffören var ju full också.

På tal om bilolyckor så har du väl sett i tidningen den hemska bilolyckan som inträffade här en natt i denna veckan och krävde 2 människoliv. Det var ju någonting förskräckligt. Och ett tillbud till ännu en liknande olycka hände natten efter mitt för missonshuset. Telefonledningen som går tvärs över vägen där satt ju så lågt, att ett flyttlass, som kördes på lastbil från Halmstad till Vara, hängde upp sig där. Där voro 3 personer i bilen, men ingen blev skadad, som väl var. Ja, du har väl sett o läst det i tidningen alltsammans förmodar jag.

Rickard Carlsson på Solhem har också köpt bil nu, ja det kanske du också redan vet. Han är väl åtminstone nykter, men olyckan kan ju vara framme i alla fall förstås. Dock blir det ju skillnad när chaufförerna är vakna. Det här missödet vid missionshuset berodde uteslutande på att trådarna satt för lågt, de körde mycket försiktigt. Hade de kört fort hade de nog också kört ihjäl sig.

Nu får jag visst sluta för idag. Hälsningar från samtl här.

Kan hälsa dig från [din morfar]. Han är kry.

Sist är du nu hjärtligt hälsad av vännen Bengtamor

KOMMENTARER

"Fröken i St Skedeshemman" syftar på Thea, som omnämnts i ett par tidigare brev, bl.a. det närmast föregående, där Sally skrev om två "damer" (Thea och Thyra) som de haft på besök på Storegården till midsommar. Att Sally upprepat benämner dem antingen "damer" eller "fröken" ger mig intrycket att de enligt hennes uppfattning var lite högfärdiga, och antagligen inte så vana vid praktiskt arbete som Sally och Hildur var. Familjen på Storegården var väl inte direkt fattig, men inte heller rik. Ingenting tyder i alla fall på att de hade någon piga anställd att hjälpa till i hushållet på gården, eller med mjölkning etc; och Selma, Hildur och Sally tog uppenbarligen också del i jordbruksarbete som att sätta/skörda potatis, skörda hö etc. 

Sedan förra veckan har jag också hittat ännu ett fotografi på Thea, där hon återigen är klädd i samma typ av hatt som på de andra fotona - dock inte samma hatt. På detta foto är hon vinterklädd, och bär även pälskrage.

"På tal om bilolyckor..."  Det här brevet stöder också min uppfattning sedan tidigare, att familjen på Storegården inte hade bil. Det finns dock ett par foton i albumen av en besökande bil, som vid närmare granskning båda ser ut att vara från samma tillfälle (bilen parkerad på exakt samma ställe). Gruppfotot har undertexten Ford m/ä [modell äldre] på besök i Storegården. På det andra fotot (i ett annat album) sitter Nils ensam i bilen, med kommentaren Nils vid ratten. Men vid detta tillfälle poserade han nog bara. Senare i livet skulle dock Nils komma att arbeta som yrkeschaufför, och körde både buss och taxi.

Mina farföräldrar Gustaf och Sally skaffade inte bil förrän efter kriget, ca 1947. Vid det laget hade Sally uppenbarligen blivit mer positivt inställd till fordonet. Hon började 1947 att föra anteckningar om deras bilutflykter. Den första anteckningsboken följdes av fler, och hon fortsatte med detta i ca 25 år - även in på 70-talet, efter Gustafs död. Än så länge har jag bara bläddrat lite i dessa anteckningsböcker, men tänker att de kanske kan bli till hjälp att datera en del senare foton. 

"Bengtamor" - I förra brevet verkade Sally ha övergivit smeknamen (och tecknade sig bara "din vän Sally"), men här har hon återgått till att skriva under med "Bengtamor". Jag har tidigare föreslagit att kanske Gustaf gett henne detta smeknamn på grund av att hon hade en tendens att bete sig "moderligt". Utifrån sammanhanget i det här brevet slår det mig också att medan det fortfarande vid den här tiden nog var vanligt att tilltala en bondhustru (eller -änka) med "Mor", så låg det också en klasskillnad i den titeln. Sallys egen mor Selma omnämns ibland som "Mor Selma" eller "Mor i Storegården", och då var "Mor" en titel som indikerade respekt. Men en "finare dam" skulle ju inte ha tilltalats "Mor" utan  antingen någon variant på makens titel (grevinna, doktorinna etc) - eller fru resp. fröken.

Apropå veckans inspirationsblid från Sepia Saturday 651 så kan jag inte minnas att jag någonsin såg min farmor Sally iförd hatt. Hade hon något på huvudet så var det en scarf, knuten antingen i nacken, eller ovanpå huvudet - aldrig under hakan. 

Detta är det sista brevet jag har i den här "serien" av brev, skrivna av Sally till Gustaf år 1925, medan han gjorde militärtjänstgöring på Kviberg i Göteborg. Jag har dock ytterligare några brev av senare datum, och hoppas återkomma till dessa nästa år, efter helgerna. (Under mellantiden kan hända att jag tar en titt på några gamla jul- och nyårskort igen...)

Sepia Saturday 172: Destination Unknown

… “the destination is not as important as the journey” …

Studio portrait of my great-aunt Gerda (on the right) with unkown friend. Possibly a photo that could have been sent as answer to the postcard request (1903) from Gerda’s sister-in-law: ‘How soon can we expect a photograph of you “as American”?’ (See my post for Sepia Saturday 169) The big hats do seem to indicate the early 1900s.

Mot okänt mål

Veckans Sepia Saturday fokuserar på utflykter mot kända eller okända mål. I brist på vandringsbilder väljer jag istället studiofotot på Gerda och en okänd väninna (?) i en elegant bil och med stora hattar som vittnar om tidigt 1900-tal. Min gissning är att fotot är från Chicago och att det kan kanske t.o.m. kan ha varit “svaret” på Elins önskemål om ett fotografi av Gerda “såsom americanare” (jämför vykortet som presenterades här för Sepia Saturday 169).