Sepia Saturday 827 - Men At Work

 

The Sepia Saturday prompt for this weekend shows photo from an old shoe factory, and the host Alan Burnett asks us to "search out your old photographs of factories, workplaces, shoes, boots, benches, leather belts .... or whatever" ... 

At first I thought I have no photos like that... But then a summer holiday trip from the past popped to mind - made with two friends nearly 50 years ago (49, to be exact), to the Swedish provinces Halland, Skåne and Småland. The colour photos in my album from 1977 have faded - but since this is Sepia Saturday, never mind! ;)  I managed to copy some with my phone camera, and edit them a bit.

The friends I was with on this trip were Gunilla and Lena. Gunilla sadly passed away three years ago. (She's the short one in the photos - she stopped growing when she was around 8 to do with health problems and medication with that side-effect.) Lena is the same age as me and since her official retirement (from teaching) is still keeping busy more or less "full time" as a water-colour artist, living on the west coast (where she was also born), and having several exhibitions there every summer.

Back in the mid 1970s, all three of us were living/studying in Karlstad; and that summer we went on a car trip together to the southern Swedish provinces of Halland, Skåne and Småland - where we visited several places do with different kinds of handicraft.

 In Halland, we visited the workshop of an old shoemaker, still making wooden clogs by hand. (Wooden soles, leather tops.) I think this was someone Lena knew since before.

From Halland we went on to Skåne, where we visited a ceramics workshop or two in Höganäs - a village well known for several workshops and factories of that kind.

Here are my friends posing near one such place; and then going in...

The photo below is not my own but a postcard (glued into my album).

The province of Småland is best known for its many glassworks. We visited at least two of them, Boda and Kosta. I'm not sure at which of them the two photos below were taken.

Linking to Sepia Saturday 827

December 13

Pukeberg Glassworks

Road Trip 2018, Part 8

Next stop on our road trip (still on the 2nd day) was Pukeberg, another of Sweden’s oldest and most well-preserved glassworks. Glass in a variety of different forms has been produced here since 1871, including household glassware, lamp glass and glass globes for petrol pumps, as well as beautiful art glassware.

Here we also found Riksglasskolan = The National School of Glass; and some of their projects on display at an exhibition.

In the giftshop I fell in love with this pendant, which I could not resist buying:

 

Because of the variety of colours the pendant goes well with a lot of items in my wardrobe. I especially love those peacock colours, though!

Kosta Boda Glassworks & Art Gallery

Road Trip 2018, Part 6

From Växjö we went on to Kosta Glasbruk, the oldest, largest and most famous glassworks in Sweden. It was founded in 1742 by two foreign officers in king Charles XII's army, and the name of the place is actually made up of parts of both their surnames, Ko(skull) + Sta(el). Many more glassworks were also founded in the surrounding area, which has become known as the "Kingdom of Crystal".

During the first 150 years, Kosta produced standard glassware, such as drinking glasses, bottles or window glass. Later they became known for employing creative glass designers as well as skillful glassblowers. Together, they develop new techniques and improve existing procedures. Nowadays Kosta has merged with Boda glassworks, and is still producing various kinds of both utility and art glassware.

Today, the premises surrounding the glassworks has grown into a gigantic shopping mall including all kinds of retail outlet stores – not only glassware, but for example clothes as well. The glassworks is also open to visitors. You can observe glassblowers at work or participate in a guided tour; but we did not do that on this occasion. For one thing, the day was hot enough anyway (!) - and we also knew we were going to have more opportunities like that at other glassworks on our trip.

As it was lunchtime when we arrived, we started with lunch at the Outlet restaurant (…not at the luxurious spa hotel which can also be found within the premises…) After that we focused on the Kosta Boda Art Gallery, where a number of very impressive artworks made of glass are displayed – and, before we left, also a visit to the glassware retail outlet.

 

 

So many wonderful things to see, and so many names to forget…! But some of the artists whose impressive work we had recently seen in Växjö Cathedral and the Swedish Glass Museum were represented here as well – like Bertil Vallien (above) and Ulrica Hydman-Vallien (below).

…

As souvenir from this glassworks I chose to buy six ordinary, clear drinking glasses, though – because I needed some, and I liked them, and they’re something I can use every day!

Note: Bruk in Swedish can mean either ‘works’ (factory) or ‘use’