Västerbotten, Åsele, Åsele, Lappland, Miljöer-Tätort

Almquist & Cöster’s squeaky clean, fluorescent vision of late 1950s Sweden.

The bar at Skrea beach, Falkenberg, Halland, Sweden. 1950-1959.

The Swedish National Heritage Board holds in its archives a large collection of photo postcards from the Almquist & Cöster Company, operative from the 1920s until 1968 they were one of Swedens major postcard publishers.

Founded by the photographer Salfon Almquist (1880-1975) and the technician Rudolph Cöster (1879-1949), the company was based in Helsingborg, southern Sweden. Almquist had been working as a photographer since 1904, in his studio “Atelier S. Almquist”. Some of the photos from those years are included here.

The whole collection consists of about 30,000 postcards dating from the 1910s until the late 1960s. The format used was mostly glass or film. Most are black and white. We’ve chosen the hand tinted ones. Various photographers worked for the company and remain anonymous.

The postcards show Swedish holiday resorts, countryside, views of towns, small communities and Swedes in different environments, at leisure or at various occupations. There are beaches, camping grounds, holiday cottages and ski resorts. Other motifs are ports, power plants, infrastructure like airports and bus stations, and official buildings such as schools, hospitals, churches and town halls.

The Square in Haparanda, Norrbotten, Sweden. 1940-1959.
Camping ground by Ångermanälven river, Åsele, Lappland, Sweden. 1950-1959.
Falkenberg old Town Hall and new City Hall, Halland, Sweden. 1950-1959.
The Pinnevik bathe in Lysekil, Bohuslän, Sweden. 1950-1959.
Part of the upper square in Åsele, Lappland, Sweden. 1957-1965.
“Spektrumhuset” (Spectrum Building) at the Railway Square in Umeå. People and cars. A Saab 92, in yellow. 1950-1959.
A market in Kyrkgatan (Church street) in Åsele, Lapland. 1950-1959.
A family in Åsele, Lappland, Sweden A family in Kyrkgatan (Church street) in Åsele, Lapland. On the left there’s a grocery. 1950-1959.
The Hammar bathe in Gamleby, Småland, Sweden. 1957-1963.
Olofsbo beach, Falkenberg, Halland, Sweden. 1958-1960.
The Kaffestugan (Coffee cottage) café at Skrea beach in Falkenberg. 1955-1965.
Loftagatan (Lofta street) in Gamleby, Småland, Sweden. 1950-1959.
Storgatan (Main Street) in Falkenberg, Halland, Sweden. 1950-1959.
Skrea camping ground, Falkenberg, Halland, Sweden. 1950-1959.
People and cars in Kungsgatan (King street) in Avesta in Dalecarlia. To the right is an EPA department store. 1950-1959.
Geologgatan street in Kiruna, Lappland, Sweden. 1959-1965.
The tennis stadium in Falkenberg, Halland, Sweden. 1950-1959.
The senior high school in Kiruna, Lappland, Sweden. 1940-1959.
Midnight sun at lake Luossajärvi, Kiruna, Lappland, Sweden. 1940-1959.
Umeå general hospital, Västerbotten, Sweden. 1960-1965.
Lysekil Church, Bohuslän Sweden Lysekil church, built in 1899-1901 in neo-Gothic style. 1940-1959.
Halland, Varberg, Varberg, Halland, Byggnadsverk-Försvarsväsen-Fästning.
View of the Old Town and Riddarholmen islet, from the City Hall Garden (Park) at Kungsholmen islet. 1940-1959.
Kiruna church, in Lapland, with the Kirunavaara mountain and mine in the background. 1940-1959.
Stockholm, Stockholm, Uppland, Miljˆer-Stadsmiljˆ.
The ferry berth in Varberg for the Europe Ferry. The ferry in the picture comes from Oslo, Norway. 1959-1965.

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