catharina loves children’s books · vil standing like the lace of miles of bridal veils,...

18 • Mariehamn, named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2011.

28 • 2011 marks 200 years since Orient researcher Georg August Wallin was born in Åland.

20 • In turn to be presented in our series featuring passenger ferries are M/S Alandia and M/S Apollo.

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CATHARINA LOVES CHILDREN’S BOOKS

NO. 2-2010 E N G L I S H

� manage the daily operations

STAFF

Åland cosmopolites– is the collective name for stamps featuring Åland descendants who have made our small archipelago region known around the world. We have previously presented Haddon Sundblom and Warner Sallman. In this magazine, we introduce you to Georg August Wallin, an adventurer on the Arabian Peninsula who was born in Sund. Paul Gustafsson, an Ålander whose imagination and caustic pen contributed to the forerunners of today’s super-heroes, will be featured next. These four gentlemen belong to the early Åland cosmopolites. What great achievements today’s Ålanders will accomplish in the world, well, that remains to be illustrated on future Åland stamps.

�nita �äggblomDIRECTORÅLAND POST STAMPS

MONITA LÖFROTH

Production Manager

“I oversee the daily operations of the production unit. I pland and coordinate the production of philatelic products and the dispatch schedule; in addition, I have some customer contact through phone and by attending various stamp exhibitions. What I like best about my work is the great variety; there is never a dull moment.”

GERD JANSON

Production

“I work in the production unit of Åland Post Stamps. I mainly serve our German customers by fulfi lling their special requests in connection with casual orders for stamps. I also pack standing orders and produce various presentation packs. We are a happy bunch of co-workers with a close friendship.”

� mainly serve our �erman customers

2•2010ÅLAND POST LTDSTAMPS P.O. Box 1100AX-22111 MARIEHAMN ÅLAND, Finland

PHONE

+358 18 636 641 Telephone hours (GMT+2): Mon–Fri 9 am – 4 pmOrders from Finland:020 340 020

FAX

+358 18 636 608

INTERNET

www.posten.axNordic stamps:www.topoftheworld.nu

E-MAIL

[email protected]

VISITING ADDRESS

Post TerminalFlygfältsvägen 10, Sviby

EDITORS

Anita Häggblom Katja Rikberg Heidemarie Eriksson Björn WennströmCecilia Mattsson

TEXT

Katja Rikberg

TRANSLATION

Kristine Lybeck Sund

LAYOUT

Cecilia Mattsson

PRODUCTION

Åland Post LtdWaasa Graphics

COVER PHOTO

Andreas Dienert

The publishers reserve the right to make changes to the information contained in this publication.

ContentsÅland Cosmopolites 2

Staff presentation 2

Åland won second prize 4

Correction: Viking and Skandia 4

Accumulate club points at exhibitions 5

Art plate no. 13 this December 5

Chronicle by Kiki Alberius-Forsman 5

Exchange views on collector’s forum 6

Christmas cancel 6

Heart necklace 6

Church window from Jomala 7

”Children’s books are my passion” 8

Part three of buoyage series 16

Mariehamn 150 years 18

M/S Alandia and M/S Apollo 20

Inge’s old women 23

Abd-al-Wali from Åland 28

2010 First day covers 30

2010 Exhibition cards 31

2010 Special cancellations 32

Visit to Minna Rundberg 33

Russia and Åland in unprecedented cooperation 34

Calendar 35

18 • Mariehamn, named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna, celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2011.

28 • 2011 marks 200 years since Orient researcher Georg August Wallin was born in Åland.

20 • In turn to be presented in our series featuring passenger ferries are M/S Alandia and M/S Apollo.

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4 • Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N

Åland won second prize

NEWS

Åland �ost won an honourable second place when the German

philatelic magazine �eutsche �riefmarken-evue for the thirteenth

time arranged the competition “Most beautiful stamp of urope” .

Twenty postal administrations took part in the vote for the most beautiful 2008 stamp. The Åland Post participated with the miniature sheet Queen’s Gorge issued 27 March 2008. The voting ran throughout 2009, and some 20 000 votes were cast. Germany won fi rst prize with 39.59 % of the votes

Correction: Viking and Skandia The S/S Viking presentation sheets incorrectly state that the ferry was scrapped in Stockholm. The ship was, in fact, scrapped in Helsinki in 1973. The information concerning M/S Skandia has also been misleading. The ship plied the route Turku–Mariehamn–Norrtälje.

cast. Åland received 16.69 % of the votes and came in second, while Norway came third with 13.99 % of the votes. The Åland Post has passed on diploma and prize statuette to artist Juha Pykäläinen who designed the awarded miniature sheet.

The Åland miniature sheet Queen’s Gorge came in second. Artist Juha Pykäläinen accepted his prize this summer.

Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 5 Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 5 Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 5

DEAR MAIL ROUTE! How curvaceous you are! So bumpily enigmatic and beautiful! It is impossi-ble to discern what hides behind your next curve. The hilarious sensation on the downhill slopes when the wind grabs ones sweater and hair. Far too few love letters are with love for a road.

R IGHT ACROSS ÅLAND, from Eckerö Signilskär in the west to Brändö Norrstrand in the east. On Åland, you are barely 60 km from one end to the other – a good one-day lap on the bicy-cle – including a 4-minute crossing on the Töftö ferry. Despite your advanced age – you actually retired one hundred years ago – you are blos-soming like never before, lined with wild cher-vil standing like the lace of miles of bridal veils, harebells nodding their head, babies’ slippers turning yellow, and with the sweet smell of red and white clover alike.

SKYLARKS AND SWALLOWS SWOOP ABOVE

YOU. Alongside, the song thrush gives its cocky lectures, the yellowhammer sings its monoto-nous “A little bit of bread and no cheese”, roe deer scamper, cranes trumpet and cats purr in kitchen windows. You are at your best when you are unsophisticated and genuine. As in the twists and turns of Eckerö Marby or like in Vårdö Hullvik, where one senses the passing of the centuries in the shadow of the dark green spruces. In your footsteps, the mail boys have run – panting and silent – they were, in fact, not allowed to speak while working – and, in your footsteps, couriers have galloped and 200 peasants have lost their lives as you led them across the ice that neither bore nor broke.

THE POST MUST THROUGH – once a week in both directions ... It was all about one thing and one thing only – conveying messages between people – love letters too.

Yours respectfully,Kiki Alberius-Forsman

KIK I ALBER IUS -FORSMANJournalist and writer

CHRONICLE“�emland, �ranboda, Åland, urope, the �niverse,28 July 2010 ”Accumulate club

points at exhibitionsYour membership level in the Post’s customer club is based on your registered purchases dur-ing a calendar year. Many of our customers also buy stamps and other products when visiting us at exhibitions. You can now draw advantage of these purchases. For your purchases to be registered and included in the annual evalua-tion, please state your customer number at the time of your purchase. This is an option only at those exhibitions where staff from Åland Post Stamps is present.

Art plate number 13 out in DecemberThis year’s art plates numbered 13 and 14 feature scenery from Sund and Eckerö. As usual, the plates are sent separately; however, this year, plate number 14 (Sund) was shipped in the spring and number 13 (Eckerö) is due in December.


NEWS

Exchange views on collector’s forumÅland �ost presents a great piece of internet news for anyone interested in

stamps! � discussion forum has been launched on the �ost’s homepage.

This is the site where you can discuss everything related to stamps, philately and collectibles in gen-eral. You can also sell and swap stamps with people with similar interests. The collector’s forum operates in English, Swedish, Finnish and German, and you can participate in as many languages as you manage.

Anyone can read the posts, but you must login to comment. It is easy to enter into the discussions and to send private messages to other members of the forum if you wish to continue your discussions in that way. Find us at www.posten.ax.

Christmas cancel his year, a special �hristmas cancel will be

available for your �hristmas greetings and

letters sent from Åland.

In use from 15 November to 31 December 2010, the Christmas cancel is just like any ordinary date cancel, however, with a Christmas motif. Send your selfaddressed covers for Christmas cancellation under cover marked “Christmas cancellation” to: Åland Post Stamps, P.O.Box 1100, AX-22111 MARIEHAMN, Åland, Finland. Remember to frank your covers with Åland stamps.

Heart necklaceFitting for Christmas as well as Valentine’s Day in February, Åland Post now offers a necklace with a silver heart pendant. A tiny granite ball has been fi tted in the centre of the heart, which was created by the Åland company Ele & Kele. The necklace is sold under the name Valentina.

The pendant is delivered with a 45 cm silver chain in a jewellery box. Order the necklace in the Post’s web shop or by using the order-ing catalogue. The necklace costs €24.50.

Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 7 Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 7

NEWS

Church window from Jomala�acau and Åland �ost both issued a joint

miniature sheet and an individual stamp on

30 �ugust featuring church windows.

The motifs of the two miniature sheets are identical, but the perforations differ; the Åland stamp is perforated on the Åland issue, whereas the Macau stamp is perforated on the miniature sheet issued in Macau. The Åland part of the sheet (Church win-dow I) shows a stained glass window in the Church of Jomala, created by artist Ture Bengtz. Åland Post also issued an individual stamp on the same theme (Church window II) presenting a different part of the same stained glass window. In connection with the issues on 30 August, two fi rst day covers can-celled with the same cancel also appeared. A special presentation pack has also been produced holding both the Macau and Åland miniature sheets as well as a joint FDC with Åland’s Church Window II and Macau’s individual stamp on the same theme.

The presentation pack (above) holds a joint FDC.

The fi rst day covers and cancellations (at top below) for the two issues are the same.

The gutter strip of Church Window II (centre below) is decorated with other motifs from the same church window and broken coloured glass.

The texts on the miniature sheet (far below) are in Chinese, Portuguese and Swedish.


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Catharina Nygård Holgersson was born and raised in Pietarsaari, Finland, but today lives in Stockholm, Sweden.

Å L A N D S P O S T E N F R I M Ä R K E N • 9

EXHIBITION CARDS

”CHILDREN’S BOOKS ARE MY

GREAT PASSION”�oincidence led artist �atharina �ygård �olgersson to start

doing illustrations for children.

“� began working for the �inno-�wedish children’s and

youth magazine os when � was 19, and that’s how it is.”

Catharina grew up in Pietarsaari in western Finland. She dropped out of upper secondary school to attend a two-year study programme at an art school in Uusikaarlepyy, after which she studied painting at Turku School of Fine Arts.

“A few years later, I moved to Stockholm to study photography.”Catharina could not earn her living by painting during this period

but, nevertheless, painting always remained an integral part of her life.


“I worked nights and weekends for Home Care and painted during the days.”

VARIETY OF COMMISSIONS

Having had children, however, family life demanded that Catharina rearranged her working life.

“I started my own company, looked for illustration commissions and chose to concentrate completely on illustration work.”

This was in 1999, and Catharina still works full-time as an illustrator. Nowadays, her work varies a great deal. She illustrates children’s and school books and has recurrent commissions for the children’s magazines Eos in Finland and Kamratposten in Sverige.

“I chiefl y work in Sweden, but have occasional commissions in Finland,” Catharina, who still lives in Stockholm, informs us.

CAME NATURALLY

According to Catharina, it came naturally that so many of her commissions are for children.

“When I fi rst started to look for work, my portfolio mainly consisted of the illustrations I had made for Eos, so initially and not surprisingly, I received a great deal of illustration work for children.”

Today, however, commissions fl ow in also from adult journals such as the Journalisten and Familjedaghem.

“I enjoy a good mix of commissions. Doing something quite different now and again quite agrees with me.”

HUMOUR FOR CHILDREN

Illustrating for children and for adults differ enormously, in Catharina’s opinion.

“I try to add more humour in my illustrations for children. In my illustrations for adults I don’t like to be too frivolous, so I pre-fer to illustrate heavier subjects. It is a challenge to tell a complete story in just one illustration.”

Catharina’s greatest challenge at the moment is her illustration work for the professional journal Journalisten in which journalists write for other journalists.

“�t has still not become a routine”

Her illustration commissions vary, one of her employerers being the journal Journalisten. Catharina also does illustra-tions for many children’s magazines.


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“I was almost frightened when I began working for them. How was I to understand the heavy texts and how could I be certain that I had interpreted them correctly?”

CROSS-FERTILIZATION

Having read the texts a few times, however, she still fi nds key subjects on which to focus and an illustration idea crystallizes.

Catharina’s employers can be found in both Finland and Sweden and, as of this year, even in Åland. Catharina has designed this year’s exhibition cards.

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Illustrator Catharina Nygård Holgersson was born in 1966 and raised in Pietarsaari, Finland. She attended a two-year study programme at an art school in Uusikaarlepyy (1983–1985), after which she studied painting at Turku School of Fine Arts (1985–1988). Having moved to Stockholm, she studied photography. Today, Catharina works full-time as an illustrator for various children’s maga-zines such as Eos and Kamratposten and for adult journals, some of which are Journalisten, Kosme-tik and Familjedaghem. Her work includes commissions for book publishers and she illustrates text books and children’s books alike. In addition, Catharina has published her own children’s books together with author Solja Krapu, and she has illustrated a book series for 9–11-year-olds about the Lundeby IK football club. The football books are often placed on the best-seller lists in Sweden.

Catharina has created the Post’s 2010 exhibition cards and stamps and, in 2011, she is the artist of a stamp featuring beach volleyball.


however, managed to publish two children’s books. They have ideas for more books together in the future.

AN AVID READER

Catharina fi nds inspiration in other books for children.

“Having children, I automatically read a lot of children’s books, but I have always been interested in the subject.”

She also acts on impulses from other people and from media.

CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH

Catharina is the artist behind this year’s exhibition cards on the theme Sights. A commission like the one for the Åland Post to create exhibition cards

“It has still not become purely a matter of routine to work for the Journalisten, a fact that I appreciate.”

The widely differing commissions also boost Catharina’s creative process.

“When I work on two different jobs at the same time, they will often cross-fertilize and I fi nd inspiration and solutions to one job in the other, even if the commissions widely differ.”

DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES

Catharina also varies her technique depending on her target audi-ence. “For adult journals, I often use Indian ink but also other techniques. For my children’s illustrations, I almost always use watercolour.”

MEDITATIVE

Catharina still likes best to work with picture book manuscripts.“Then, I can work alone with the material and don’t have to

adjust my work to others. I draw large illustrations, something I fi nd very meditative.”

She fi nds it diffi cult to get book publishers interested in her picture book ideas. Together with author Solja Krapu she has,

Catharina has illustrated a book series for 9–11-year-olds about the Lundeby IK football club. “� fi nd working with

picture book manuscripts very meditative”


often demands a considerable amount of research, since the motifs are required to have a connection to the exhibition location.

“I made quite a few online search requests, but that is not unusual since I often research the various subjects I am meant to illustrate.”

ALSO DESIGNING A STAMP

Catharina took her time pondering, thinking and testing, before she handed in her sketches to the Post’s Stamp Committee, who liked what they saw.

The Committee praised Catharina’s work to such a degree that she has also been assigned to create a stamp featuring beach volleyball in 2011.

The 2010 exhibition card theme is Sights, a theme which has demanded a considerable amount of research.


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“So far, I am still at the outline stage, but I will continue in the same way as I did with the exhibition cards,” Catharina reveals.

DID NOT DARE TO DREAM

To many artists, creating a stamp is high up on their wish lists; however, not so much so to Catharina.

“I hadn’t even considered the possibility that I would get the chance to create a stamp. I hadn’t dared to dream about it!”

Instead, she dreams about publishing more books for children.“Children’s books are my great passion. I hope to fi nd the

opportunity to create several more of my own books; I want to make genuine, bombastic, decorated children’s books!” �

“I want to make genuine, bombastic, decorated children’s books!”

Catharina varies her technique depending on her target audience. She often works in watercolour when illustrating for children.


Third part of buoyage series�n �ebruary, the 3rd and last part of the FRAMA series featuring various types

of buoyage systems will be issued. �irst presented was the ussian system and,

this year, system A buoys were illustrated. �e now present larger buoys.

Buoys are fl oating sea marks used in maritime pilotage. Their colours and forms correspond to those of cardin-al marks. Buoys can often be seen in larger fairways.

NINE ICEBREAKERS IN FINLAND

Artist Allan Palmer has featured the buoys in winter attire on both labels and fi rst day cover. Ice-condi-tions around Åland vary depending on the weather each winter. Finland’s nine icebreakers allow the passenger and cargo traffi c to run smoothly even in winters with diffi cult ice-conditions.

COUNTRIES AROUND THE BALTIC SEA JOIN HANDS

Along the northern and eastern coasts of Finland, the ice settles as good as every winter. Since 1961, the countries around the Baltic Sea have a mutual icebreaker agreement to assist one another, if required, in unusually hard ice-conditions.

THE ICY WINTER OF 2010

Prior to the winter of 2010, the ice had not laid this thick around Åland for many years. The severe

cold caused extreme diffi culties for most ships. In the beginning of March, Viking Line’s ships M/S Isabella and M/S Amorella got stuck in the ice in the Stockholm archipelago. Used to having a variety of daily ferry departures between Sweden and Finland to choose between, the Ålanders could now experience days when hardly any ferry departed – all because of the ice-conditions.

MANAGE DIFFICULT ICE-CONDITIONS

Drift ice, carried along by winds and sea currents, is what causes problems for the ships. Ships that call on Finnish or Swedish harbours during the winter months are required to hold a so-called ice-classifi -cation according to which their capacity to navigate in ice has been defi ned. The ships of Viking Line, for example, all hold ice class 1A, which means that they can manage diffi cult ice-conditions and ice thicker than 50 centimetres. �

Source: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boj, www.nyan.ax, www.merenkulku.fi and www.sjofartsverket.se.


BUOYAGE , BUOYS

DATE OF ISSUE1 February 2011

ARTIST Allan Palmer

DENOMINATION OF SER IES€0.75; 0.80; 0.85; 0.90(Current postage and likely to change. Changes will be mentioned in the next edition of this magazine)

PR ICE FDC €3.85

SIZE40.00 x 30.34 mm

PAPER Fluorescens, 105 g/m²

PRINT ING METHOD 5-colour offset

PR INT ING HOUSE Post Danmark

ALLAN PALMER

The Åland artist Allan Palmer (born in 1955) has so far created 19 motifs for stamps and 6 for FRAMA labels for Åland Post. Allan works as a captain and an artist, while also running his own limited company A. Palmer Sailing Ab. He is the commander-in-chief of the Swedish Brig Tre Kronor af Stockholm. He also arranges charter cruises with his schooner ‘Nordboen’. Apart from his maritime activities, he works with illustration, layouting, drawing, painting and sculpturing.

Various buoys in their winter attire are shown on the fi rst day cover.

The fi rst day cancel shows a buoy.


The fi rst day cover has details from the frame of the portrait featured on the miniature sheet.

279 • MARIEHAMN 150 YEARS


ARTIST, PORTRAIT Franz Xaver Winterhalter

ART IST, TOWN PLAN Georg Theodor von Chiewitz

DES IGNCecilia Mattsson

EDIT ION 100 000

DENOMINATION

€1.00

PRICE FDC €1.55

S IZE OF STAMP41 x 53.5 mm

SIZE OF MINIATURE SHEET105 x 70 mm

PAPER 110 g/m²

PERFORATION 13 per 2 cmPRINTING METHOD5-colour offset

PR INT ING HOUSECartor Security Printing

FRANZ XAVER WINTERHALTER

Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805–1873) was a German painter known for his portraits of royalty. Among his best known works are the portraits of Empress Eugénie of France (1855) and Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1865). Winterhalter never received high praise for his work from serious critics, being constantly accused of superfi ciality. However, he was highly appreciated by his aristo-cratic patrons, the royal families of England, France, Spain, Russia, Portugal, Mexico and Belgium. Even after his death, his art was not taken seriously until recently. During the 1980s, his work was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in the UK and the Petit Palais in France. Today, his paint-ings are exhibited in leading European and American museums.

The fi rst day cancel shows Mariehamn’s fi rst coat of arms approved by the Tsar 14 March 1881 and in use for more than 75 years.

Decorating the miniature sheet is a portrait of Empress consort Maria Alexandrovna after whom Mariehamn is named. The background illustration shows part of the fi rst town plan for Mariehamn, prepared by county architect Georg Theodor von Chiewitz. Chiewitz also planned the design of the towns Loviisa, Pori and Uusikaupunki in Finland.


�ariehamn 150 years2011 marks 150 years since the foundation of �ariehamn.

�rom its initial 33 inhabitants, �ariehamn is today an

expanding town in which history meets present.

Plans for founding a town in Åland had long existed and a variety of locations had been discussed. The fi rst township-like settlement developed in con-nection with the construction of the fortress of Bomarsund. The tiny dwelling-site of Skarpans was abandoned after the fall of Bomarsund in 1854.

NAMED AFTER THE EMPRESS

In 1859, Tsar Alexander II of Russia recommended that a town be established in Åland close to the Svibyviken bay. Two years later, he issued a charter of foundation and the town was named after Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

MARIA LIVED TO BE 56 YEARS OLD

Maria Alexandrovna was born in 1824 in Darmstadt, Germany, and Empress consort of Tsar Alexander II of Russia from 1855 until her death in 1880. Maria had very poor health and spent a great amount of time in various health spas abroad during her 25 years as Empress. She died from tuberculosis in 1880, 56 years old. The Mariinskij -theatre in St. Petersburg has also been named after her.

GRID-BASED STREET NETWORK

Mariehamn was founded around the village of Övernäs in the parish of Jomala. At the time, the village consisted of four farms and two crofter’s holdings, located close to where we today fi nd the Mariehamn town hall building. County architect Georg Theodor von Chiewitz prepared a four-part townplan with grid-based street network. With a few exceptions, all buildings were meant to be multi-storey stone buildings; however, the fi rst settlers were so poor that they were eventually exempted and allowed to build wooden houses instead.

ONE FARM REMAINS

In 1861, the village, which had become the town of Mariehamn, housed 33 inhabitants.Most of the original wooden houses in Övernäs were demol-ished over time; Övernässtugan is the only original house still remaining.

Read more on page 34.

Sources: http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Alexandrovna, www.mariehamn.ax and http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Theodor_von_Chiewitz and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Xaver_Winterhalter.


The ship on the fi rst day cover is Per Brahe built in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1908. Bought by the Mariehamn steamship company in 1936, the ship was put into service on the route Turku–Mariehamn–Stockholm from 1937 to 1953. Per Brahe was scrapped in 1955.

277 AND 278 • PASSENGER FERRIES, M/S APOLL0 AND M/S ALANDIA


ARTIST Håkan Sjöström

EDIT IONS2 x 200 000

DENOMINATIONS€1.50 and €0.80

PRICE FDC € 2.85

S IZE OF STAMPS35.4 x 26 mm

SIZE OF SHEETS2 x 20 stamps

PAPER 110 g/m²

PERFORATION 13 per 2 cm

PRINTING METHOD 4-colour offset

PR INT ING HOUSE Cartor Security Printing

HÅKAN SJÖSTRÖM

Artist Håkan Sjöström (born in 1933) is considered to be one of the foremost marine painters in Scandinavia today. Painting was an important part of Håkan’s youth. Upon completing his Bach-elor of Science degree (Econ.), he started working at a shipyard in Turku, where he remained until retirement. Alongside his work, he also painted the shipyard’s newbuildings. Håkan has also had commissions for several shipping companies, including Viking Line, as well as a few sea-scape commissions. In addition, he has illustrated magazines and books. These are Håkan’s fi fth and sixth stamps for Åland Post.

The fi rst day cancel depicts the ship M/S Apollo.

The same ships as on the stamps are featured on the gutter of both stamp sheets.


M/S �landia and M/S �pollo wo new stamps in the Åland passenger ferry series will be issued in �ebruary.

he M/S �landia and M/S �pollo are featured by artist �åkan �jöström.

The Alandia was built in 1939 as M/S Bastø in Moss, Norway. The ship had been in Norwegian service for many years and even been used by the German army for troop transportation in 1944, when she came to the newly established company Rederiaktiebolag Eckerö in 1961. A route for pas-senger traffi c between Grisslehamn (Sweden) and Eckerö (Åland) had been seriously discussed since 1938, but the war intervened and the plans were not resumed until 20 years later.

FIRST OUT WAS ROSPIGGEN

The specially adapted ferry Rospiggen built for the company Trafi k AB Grisslehamn–Åland, a forerun-ner of Rederiaktiebolag Eckerö, departed on its fi rst journey in 1960. However, due to certain construc-tion errors, the ferry was sold to Italy already in 1962.

MANY NEW ROUTES TESTED

During her fi rst year of operation, Alandia ran under the name Alpha and was the fi rst roll-on/roll-off car ferry operating in Åland ferry service. Dur-ing her fi rst year of operation, the company tested a variety of routes, one of which was Uusikaupunki–Grisslehamn with the occasional stop in Marie-hamn. Traffi c to Öregrund (Sweden) was also tested as were the routes Mariehamn–Stockholm and Mariehamn–Kapellskär. Eventually, the shipping company settled for the present fast connection between Grisslehamn and Berghamn, Eckerö.

WATERLOGGED

On 4 November 1961, Alpha as the ship was still named, met with trouble when trucks too heavily loaded had rolled onboard in Uusikaupunki. The


“�landia capsized and was soon nicknamed ound-trip Åland”

crew had received insuffi cient information and, upon arriving in Grisslehamn, the ship capsized and was waterlogged. Luckily, everybody onboard was saved thanks to resolute intervention from the master captain, and members of the crew.

ROUND-TRIP ÅLAND

The capsizing of Alpha, soon to be nicknamed “Round-trip Åland”, was a severe fi nancial setback for the newly established shipping company. Even so, Alandia was still the ship to lay the fi nancial foundation for new invest-ments, and she remained in the pos-session of the company until 1976.

BUILT IN PAPENBURG

Apollo was delivered in 1970 from Jos. L. Meyer Schiffswerft in Papenburg, West Germany. Both M/S Viking 1 and M/S Marella were delivered to Viking Line the same year.

EMPHASIS ON COMFORT

The year 1970 is usually referred to as a milestone year for Viking Line. Firstly, three newly built vessels based on extensive fresh thinking were delivered. They were all built to meet the highest Scandinavian standards, with special emphasis on comfort and service to passengers. Secondly, the road to the ferry terminal in Kapellskär was promoted to European Highway. Hence, the car ferries became a natural continuation of the highway, with the same European Highway status.

IN SERVICE BETWEEN SWEDEN AND FINLAND

Apollo initially served on the Kapellskär–Mariehamn–Naantali route. She started operating on the route Stockholm–Mariehamn–Turku in 1975 and last plied between Stockholm and Mariehamn.

APOLLO REMAINS HER NAME

Apollo served for Viking Line from May 1970 until March 1976, when she was sold to a Danish shipping company and renamed Olau Kent. She later served as Gelting Nord and Benodet and was sold to the Åland shipping company Eckerölinjen as the Corbiere. Apollo served Eckerölinjen from 1990 until 2000 when she was sold to Canada where she provides service for the Woodward Group under her original name Apollo.�

Sources: ”Vägen över havet” by Per-Henrik Sjöström, sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckerölinjen, ”Historien om ett rederi, Eckerö Linjen 1960–1985”, issued on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the company Eckerölinjen, www.turkustea-mers.com, www.vikingline.fi and www.faktaomfartyg.se.

The series of ferry presentation sheets continues in 2011. New sheets are easily inserted in the album you received with your fi rst delivery. If you have still not started a ferry collection, both the album and the complete series of sheets are still available to order.


�rtist �nge �öök’s playful and humorous old women illustrating this year’s �hristmas stamp and

seals offer an opportunity to laugh. �hen creating the women, �nge let the women refl ect her own

outlook on life: he women do not bother to appear capable in front of others, and they do not care

what others think of them. �ost important to them is to be themselves and have a good time!

old women DO NOT CARE WHAT OTHERS THINK

Inge’s

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indoors to do my homework. Instead, I was either outdoors or at my desk drawing.”

Her drawing eventually led to studies at the School of Art and Design in Helsinki, from where she eventually qualifi ed as a graphic arts designer. She is also a certifi ed gardener and worked as such for fi ve years, before she began drawing full-time at the end of the 1970s.

BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR FRIEND

To the general public, Inge is best known for her merry and funny old women who are always up to some sort of mischief.

The fi rst cards with her women appeared in 2003.“The Red Cross commissioned me to create four cards for

Valentine’s Day and I pondered for a while on what friendship implies to me. Since I’m a woman, I wanted to picture a woman, and I eventually came to the conclusion that friendship entails being faithful to and growing old with your friend.”

But the Red Cross did not like Inge’s idea with the old women.“It was obviously very odd to illustrate friendship with the help

of two old women.” Some time later, however, Inge’s old women caught the interest

of a representative from the Finnish card company Paletti and they quickly became an immense success!

Inge Löök is a certifi ed gardener and worked as such until she started drawing full-time.

Some artists fi nd their creative vein later in life, having tried various other jobs fi rst. Others, like Inge Löök, the Finno-Swedish artist behind this year’s Christmas stamp and seals, fi nd their right occupation immediately.

“I began sending drawings to the Swedish weekly magazine Allers Familjejournal when I was fi ve.”

Together with her sisters, she sent drawing after drawing to the maga-zine’s column “Young drawers”.

“And, for some time, we received prizes almost every week.”

Lovely toys were sent to Inge and her siblings as prizes, and in post-war Finland, toys were a luxury article.

QUALIFIED GARDENER

Inge drew a great deal all through her school years.

“I wasn’t very clever in school; I didn’t have the patience to stay


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CHR ISTMAS SEALS 2010

DATE OF ISSUE8 October 2010

ARTIST Inge Löök

EDIT ION 14 000 sheets of 20 self-adhesive seals

PR ICE €3.70

SIZE OF SEALS23 x 26 mm

SIZE OF SHEET146 x 210 mm

PAPER 110 g/m²


PR INT ING HOUSEWaasa Graphics

The same women appear on this year’s Christmas seals as on the Christmas stamp. In other words, the stamp and the seals fi t perfectly together on your Christmas greetings!

INGE LÖÖK

Artist Inge Löök was born in Helsinki in 1951 and now lives in Pernaja, just east of Helsinki. She began to draw when she was fi ve, winning several drawing competitions in the magazine Allers. Having started studying art and design at the School of Art and Design in Helsinki, she changed direction and began to study gardening. After working 5 years as a certifi ed gardener, drawing took over again, and she has worked as a full-time illustrator since then. Her popular old women were born in 2003 when Inge received a commis-sion to draw a Valentine’s card. This year’s Christmas stamp and Christmas seals are Inge’s fi rst commissions for the Åland Post.

The buoyant old women on the Christmas seals are skiing downhill.


A 2011 wall calendar with Inge’s funny women is now also available. One of the monthly illustrations is identical to the stamp motif. Order the calendar in the Post’s web shop or complete the form in the ordering catalogue. The calendar costs €15.

MADE THEM KIND

As models, Inge took two old white-haired women who used to live in the same neighbourhood in Helsinki when Inge was a child.

“These women didn’t care much for children; they found us noisy and chased us around the backyard.”

Nevertheless, these ladies ended up as models for the much-liked women.

“I kept their appearances but changed their inner selves and made them kind.”

Inge has no explanation as to why the women have become so popular.

“I fi nd it diffi cult to understand myself and am still astonished. Perhaps it is characteristic of our age and many people think like I do.”

THE PROFIT FROM THE SALE of the Post’s Christmas seals is used for charity every year. The benefi ciaries this year are Åland Rescue Dog Club and ÅBSK Rescue Dog, a section of the Åland Working and Pet Dog Club (ÅBSK).

ÅLAND RESCUE DOG CLUB AND

ÅBSK RESCUE DOG are two voluntary associations which train dogs to become certifi ed search-and-rescue dogs. To become a SAR-dog, the dog must pass the tests in debris and wilderness search or in debris search and tracking. The search and rescue handlers are trained in fi rst aid, land navigation, radio communi-cation and learn how to organize search parties. The associations cooperate with the police, the voluntary sea rescue service, the coast guard and the fi re brigade.

BOTH CLUBS will be using the Christmas seal donation for training-courses and for procuring equipment.

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“� fi nd it diffi cult to understand why

my women have become so popular”

ARE WHO THEY ARE

The Christmas stamp features the women dressed as Santa Lucia.“I wished to emphasize the celebration of St. Lucia Day, a not so

common tradition in the Finnish-speaking parts of Finland.”On the Christmas seals, the women are skiing downhill at full

speed.“These women don’t care to appear capable to others and don’t

worry what others may think of them. They just wish to have fun and be true to themselves,” says Inge, admitting that this attitude to life also refl ects her own philosophy.

CHRISTMASTIDE REFLECTION

Inge appreciates Christmas as a time for some pause and refl ection.“Christmas is always combined with so much stress; your head has

diffi culties keeping up with what your body is doing. At such times, it is important to compose yourself and remember who you are.” �

Inge’s merry old women were born when she was commissioned by the Red Cross to create Valentine’s cards.

HOW INGE GOT HER NAME :

Inge Löök’s given name is Ingeborg Lievonen. Already as a schoolgirl, she drew a great deal and wanted a good name to sign her drawings with. When she was ten, she disliked onions (lök in Swedish) and, so, she chose that word to be her surname. And, to show just how intensely she disliked onions, she added an extra ö. She continues to sign all her drawings with the pseudonym Inge Löök, in English “no onions”.


�bd-al-�ali from Åland�hy does Åland �ost choose to feature on a stamp an explorer and orientalist with

the �rabian name �bd-al-�ali? �ell, he was born in Åland 200 years ago.

His given name was Georg August Wallin and he was born 24 October 1811 in the Åland municipality of Sund as the son of district registrar Israel Wallin from Kumlinge and Johanna Maria Ahrenberg from Eckerö. In 1817, the family moved to Turku when his father was appointed County Treasurer of Turku and Pori County.

WAS INSPIRED

Then 18-year-old Georg August entered the Univer-sity of Helsinki in 1829 to study oriental languages and received his MA in 1836. Three years later, he travelled to St. Petersburg, where he met Egyptian Sheikh Muhammad Sayyad al-Tantawi whose tales about the Middle East inspired the young scholar. Wallin conducted his fi rst expedition in Egypt in 1843.

CLAIMED TO BE MUSLIM

He travelled the Arab world for six years. To gain acceptance and access to places of interest in the Arab world he presented himself as a Russian subject from Central Asia, the muslim Abd-al-Wali. He was

exceptionally dark for a Finn with dark hair and brown eyes, helpful traits combined with his know-ledge of language. He wrote letters and took daily notes during his travels in the Arab world; due to his early death (23 October 1852), however, only a fraction of his research material has been published. A series of Wallin’s articles will be published by The Society of Swedish Literature in Finland as of this year. Wallin had an extremely good knowledge of language, and the material includes texts in Arabic, Latin, German, French, English and Swedish.

SIGNIFICANT ORIENTALIST

Unjustifi ably, Wallin has seldom been quoted in the writing of history, despite the fact that he is con-sidered to be one of the most signifi cant explorers of the Arabian Peninsula together with two other Arabia travellers of the 1800s, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt and Charles Montague Doughty as well as Wilfred Thesiger of the 1900s. �

Source: ”Georg August Wallin skrifter 1” by Kaj Öhrnberg and Patricia Berg.


280 • ÅLAND COSMOPOLITES, G A WALL IN

DATE OF ISSUE1 April 2011

ARTIST Robert Wilhelm Ekman

DESIGN Cecilia Mattsson

EDIT ION 180 000

DENOMINATION Världen (€0.90)

PR ICE FDC €1.45

S IZE OF STAMP30 x 35.3 mm

SIZE OF SHEET 2 x 15 stamps

PERFORATION 13 per 2 cm

PAPER 102 g/m²


PR INT ING HOUSESouthern Colour Print

ROBERT WILHELM EKMAN

Robert Wilhelm Ekman (1808–1873) was a teacher and a painter of Finnish romantic portraits. He was born in Uusikaupunki and studied at The Royal Academy for Free Arts in Stockholm. He was granted a travelling scholarship that supported him working in Holland, France and Italy. Ekman returned to Stockholm for a short period before he in 1845 settled in Turku where he lead the Turku School of Fine Arts from 1946 until his death in 1873. Ekman painted the protrait of Georg August Wallin in 1853 using as model a profi le drawing made by Johanna Ramstedt shortly after the passing away of G. A. Wallin. The original painting is on display at the Helsinki University Museum.

The FDC features the desert, inspired by Georg August Wallin’s journeys in the Arab world. Just like the stamp, the fi rst day cover has gold printing.

Georg August Wallin’s Arabic name appears in the fi rst day cancel.

The gutter of the stamp sheet is decorated with oriental patterns and an extract from Georg August Wallin’s handwritten diary written during his fi rst journey to the Orient.


2010 First Day Covers

as this year’s items of postal stationery by Minna Rundberg. The 2010 FDC Year Set has been avail-able since 8 October and the price is €34.

This year’s set of Åland fi rst day covers is now available. Included in the set is the fi rst day cover of the postal labels featuring spar buoys as well

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2010 Exhibition Card Pack

exhibition stamps and cancelled with the exhibition cancel. Also available as of the same date will be a complete set of all the 2010 exhibition stamps. This year’s pack holds 7 booklets and 6 minisheets and is sold for €88.40.

The 2010 pack of exhibition cards will be available as of 7 November at €24.05. This year’s exhibition theme is Sights and the illustrations were made by artist Catharina Nygård Holgersson. Exhibition cards are issued with specially designed

Turun Kevät 2010, Turku, 6–7 March 2010

London 2010, London, 8–15 May 2010

Stamps in Svedala, Svedala, 11–12 September 2010

Antwerpia 2010, Antwerp, 9–12 April 2010

Frimynt, Helsingborg, 17 April 2010

Int. Briefmarkenmesse, Essen, 6–8 May 2010

Nordia 2010, Borås, 28–30 May 2010

Int. Briefmarken-Börse, Sindelfi ngen, 29–31 October 2010

Frimärkets dag, Stockholm, 28 August 2010

Lapoex 2010, Lahti, 26–28 March 2010

64e Salon philatelique d’automne2010, Paris, 4–7 November 2010

SF 2010, Helsinki, 8–10 October 2010

Frimærkeforum, Roskilde, 5–7 November 2010


7.5 School music 2010

21.2 Åland Guides 40 Years

19.6 Postal Boat Race

27.4 Mariehamn Gymnastics Club 80 Years

10.5 Åland Toys (maximum cards)

8.10 Christmas 2010(maximum card)

2010 Special Cancellations

The 2010 pack of covers franked with Åland stamps cancelled with the special cancels costs €11 and has been for sale since 8 October.

We focus on a number of Åland events each year by issuing a special cancel. All the special cancel-lations of the year are gathered in a pack released at the end of the year.

8.10 Stamp Day

2.10 Åland Judo Club 40 Years


A visit to Minna Rundberg�n mid-�ay, Åland �ost �tamps invited a number of long-standing

stamp collectors to visit designer �inna undberg.

Minna opened the doors to her studio in Kungsö, Jomala, where she told us about her work and the creative process behind the design of this year’s postal stationery cards. The visitors had the opportunity to put their questions to Minna, who also autographed cards.

Minna presents a collage made from some of the patterns she has created over the years.

Minna autographing cards during the evening.

Minna is pleased to welcome the visitors to her studio.

In her studio, Minna demonstrates her various products.


ussia and Åland in unprecedented cooperation�hen celebrating the 150 th anniversary of �ariehamn, the historical

connection between Åland and ussia is crystal clear. he miniature sheet

appearing 1 �ebruary is an exceptional joint issue between Åland and ussia.

Åland and Finland were part of the Russian Empire when the town of Mariehamn was founded. The town was named after Maria Alexandrovna, Empress consort of Alexander II of Russia. Read more on pages 18 and 19.

COOPERATION

Åland Post and Russian Post are already business partners in the philatelic area, and Åland stamps are available from the Russian Post. With this joint issue, our cooperation deepens.

IDENTICAL MINIATURE SHEETS, INDIVIDUAL TEXTS

The motif of the Åland and Russian miniature sheets is identical, featuring the Empress; however,

the texts and denominations are individual. Also available in connection with the issue is a presenta-tion pack holding the miniature sheets and fi rst day covers of both Åland and Russia.

EXQUISITE SPECIAL EDITION

An exclusive additional edition of 4 000 gold embossed Åland miniature sheets will also be issued. The gold embossing is printed on the edges of the sheet as well as on the frame around the painting of Maria Alexandrovna. The 4 000 miniature sheets will even be numbered. This limited, highly valued and exceptional gold embossed edition is sold at €15. A special golden edition of the Russian mini-ature sheet will be produced by the Russian Post.


2011 Issues1 February Buoyage, buoys Postal label, FRAMA

1 February Passenger ferries 2 stamps

21 February Mariehamn 150 years 1 miniature sheet

1 April Åland cosmopolites, G. A. Wallin 1 stamp

9 May Europa – Forests 1 stamp

9 May Forests 1 maximum card

9 May Summer in Åland 3 postal stationery cards

9 May Superheroes Booklet, 3 motifs, 9 stamps

9 May Superheroes 3 maximum cards

7 June Åland apples 2 stamps

7 June Potato chips 1 stamp

16 August My Stamps, Beach volleyball Mini-sheet, 1 motif, 8 stamps

16 August Beach volleyball 1 maximum card

28 September Åland scenery, Kökar and Jomala 2 stamps

7 October Christmas 2011 1 stamp

7 October Christmas seals Sheet of 20 self-adhesive seals

CALENDAR

Deliveries and deadlines DELIVERYNUMBER

DEADLINE SUBSC.CHANGES DELIVERY CONTENTS

1-2010 1 March April Postal label, Passenger ferries, Mariehamn 150 years (miniature sheet), Åland cosmopolites

2-2010 2 May June Europa, postal stationery cards, Superheroes (booklet), Åland apples, Potato chips, 4 maximum cards

3-2010 5 September October My Stamps (mini-sheet), Åland scenery – Kökar and Jomala, Christmas, 1 maximum card

4-2010 24 October November Year Sets, Christmas seals and decorations, packs, Luxe year pages etc.

Other standing order deliveries (NOTE! PRELIMINARY TIMES OF DELIVERY)

PRODUCT DELIVERY PRODUCT DELIVERY

Coin set 2011 February SEPAC folder November

Presentation sheets, passenger ferries February

Åland Year Book 2010–2011 November

Model van no. 24 May Art plate no. 16 December

Stamp watch no. 9 June Model van no. 25 December

Art plate no. 15 June


2011 ExhibitionsÅland Post Stamps takes part in the 2011 exhibitions listed below. The list is not fi nal and additions and alterations will be made. Please fi nd a complete and updated list of exhibitions at www.posten.ax and in the next edition of Ålandsposten Frimärken.

TURUN KEVÄT INT. BRIEFMARKENMESSE JF50V. FRIMÆRKEFORUM

Turku, FinlandMarch

Essen, Germany5–7 May

Järvenpää, Finland7 September

Denmark,4–6 November

NORDIA 2011 PHILANIPPON 2011 INT. BRIEFMARKENBÖRSE

Jyväskylä, Finland1–3 April

Yokohama, Japan28 July – 2 August

Sindelfi ngen, Germany, 28–30 October

An exhibition card, cancellation and stamp will be available at all these exhibitions. The 2011 theme of the exhibition products is Pastry and Alexander Lindén is the artist.

Holiday closingÅland Post Stamps will be closed on the following public holidays:

FINLAND’S INDEPENCE DAY CHRISTMAS EPIPHANY

6 December 24 December 6 January

Special cancellations 2011So far, the following 2011 events have been issued with special cancellations:

9.5 SUPERHEROES (MAXIMUM CARDS) JUNE POSTAL BOAT RACE

9.5 FORESTS (MAXIMUM CARD) 7.10 STAMP DAY

16.8 BEACH VOLLEYBALL (MAXIMUM CARD)

Additions to the above list are likely to be made and will, in this case, be listed in the next edition of this magazine and announced at www.posten.ax, where illustrations of the special cancellations can also be viewed.

CALENDAR

Next magazineThe next edition of Ålandsposten Frimärken will be dispatched in March/April 2011.

catharina loves children’s books · vil standing like the lace of miles of bridal veils,...

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