Walking About in the Alps - Sepia Saturday 699

Six unwritten postcards from my great-aunt Gerda's collection. I think they are probably from her years in France during WW1, when she sometimes travelled with her employer (still Unknown to me) in the south-east of France and stayed for a while at various mountain resorts there. How far up in the alps she ever walked herself, I'll probably never know! 

The Vanoise massif is a mountain range in the Western Alps and the third-highest massif in France. Nowadays Vanoise is a national park. 

(M.030.01)
1422. - Le Lac Rond et le Col de la Vanoise

(M.030.02)
2366. Sommet du Jovet (2563 m.)
- La Mer de Nuages et les Glaciers de la Vanoise

(M.030.03)
1426. Col et Massif de la Vanoise - Refuge des Lacs

    

(M.031.01)
Massif de la Vanoise - Cascade de la Fraiche (a waterfall)

(M.031.02)
1976. Le Mont Blanc (4820 m.), vu du Bréven

 

Mont Blanc, the "white mountain", located on the French-Italian border, is the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe.

(M.031.03)
3063 - Zermatt - Vieux Mazots

Zermatt is in the Swiss Alps. Gerda did cross lake Geneva over to Lausanne in Switzerland during the war years (I think more than once); but how close she ever got to Zermatt or Mont Blanc (either back then or later), I don't know. She might just have bought postcards of those two places. As there are more cards from Vanoise, my guess is that she saw some of that area, though.

Dijon, France, c.1918 - Sepia Saturday 688

The Sepia Saturday theme for September, On the Street, made me go back and look at some unwritten old postcards from my great aunt Gerda's collection. 

Readers who have been following me for a while probably remember Gerda - my grandmother's older half-sister, the travelling lady's maid. When World War I broke out, Gerda "got stuck" in France, where she spent the war years working for someone living in Lyon. I've not been able to establish whom. (In my imagination, a wealthy American woman who "got stuck" in France during the war as well - but I have no real evidence of that.)  What I do know, from Gerda's postcards written to her brother Gustaf during the war years, is that they were also able  to travel a bit now and then, in the eastern parts of France.

 

Dijon is situated north of Lyon, and they/Gerda could have travelled there by train. The last of the postcards below gives me an important clue as to when she actually bought that one, though: It can't have been until July 1918 at the earliest; and may not have been until on her way back home to Sweden in 1919, after the war was over...

I like how all these street photos also have people in them.

34. DIJON - Rue de la Liberté 

40. DIJON - La Caisse d'Epargne

3. DIJON - Place de la République et Monument Carnot

9. DIJON - Fontaine de la Jeunesse ('the fountain of youth')

27. DIJON - Eglise Saint-Pierre - Place du Président Wilson

 Wikipedia : "The square was originally called St. Peter's Square. In 1904, during a campaign of "secularization of the streets" led by the radical municipality, the square was renamed People's Square. During the First World War, on July 5, 1918, the municipality of Dijon gave it the name of Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), 28th President of the United States, to salute the entry of the United States into the war on the side of the France."

All the cards also include the printed names Caloin, Dijon and Cl. Baudinfère. I got no relevant hits when googling, but I assume the latter to be the name of the photographer.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 688 - On the Street

WWI Postcards of Lake Geneva - Sepia Saturday 657

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lac Léman. - Château de Chillon.

Chateau de Chillon

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

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

 

1931. - Ile de Salagnon (Lac Léman)

Only found a French article about Salagnon Island on Wikipedia.

6395 Lac Léman. Etude et Ile de Salagnon

 

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

Linking to Sepia Saturday 657

Train Station and Post Office - Sepia Saturday 656

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 656 - Trains

Much Ado About Nothin' - Sepia Saturday 647

My grandmother and her family at the Farm loved their coffee breaks - and not least when they were able to sit outdoors! 

The photo shows Sally (my grandmother), her sister Hildur and their mother Selma, with guests, sitting at a coffee table in front of the farm house at Storegården. My guess is around 1929, which is the year when both Sally and Hildur got engaged to their future husbands (both also included in the photo). The two other women are unknown to me, but the text below the photo (in one of the albums where it appears) says they're visitors from Gothenburg (Göteborg).

Standing: Gustaf (my grandfather), Unknown, and Sally. Sitting: Unknown, Hildur, Selma and Olle (more about him below). 

Much Ado About Nothing

- a romantic comedy by Shakespeare, c. 1599 

"Through 'noting' (sounding like 'nothing', and meaning gossip, rumour, overhearing), Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other..."  [Wikipedia]

Between the previous letter from Sally (SS 646) and the one following below, Gustaf has been home on leave for Easter (10-13 April 1925). 

Comments on the content will follow below the letter.

Storegården, Fristad, [Friday] 17 April 1925 

Dear Gustaf,

This afternoon I'm going to seek consolation in answering the letter that I got from you last week. Nils received his today, and I'm pleased to hear that you're feeling better and back to health again. How did it turn out with your tooth, did that get worse or did it blow over? I hope it got better without turning into an abscess, as that's really painful – I've got some experience of that myself, so I know how that feels!

So, ”Nothin”, it's now been a week since we were out looking at the Easter bonfires. We've since had rather awful weather for a couple of days, but today the sun is shining from a clear sky again. But I guess it was good that we got some rain as well.

I'm feeling sorry for you that you have to be down there now [in Gothenburg], rather than being free, with spring and summer approaching. But somehow one just has to get on with things, doesn't one. Everything passes, and so will the misery that you're enduring against your will at the moment.

Today, Hildur has fetched an Easter card for you, which I enclose with this letter. I'm also sending you ”Glimpses from Easter in Fristad” by ”The Rambler”. Quite lovely ”glimpses”, I think. 

There were a lot of people on the train that you left with on Easter Monday. We had intended to get closer to the train after you got aboard, but as you may remember, a ”couple” got in front of us, which made us stand back. We then had company with Ebba on the way home, and when we got to Länghem, Hildur met us there and joined us. Gustav was also home for a while in the evening.

Vintage photos/postcards from Fristad railway station, reprinted for a railway jubilee in 2013

He with captial H has not been here since then – don't you find that strange? Imagine, two whole weeks on Sunday since he was last here, and yet he's [working] at the carpentry shop down at Mölarp [= not all that far away]. Doesn't that seem disquieting to you? Hildur writes [to him] every evening, sometimes to Borås, and sometimes to the ”Miss Lundbergs”,  but nothing seems to help. - As you're familiar with the situation, I'm writing about it, because I find it amusing myself, and so that you will know that things are the same as always.

Oh, and I can also tell you that I got a letter from [?] in Skedeskamma. She was well, and wanted me to meet her in Borås on Saturday 25 April, which I also think I will, if I can.

Yesterday, we set up the loom, but we are not quite ready to start weaving yet, we haven't ”warped” yet. Next time you come home, I hope you'll get to see some result of our work, if all goes to plan.

Now I'm running out of paper, but I'll use all the corners of the sheet, even if that doesn't look very neat. We saw you grandfather walking by here today, he didn't come in, but it's good to see that he's in good health. Best wishes from all of us here. 

• Tonight the Salvation Army will be in the chapel, but I don't think we'll be going.
• Tomorrow night the 'Blue Band' Temperance Society will be having a parcel auction, I suppose you'll be there for that.
• You'll notice that I've remembered your new name, ”Nothin”. Don't you think it's pretty?
• Hoping to hear from you soon, best wishes from your friend ”Bengtamor”.  

Example of Sally's use of "all the corners of the sheet":

An unwritten Easter card, but it will serve to represent whatever card it was that Sally was sending on to Gustaf with her letter. (I suppose the family at the farm was authorized to fetch his mail for him at the post office, or whereever it was delivered to.) 

COMMENTS

"Nothin" - I have no background for this new nickname. In this letter, where she first uses it, she spells it "Notin"; but later, "Nothin". "Notin" has no meaning at all in Swedish, but the spelling "Nothin" seems to support that it might refer to the English word "nothing". Neither Sally nor Gustaf would have learned any English in school, though (and it seems even more unlikely that they'd be familiar with the Shakespeare play in the original language). But I guess they might have picked up a few English words and phrases, for example from Sally's older brother Gustav, who had lived in America for almost a decade. But in the 1920s, he was back living with the family at the farm, or nearby in the same village. As for what may have triggered the word "nothin" to be used as a nickname for Gustaf, I can only speculate, though. (Perhaps he sometimes had a tendency to doubt himself, and his talent? - or something like that... But in that case, they must also have joked about it, as I'm sure Sally would never have used it other than in jest.)

Easter bonfires - It was common in this part of Sweden to light bonfires on Easter Eve.

Glimpses/The Rambler - As Gustaf used to write articles of this kind for a local newspaper, I think it was probably his glimpses that had been published, using that signature.

He with captial H, and Hildur - "He with capital H" clearly refers to Olle Hellsten (cf. previous post), who ended up marrying Sally's sister Hildur. He was a carpenter by trade. As for Hildur, she was always worrying about things... I remember her like that even from my own childhood. Gustaf, knowing the whole family well, would have had no problem understanding Sally's ironic hints.

"[?] in Skedeskamma" Here I'm struggling to read (and failing to make sense of) another nickname, referring to a person unknown to me. Her real name may have been Thea, because in the next letter Sally mentions meeting a Thea in town. That still doesn't give me any clue to how they knew each other, though. The place name probably refers to a Skedskamma situated on the other side of Borås - which explains why they would meet in town. (They could both travel into town by train; but from different directions, and on different railway lines.)

"we set up the loom..."  - For me this clears up a mystery from the previous letter, which involved some words there unknown to me, but that must refer to a weaving project.

"Blue Band" - A temperance society. As has already been mentioned more than once, Gustaf used to write short reports for the newspaper from various kinds of meetings held by local societies, chapels, churches etc. If he had weekend leave of absence from his military service in Gothenburg (I don't know how often they did?) he could take the train from there back to the village, and still do some such reporting (just as it seems he did at Easter).

"Bengtamor" - Gustaf's nickname for Sally, but not clear to me why. (Possibly referring to her acting "motherly" towards him sometimes. Just my guess, though!) [Cf. SS 645]

Linking to: Sepia Saturday 647

Storegården, Fristad, d. 17 April 1925 [fredag]

Bäste vän Gustaf!

Nu i eftermiddag tänkte jag taga tröst av och besvara brevet, som jag fick från dig förra veckan. Nils har i dag fått ditt brev och det var ju roligt att höra att du bättrat dig, så att du nu är kry igen. Hur blev det med tanden, blev det något ont eller gick det över lindrigt. Det var ju väl om det gick bort utan att bli ”varbildning”, för det är ju något rysligt, det har jag själv haft, så det vet jag hur det känns. 

Jaha du ”Notin”, nu är det snart en vecka sedan vi voro ute och sågo påskeldarna. Vi har nu haft ganska ruskigt väder ett par dagar, men i dag strålar solen klar igen. Ja det var ju gott att vi fick lite regn också.

Det är synd om dig att du skall behöva gå där nere nu, och ej vara fri, när det närmar sig våren och sommaren, men det är ju så att det måste ju gå allting. Allting går ju över, så också det ”eländet” som du nu är tvingad uti. 

Idag har Hildur hämtat ett påskkort till dig, som jag nu skickar med i brevet. Även medsänder jag ”Glimtar från Påsken i Fristad” av ”Vandraren”. Det ”glimtar” ju riktigt vackert, tycker jag. Det var visst väldigt mycket folk med tåget, som du reste med Annandagen. Vi skulle gått lite närmare tåget när du stigit upp, men som du minns så kom det ett ”par” emellan, vilket gjorde att vi höll oss bakom. Vi fick sedan sällskap med Ebba hem, och när vi kommer till Länghem mötte Hildur oss där och följde med oss upp. Gustav var också hemma en stund på kvällen.

Han med stort H har inte varit här sedan, tycker du inte det är märkvärdigt? Tänk dig, 2 hela veckor på söndag sedan han sist var här, och så är han nere i Mölarp på Snickerifabriken. Tycker du inte det ser betänkligt ut? Hildur skriver varje kväll, ibland till Borås och ibland till ”Lundbergsfröknarna”, och inget tycks hjälpa. Eftersom du så väl känner till det, skriver jag om det, för jag tycker det är roligt, och för att du skall få höra att det är sig likt. 

Jo du, så skall jag tala om att jag fått brev från ”tryspan” [?] i Skedeskamma. Hon mådde bra, och ville att jag skulle träffa henne i Borås lördag den 25 april, vilket jag också tror att jag gör, om inget oförutsett hinder möter. 

Igår satte vi upp väven, men vi äro inte riktigt färdiga att börja väva ännu, vi har inte ”varpat” ännu. Nästa gång du kommer hem, hoppas jag du skall få se något resultat av vårt arbete, om allt går som vi beräknat. 

Ja, nu börjar visst pappret att taga slut, men jag får väl skriva fullt i alla hörn på arket, fastän det inte ser så fint ut. Thulin har vi sett gå förbi här idag, men han gick ej in, men det är ju ändå gott att se att han är kry. 

Hj. hälsn. Från alla här

PS1 - Ikväll är Frälsningsarmén i Missionshuset, men jag tror ej vi går dit. 

PS2 - I morgon kväll har blåbandisterna paketauktion, då skall väl du vara med.

PS3 - Du ser att jag kommit ihåg ditt nya namn, ”Notin”. Tycker du inte det är vackert?

I hopp om att få höra från dig är du nu till slut hjärtligt hälsad av vännen ”Bengtamor”. 

KOMMENTARER

"Notin" - I följande brev har stavningen korrigerats till "Nothin", vilket får mig att undra om det syftar på det engelska ordet "nothing" (dvs. "inget"). Varken Sally eller Gustaf lär ha lärt sig engelska under sin korta skolgång, men jag tänker att de kan ha plockat upp vissa ord och uttryck från Sallys äldre halvbror Gustav, som ju bott nästan tio år i Amerika. Men på 1920-talet var han ju tillbaka i Fristad och på Storegården. Jag tänker mig att ordet i den betydelsen möjligen skulle kunna vara relaterat till att Gustaf ibland kände sig missmodig och tvivlade på sin egen talang etc. Men i så fall måste det relatera till något de gemensamt skämtat om - eftersom det annars inte är troligt att Sally skulle referera till det i sina brev.  [Själv kan jag inte låta bli att associera till Shakespeare's pjäs Much Ado About Nothing, där originalet utnyttjar ordlikheten mellan "noting" (notera) och "nothing" (ingenting/obetydligheter). Jag tvivlar dock på att Sally och Gustaf var bekanta ens med titeln...] 

"Glimtar från Påsken i Fristad" av signatur Vandraren - Jag uppfattar det som att denna artikel skrivits av Gustaf själv.

"Han med stort H" syftar otvivelaktigt på Olle Hellsten, som senare gifte sig med Sallys syster Hildur. Han var snickare till yrket; och avståndet mellan Storegården och Mölarp inte alltför långt (med den tidens mått mätt). Vad Hildur beträffar, så oroade hon sig ständigt för saker och ting (och folk) - så minns jag henne även från min egen barndom... Gustaf bör inte ha haft något problem att uppfatta Sallys halvt ironiska syftningar.

[?] i Skedeskamma - Ett smeknamn (?) inom citattecken här är svårtytt. Hennes verkliga namn kan ha varit Thea, för i nästa brev nämner Sally att hon träffat en Thea i stan. Hur och varifrån de var bekanta med varandra framgår inte. Det finns dock ett Skedskamma nära Hillared, på andra sidan Borås; vilket gör det logiskt att träffas i stan (dit de båda kunde ta sig per tåg, från olika håll). 

"Igår satte vi upp väven" - Detta förklarar Sallys prat om "tvinna återgångar" i tidigare brev (även om jag fortfarande inte vet exakt vad det uttrycket innebär). 

"Blåbandisterna" - Blå Bandet var/är en nykterhetsorganisation på kristen grund. Som tidigare nämnts brukade ju Gustaf skriva tidningsnotiser om olika möten i lokala föreningar och kyrkor osv. När han hade helgpermission från Kviberg, så kunde han förstås ta tåget hem och bidra med en del sådana reportage även under sin värnpliktstid.

"Bengtamor" - Gustafs smeknamn för Sally (jmf Sepia Saturday 645). Ursprunget forfarande oklart men jag tänker mig att det ev skulle kunna syfta på att hon ibland kanske uppträtt lite "moderligt" gentemot honom. 

Greetings from Jekyll Island (1937) - Sepia Saturday 633

M.009.01

The Jekyll Island Club Golf Course, 12th Green
Jekyll Island, Georgia

To: Mr Gustav Samuelson, Storegården, Fristad, Sweden
From: Gerda (Brunswick, GA, Feb 6, 1937

Sänder dig hjärtligaste hälsningar från denna ön. Det är ganska tyst och lugnt här, men ej fullt så mycke som det ser ut på kortet. Det har varit varmt och skönt emellanåt så man kan bada. Skrev brev för ej länge sedan. Vi mår alla bra, hoppas du gör det [också]. Kommer nog hem --- i mars. /Gerda

Sending you warm greetings from this island. It's rather still and quiet here, but not quite as much as it may seem from the card. I wrote a letter not long ago. We are all well, hope you are too. Will probably be home in March.

M.009.02

The Jekyll Island Club, Beach at Low Tide
Jekyll Island, Georgia - d. 17 - 2 - 37

   

 

To: Mrs Selma Emanuelson, Nysäter, Fristad, Sweden
From: Gerda (Brunswick, GA, Feb 18, 1937)

Nu har vi varit här i 5 veckor och solat, och nästa vecka reser vi hem till Sverige igen. Vi mår alla bra, hoppas att ni gör detsamma. Hjärtliga hälsningar till Er samtl. från Gerda

Now we have been here for 5 weeks sunbathing, and next week we'll be going back home to Sweden again. We are all well, hope that you all are too. Love to you all from Gerda.

Note: This card was sent to Gerda's step-mother Selma (now living with her daughter Sally - my grandmother - and her family). Unlike the cards Gerda sent to her brother, the few cards I have that were sent to Selma have been allowed to keep their stamps!

M.009.03

Working hard for the family dinner in Dixieland - S.430

Series No. S-313 C.T. Southern Pickaninny* Scenes
"C.T. Art Colortone" Reg. US. Pat. Off.
Made only by Curt Teich & Co., Inc., Chicago

I'm having problems finding a genographical definition of Dixieland - wondering if any of my American readers can help me? (Google only givs me references to music!)

* Pickaninny - a 'Pidgin English word for a small child or racist caricature'

"Pickaninny (also picaninny, piccaninny or pickinninie) is a word applied originally by people of the West Indies to their babies and more widely referring to small children --- derived from the Portuguese pequenino ("very small"). --- In contrast to this neutral meaning, the word has been used in North America as a racial slur referring to a dark-skinned child of African descent." [Wikipedia]

To: Herr Gustav Samuelsson, Storegåren, Fristad, Sweden
From : Gerda (Brunswick, GA, Feb 18, 1937)

Om en vecka reser vi härifrån, den 26 lemnar vi New York med Europa, omkring den 8 mars är vi nog hemma igen tänker jag. Vi mår alla bra. K. hälsningar, Gerda.

In a week we'll be leaving here, on the 26th we're leaving from New York with the Europa, around March 8th we should be back home again I think. We're all well. Love, Gerda

M.010.01

NORDDEUTSCHER LLOYD BREMEN
Turbinen-Schnelldampfer "Europa"

To: Herr Gustav Samuelson, Fristad, Storegården, Schweden

From: Gerda (sent from Bremen, Germany, March 5, 1937) 

Europa den 4-3.37
Vi är nu snart framme och resan har gått mycke bra och vi mår alla gott. Söndag e.m. kl 4 är vi i Stockholm. Kära hälsningar, Gerda

Aboard "Europa" - March 4, 1937
We will soon be arriving [in Germany]. The journey has gone well and we are all feeling fine. On Sunday at 4 pm we'll be in Stockholm. Love, Gerda

 

"JEDER Volksgenosse Rundfunkhören"
"EVERY fellow countryman, listen to the radio"

Trying to find some info about this German additional stamp/cancellation on the postcard, I landed on a website belonging to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (ushmm.org), where I found this photo, with the text: "Germans listen to an antisemitic speech by Hitler. Josef Goebbels, minister of propaganda, encouraged every family to acquire a radio. Germany, January 30, 1937."

 

Försök att finna mer information om den extra poststämpeln på det sista vykortet, "JEDER Volksgenosse Rundfunkhören" – en uppmaning till alla tyska medborgare att lyssna på radio - ledde mig till en webb-sida från ett amerikanskt Minnesmuseum över Förintelsen, där jag fann detta foto med texten: ”Tyskar lyssnande till ett antisemitiskt tal av Hitler. Josef Goebbels, propagandaminister, uppmuntrade varje familj att skaffa en radio. Tyskland, 30 januari 1937.”

Apart from two postcards from the coronation of king George IV in England, which I already used for Sepia Saturday 624, the ones in this post are the last postcards written by Gerda that I have. As we all know (and as that appeal - or order - to all Germans to listen to their leaders on the radio remind us), the outbreak of World War II is now only a couple of years away. How much (if at all) the Bernadottes continued to travel abroad as a family during the war years, I don't know. And with Folke Bernadotte gradually getting more and more involved in various diplomatic and war-related affairs, I can also imagine Gerda getting even more cautious than usual about even giving hints about their whereabouts on postcards. 

The story of Gerda's life doesn't stop with the postcards, of course. I just have less details from the later years. She kept on working for the Bernadottes throughout WWII and beyond. After Folke Bernadotte was tragically assassinated in Jerusalem in 1948, she still remained living with Estelle at their home in Stockholm, Dragongården, way past normal retirement age - I think nearly all her life. She lived to be nearly 92 years old. Estelle later got remarried - but not until the same year that Gerda died (1973). 

There may well be some more posts about Gerda to come; I'm just not quite sure yet how to continue. But besides maybe some glimpses and speculations from later years, I've been thinking of going back and take another look at her early years as a maid in Chicago. While I probably can't dig up any more cards written by her, I do have one album of Christmas and Easter greetings written to her saved from those years. Most of them don't have much written on them, but there may be exceptions. And there are also some unwritten cards that I might be able to connect to things I've found out from the written ones along the way. 

 

In between, I may also try to sum up what I know about some of the other siblings and their families; including my own grandparents. 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 633

... lots of things still left to look into...

Dessa är de sista vykorten skrivna av Gerda som jag har; förutom två från kröningen av George IV i England (1937), som jag redan använt i ett tidigare inlägg (för Sepia Saturday 624). Som vi alla vet (och som poststämpeln på det sista kortet här påminner oss om), så är det nu bara ett par år kvar tills andra världskriget bryter ut. Hur mycket familjen Bernadotte (och Gerda) fortsatte att resa utomlands tillsammans som familj under kringsåren vet jag inte. Men då Folke Bernadotte blev allt mer involverad i diplomatska och krigsrelaterade uppdrag, föreställer jag mig att Gerda kanske antagligen också blev ännu mer försiktig än vanligt med att röja via vykort ens var de befann sig för tillfället. (Hon hade ju också viss erfarenhet av postcensur från sina år i Frankrike under första världskriget.) 

Gerdas livshistoria upphör förstås inte med vykorten – jag har bara inte så mycket detaljer från de senare åren. Hon fortsatte att arbeta för familjen Bernadotte under krigsåren, och betydligt längre än så. Efter det tragiska mordet på Folke Bernadotte i Jerusalem 1948, blev hon kvar hos Estelle Bernadotte på Dragongården mer eller mindre livet ut, eller i alla fall långt efter normal pensionsålder. Hon blev nära 92 år gammal. Estelle gifte så småningom om sig – men inte förrän samma år som Gerda dog, 1973.

Det kan mycket väl bli fler blogginlägg om Gerda – jag är just nu bara lite osäker på hur jag bäst kan ”sy ihop” hennes historia. Förutom en del glimtar (och spekulationer) kring de senare åren, så kommer jag antagligen också att gå tillbaka och titta lite mer på hennes tidiga år i Chicago. Även om jag inte har fler vykort skrivna av henne, så har jag ett album med jul- och påsk-hälsningar (och liknande) skickade till henne, från de åren. De flesta av dem mycket kortfattade, men det kan finnas undantag. Därutöver har jag också ett antal oskrivna vykort som hon sparat, och som jag kanske nu bättre kan relatera till de skrivna kort jag gått igenom. 

Skyscrapers of Manhattan (1936) - Sepia Saturday 628

In the previous post, Gerda and her employers, the Bernadotte family (Folke and Estelle with their sons Folke Jr, 5 years old, and baby Bertil*, 5 months) were about to leave Nice on the French Riviera after about a month's stay there in the spring of 1936, following the tragic death of the oldest son Gustaf in February (back in Sweden).

* Readers following this blog from week to week may be raising an eyebrow here, thinking: "Hey, I can't recall a baby mentioned in the previous post?" Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with your memory - it's I who somehow managed to get birth dates mixed up, thinking that it wasn't until 1936 that he was born. But Bertil Oscar was born 6 October 1935. So when the Bernadottes' oldest son tragically died in February 1936, the family also included a 4 months old  baby. (I've now made amends, and have also added the fact into the two previous posts.)

And once I had added baby Bertil to the pictures in my head, my thoughts also went to a photo in Gerda's album that could be of him, from the journey down to Nice. The background looks like a some kind of veranda with most of the summer furniture put away. I think it's Gerda to the right; and the woman to the left I suppose may be a nanny.  (I have no real concept of how many servants the family usually brought along on their journeys, but it seems likely that while the children were small, they would have had a nanny employed as well.)

Having introduced Bertil into the picture (whether it's really him in the picture or not), let's move on!

According to postcards in the previous post, on March 18, 1936, the Bernadottes (with children and servants) departed from Nice with a ship (possibly called Côte d'Azur) that by a southern route would take them to New York in just 5 days. So they would have arrived there around March 23; which gives them around six weeks in the U.S. before travelling back to Sweden again (according to postcards below, on May 5). They probably spent most of that time with Estelle's parents in Pleasantville N.Y.  And as so often, it seems Gerda didn't find much time to write to her brother back in Sweden until it was nearly time to leave again...

M.007.03 - Empire State Building at Night

"At night New York is a fairyland - a new universe of millions of glittering suns and stars. The picture shows the Empire State Building, highest in the world, with its great mooring mast for dirigibles* illuminated."

* About the "mooring mast for dirigibles" on the Empire State Building, see my recent post for Sepia Saturday 625 (where I had a daytime image of the same building).

To: Herr Gustav Samuelson, Storegården, Fristad, Sweden
From: Gerda (New York, April 28, 1936)

Käre bror! Om tisdag den 5 maj reser vi hem igen, är nog i Stockholm den 15 tänker jag. Fick brev från Emma och Ester för ett par dagar sedan, de hälsade från dig. Här är vackert väder nu. Kära hälsningar, Gerda.

Dear brother, On Tuesday May 5 we go back home again, will probably be in Stockholm by the 15th. I received a letter from Emma and Ester * a couple of days ago, they sent greetings from you. We have nice weather here now. Love, Gerda

* Emma and Ester were Gerda's and Gustaf's older sisters. 

M.008.01 - Empire State Building and Midtown New York

THE SKYSCRAPERS OF MIDTOWN MANHATTAN
"At the left the Empire State Building, the tallest in the world; at the right the Chrysler Building, second tallest; the Chanin and Lincoln buildings among the other skyscrapers."

To: Herr Gustav Samuelson, Storegården, Fristad
From: Gerda ( Pleasantville, May 5, 1936

Vi är nu färdiga att resa hem. Får se vem som kommer först, kortet eller jag. Tack för brev i dag. Den 14 eller 15 hoppas vi vara hemma. K. hälsningar, Gerda

We are now ready to go home. Remains to be seen who comes first - the card or me. Thanks for your letter today. We hope to be home on the 14th or 15th. Love, Gerda.

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"We weren't born into this world to
be happy, but to make others happy."
- Folke Bernadotte -

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Linking to Sepia Saturday 628

"Three kids captured forever in front of a wall. One holds a magnificent long bow, one holds a silver arrow with flights made from the finest eagle feathers, the third is King Richard, the Lionheart. They have their futures ahead of them - and they have their imaginations. Kids and imagination are the themes for Sepia Saturday 628." 

"Tre pojkar fångade för evigt framför en vägg. En håller i en magnifik långbåge, en håller i en silverpil med örnfjädrar, den tredje är kung Rickard Lejonhjärta. Framtiden ligger framför dem, och de har sin fantasi. Barn och fantasi är temat för Sepia Saturday 628."

I föregående blogginlägg var Gerda och hennes arbetsgivare, familjen Bernadotte (Folke och Estelle, och deras två söner, Folke Jr, 5 år, och little Bertil, 5 mån)*, i mars 1936, just på väg att lämna Nice på franska rivieran, efter ungefär en månads vistelse där. De hade rest ner dit från Sverige i februari, inte långt efter att äldste sonen Gustaf avlidit i sviterna efter en svår öroninflammation.

* Någon uppmärksam läsare som följer den här bloggen i samma takt som den publiceras kanske höjer ett ögonbryn här och tänker: "Inte kommer jag ihåg att det nämndes en baby i familjen vid den här tidpunkten?" Det är i så fall inget fel på ditt minne - det var jag som blandat ihop datum och fått för mig att det var först 1936 som Bertil föddes. Men det var 6 oktober 1935. Så när äldste sonen Gustaf dog, innefattade familjen alltså även en 4 månader gammal baby. (Jag har nu ändrat detta även i de två föregående blogginläggen.)

Och med baby Bertil nu också inkluderad i "bilderna i mitt eget huvud", så går mina tankar också till ett foto i Gerdas album med en baby som skulle kunna vara Bertil, från resan ner till Nice. Bakgrunden på fotot ser ut att vara någon slags veranda med de flesta sommarmöblerna undanställda. Jag tycker mig känna igen Gerda till höger, och gissar att kvinnan till vänster är barnsköterska eller liknande. (Jag har ingen riktigt uppfattning om hur mycket tjänstefolk utöver Gerda som brukade åtfölja familjen på deras resor, men det verkar troligt att de också skulle ha haft en barnsköterska anställd medan barnen var små.)

Efter att ha introducerat Bertil (vare sig det är han på fotot eller ej), så kan vi gå vidare i texten...

Enligt vykorten i föregående inlägg, så lämnade de Nice den 18 mars 1936 med ett skepp som via en sydlig rutt skulle ta dem till New York på bara fem dagar. Det betyder att de bör ha anlänt dit omkring den 23 mars; vilket i sin tur ger dem cirka sex veckor i USA innan de reste tillbaka till Sverige igen - den 5 maj, enligt vykorten nedan. Antagligen tillbringade de större delen av denna tid hos Estelles föräldrar i Pleasantville. Och som så ofta, verkar det som om Gerda inte fann så mycket tid att skriva till sin bror hemma i Sverige förrän det nästan var dags att åka hem igen...

VYKORT M.007.03 - Empire State Building at Night

Text tryckt på baksidan: "Vid midnatt påminner New York om ett förtrollat sagoland - ett nytt universum med miljoner glittrande solar och stjärnor. Fotot visar Empire State Building, den högsta byggnaden i världen, med sin imponerande mast avsedd för ankring av luftskepp belyst."

(Angående denna mast, se mitt blogginlägg för Sepia Saturday 625.)

Till : Herr Gustav Samuelson, Storegården, Fristad, Sweden
Från: Gerda (New York, April 28, 1936)

Käre bror! Om tisdag den 5 maj reser vi hem igen, är nog i Stockholm den 15 tänker jag. Fick brev från Emma och Ester för ett par dagar sedan, de hälsade från dig. Här är vackert väder nu. Kära hälsningar, Gerda.

* Emma and Ester var Gerdas och Gustafs äldre systrar

VYKORT: M.008.01 - Empire State Building and Midtown New York

Tryckt text på baksidan: "Skyskraporna på Manhattan: Till vänster, Empire State Building, högst i världen. Till höger, Chrysler-byggnaden, näst högst. Chanin- och Lincoln-byggnaderna kan också ses bland de andra skyskraporna."

Till: Herr Gustav Samuelson, Storegården, Fristad
Från: Gerda ( Pleasantville, May 5, 1936

Vi är nu färdiga att resa hem. Får se vem som kommer först, kortet eller jag. Tack för brev i dag. Den 14 eller 15 hoppas vi vara hemma. K. hälsningar, Gerda

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"Vi kom inte till denna världen för att vara
lyckliga, utan för att göra andra lyckliga."

- Folke Bernadotte -

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