International Flat Figure Society - British Flat Figure Society

Flat Figures Collectors Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: Casper Friedrich on April 11, 2020, 06:38:23 AM

Title: Flat figures in Sweden 1931 and 1952
Post by: Casper Friedrich on April 11, 2020, 06:38:23 AM
I feel grateful towards the Royal Library in Stockholm for temporaly letting free its digitalized newspapers in these Covid-19 times.

An evening just before Christmas 1931 the signature Razor passed a toy shop full of figures in Stockholm. It remindes him of the toy shop in the small town he grew up in. But there was also something new. Vikings, the battle of Brunkeberg 1471 https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2018/07/20/brunkeberg-1471/ (https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2018/07/20/brunkeberg-1471/)and Sami people. The quality of the castings and paintings struck him. He was so amazed that he went to Tenngjuteriet Mars on Kungsholmen and chatted with Nils Lindberg. According to him the Sami people and battle of Brunkeberg were their bestsellers when it comes to historical and etnographical series. It had took time before these non-military subjects were accepted by the public. By the way, the company was already founded in 1915. The artist John Sjöswärd is mentioned and that his series with a typical Swedish homestead with all its animals also have found favour among girls.
Then the fellow artist Ossian Elgström is interviewed, he had written a book on wargaming a couple of years before. Elgström couldn't explain why he wrote the 1914 publized book, but he thought that there was someting crazy in the air. The work was critzed for dealing with such a childish subject but he also got fan mail even from abroad.
https://tidningar.kb.se/4112678/1931-12-06/edition/0/part/1/page/8/?q=tennfigurer&from=1930-01-01&to=2019-12-31&sort=asc (https://tidningar.kb.se/4112678/1931-12-06/edition/0/part/1/page/8/?q=tennfigurer&from=1930-01-01&to=2019-12-31&sort=asc)
In 1952 Svenska Dagbladet pondered why flat figures then only recently had became a hobby for adults. The answer was that during the war there was no supply of figures, but then professor Rössner emigrated från Berlin to Sweden. The  importance of painting your own figures is stressad. Converting is also dealt with, also the fact that there are civilian figures. Eventhough there  already existed a club, Drabanten, there were those who collected secretly for fear of even their employment.
Of course Holger Ericsson is covered in the newspapers from the postwar period, but he designed 54mm round figures as you all know
Title: Re: Flat figures in Sweden 1931 and 1952
Post by: Casper Friedrich on April 11, 2020, 07:07:13 AM
Update:
What a coincident, found out that artist Harald Gripe had an exhibition with flat figures in Nyköping Castle 1960. In my  morning paper he was briefly mentioned besides his wife, author of a classic children's book from 1981.
https://tidningar.kb.se/1767385/1960-06-11/edition/11643/part/1/page/10/?q=%22harald%20gripe%22&sort=&from=1960-01-01&to=1960-12-31 (https://tidningar.kb.se/1767385/1960-06-11/edition/11643/part/1/page/10/?q=%22harald%20gripe%22&sort=&from=1960-01-01&to=1960-12-31)
More links:
https://tidningar.kb.se/1767385/1952-12-22/edition/11636/part/1/page/7/?q=tennfigurer&sort=asc&from=1932-01-01&to=2019-12-31 (https://tidningar.kb.se/1767385/1952-12-22/edition/11636/part/1/page/7/?q=tennfigurer&sort=asc&from=1932-01-01&to=2019-12-31)
https://tidningar.kb.se/4112703/1956-12-30/edition/11225/part/1/page/12/?q=tennfigurer&sort=asc&from=1932-01-01&to=2019-12-31 (https://tidningar.kb.se/4112703/1956-12-30/edition/11225/part/1/page/12/?q=tennfigurer&sort=asc&from=1932-01-01&to=2019-12-31)
Title: Re: Flat figures in Sweden 1931 and 1952
Post by: marko on April 11, 2020, 11:04:09 AM
Interesting.  I am also impressed that in Sweden one paint's figures wearing a tie and vest, painting outfit in USA is a bit more casual...

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mark  8)
Title: Re: Flat figures in Sweden 1931 and 1952
Post by: archigrog on April 11, 2020, 02:43:18 PM
Very interesting!