Swedish tin 100 years
On September 27, Svenskt Tenn: A Philosophy of Home opens at Liljevalchs in Stockholm. The exhibition will be the largest of its kind to date about Svenskt Tenn, founder Estrid Ericson, and the groundbreaking and distinctive world of architect and designer Josef Frank.
Today's designer. Today, hardly anyone raises an eyebrow if someone creative and knowledgeable blogs and spreads pictures and texts about their new design. On Instagram and Facebook, a steady stream of pictures of creative design flows past you. I suspect that it is the modern person's need to be seen and heard, and the hope to make a name for themselves and make money that drives it. But if you ignore those who are just doing their job or want to make money, there are still artists and designers who deserve honest attention for their form and their creations.
Female pioneer. With a background as an art teacher in Hjo, the small town in Västgötland by Lake Vättern, in 1924 Ms. Estrid Ericson started Svenskt Tenn on Strandvägen in Stockholm, with a small amount of savings and the help of a few employees. She and her design company quickly became associated with the sought-after qualities of a designer; sober taste and high quality. Success was not long in coming, and her creations were quickly sought after by an ever-growing clientele. One of her most famous products is the elephant pattern. Not her own design, however, but ideas are free, and the elephant is borrowed from a piece of fabric she found and refined.
Maybe not today. Estrid Ericson would certainly achieve the same success if she were alive today. However, it would probably have taken longer to get attention, and the competition would have been much higher. The company is very much alive and is still a creative and sales-successful company today. A success story thanks to the fact that Ms. Estrid Ericson from HJO was a fearless and creative woman in an otherwise male-dominated business world.
Photographer Kristoffersson. Of course he has been to Svenskt Tenn and done a report. The pictures are from 1942.