John Ehlton was an advertising illustrator and painter, born at Gårda Örgryte in Gothenburg. His mother had a Grocery & Miscellaneous store in Gårda. His father was a factory worker and ran the Regina factory, manufacturing soap, soap and technical articles in Gothenburg. John began his studies at Slöjdföreningen’s school, where drawing, painting and graphics were included. At school, he became friends with the illustrator Gustav Tenggren – also from Gårda – who later emigrated to the United States and became studio manager for Disney.
John traveled to Germany and completed a 2-year mercantile education. He was one of the first in Sweden to learn poster art from the ground up and made extra money producing posters for cinema owners when he came to Jönköping. He was employed at the match factory (Tändsticksfabriken) in Jönköping. He created, among other things, match labels.
He then became Head of Printing at the match factory. After 27 years, he quit and started his own advertising/printing company and did, among other things, some posters for Children’s Day. As an 80-year-old, he moved with his wife to Åkersberga because he wanted to be close to his children and grandchildren and the coast. Now he had time to paint again and he also got involved in the local community by creating paintings based on old photos from Åkersberga. The year before he passed away, John and a colleague at the Tändsticksfabriken in Jönköping held an exhibition of match labels in Åkersberga.
