When the travel associations in Norway, Sweden and Finland were founded at the end of the 1800s, their members were enthusiastic. To be a tourist is to bear an exciting and important responsibility. And that responsibility is not to travel to glamorous big cities, like London or Paris. On the contrary, it is every person’s civil duty to travel, first and foremost, within their own country – to know their own country.

This message is also illustrated in our exhibition that is currently being shown at Nordiska museet in Stockholm. Today, staycations are trendy once again. Hopefully, these classic posters can provide some inspiration.

When we learned about the existence of the poster Res i Sverige – Känn ditt land (“Travel in Sweden – Know your country”) from a poster collector, we had to do something. Despite fifteen years of hunting high and low for travel posters, this particular poster had never crossed our path.

This 1930’s poster is an excellent example of the travel associations’ insistence on their message. By every means possible – through posters, brochures, films and presentations – associations tried to persuade tourists to travel within their home country, still more than 50 years after their founding.

When you find a diamond in the rough, dust it off and show it off.

We became so enamoured by the ethnologist Ossian Elgström’s dynamic poster that we had no choice but to include it in the exhibition. What did it matter that the exhibition was opening really soon? When you find a diamond in the rough, dust it off and show it off. So there it hangs – side by side with other Danish, Finnish and Norwegian posters that all incorporate the same message, but in various Nordic styles.

Know what? That message still rings true with artists today! In 2020, our international poster competition, MySwedenPoster, saw the creation of brilliant posters illustrating sustainable travel in Sweden. A perfect example of this is Ruut Joensuus’s poster: a train trip through Sweden, from north to south.

So, what are you waiting for? Know your country!

•••

To celebrate the concept behind Känn ditt land, we are launching a new product in the shop: Ossians Elgström’s poster – and at a very special price. Now you can also buy all of the finalists’ posters from MySwedenPoster 2020 at that same special price. Limited time only, until April 15, 2022.

Poster greetings!

Magnus Londen

Poster Hunter in Sweden & Finland

magnus.londen ( at ) cometosweden.se