Signe Hammarsten-Jansson
Signe Hammarsten-Jansson | |
---|---|
Union of Sweden and Norway | |
Died | 6 July 1970 | (aged 88)
Nationality | Swedish |
Alma mater | Stockholm University |
Occupation | Graphic artist |
Spouse | Viktor Jansson |
Children | Tove Jansson Per Olov Jansson Lars Jansson |
Relatives | Sophia Jansson (granddaughter) Einar Hammarsten (brother) |
Signe "Ham" Hammarsten-Jansson (née Hammarsten, 1 June 1882 Hannäs, – 6 July 1970
Biography
Signe Hammarsten came from a respectable Swedish clerical family and was the child of a pastor's daughter and a court chaplain. Hammarsten's parents were opposed to her becoming an artist, and as a girl she had considered a career as a surgeon. Hammarsten went through 8 years of primary school, and then studied at Stockholm University between 1901 and 1905. She began to work as a drawing teacher at a Stockholm girls' school.[3]
It was during a study trip to Paris in 1910 that Hammarsten met and fell in love with the 24-year-old Finnish sculptor, Viktor Jansson. In 1913 they were married and they lived in Paris for a year before moving to Finland in 1914. A daughter was born to the couple shortly thereafter, and Hammarsten-Jansson resumed work as an illustrator.[3] In 1924, Hammarsten-Jansson became a draughtsperson for the Bank of Finland. Here, between 1929 and 1962, Hammarsten-Jansson designed over 200 stamps.[2]
The couple had three children in total:
Tove has written that she felt her mother understood her better than anyone else and even toward the end of her life, Tove "always tried to resemble [her] Mother, always tried to draw like [her] Mother." In 1928, at age 14, Tove noted that "Mother has important drawing work. (...) I am waiting for the time when I will be able to help her with her drawings. Mother does so much work by herself."[3] Hammarsten-Jansson's death in 1970 profoundly impacted her daughter's writing and it has been suggested that her presence is strongly felt in a number of the books Tove wrote after the death.[3] The melancholic Moominvalley in November (1970) deals themes of leaving and loneliness, and is typically considered the most mature of the Moomin series.[4] The Summer Book (1972) concerns a young girl whose mother has died and her relationship with her grandmother. Hammarsten-Jansson's death marked the end of the Moomin series of novels and Jansson's literary output became primarily adult-oriented.[3]
References
- ^ "Biografiskt lexikon för Finland - Signe Hammarsten-Jansson". www.blf.fi. Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland.
- ^ a b Suomen postimerkkitaiteilijat. Vaarnas, Kalle. Mitä-Missä-Milloin vuosikirja 1974. 1974.
- ^ a b c d e Ahola, Suvi. "Jansson, Tove". National Biography of Finland. Translated by Fletcher Roderick. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ Liukkonen, Petri. "Signe Hammarsten-Jansson". Books and Writers (kirjasto.sci.fi). Finland: Kuusankoski Public Library. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008.