"The Other Swedes"
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Lindsborg Swedes, Their Neighbors & Friends ~
"B G GRÖNDAL PHOTOGRAPHER"
~ 2007, 2009 video account by Mr. Chris Abercrombie
with LINK to
Author Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy’s 2013
THROUGH THE LENS OF B.G. GRÖNDAL: KEEPER OF HIS TIME
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Lindsborg Swedes, Their Neighbors & Friends ~
"B G GRÖNDAL PHOTOGRAPHER"
~ 2007, 2009 video account by Mr. Chris Abercrombie
with LINK to
Author Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy’s 2013
THROUGH THE LENS OF B.G. GRÖNDAL: KEEPER OF HIS TIME
Bror Gustaf Gröndal
(1855-1948)
Lindsborg Photographer
From 1887 to 1945 for 58 years
Source: Tom Nelson online photograph
~BG~
In 2006, interest peaked in the photography of B. G. Gröndal's work. This was due to the first and "only" to date professional showcasing of his work at Lindsborg's McPherson County Old Mill Museum. The following year after this retrospective, Lindsborg Smoky Valley Historical Association "chief" historian Chris Abercrombie (1949-2017) created a video for the Kansas PBS Station Program: Real Kansas, on KPTS.
The title was simply "B G GRÖNDAL PHOTOGRAPHER."
In 2009, Mr. Abercrombie used his work to publish it on YouTube. Here are his words with this video as of June 21, 2009:
"B. G. (Bror) Gröndal was persuaded to come to Lindsborg, Kansas from Round Rock, Texas by Bethany College founder Carl Aaron Swensson in 1887. Gröndal's photography business stayed in operation until the end of World War II. Today's Turner Photography is the direct descendant of Gröndal's studio. This was one of my early videos when I wasn't as familiar with Adobe Premiere as I am today so the production values aren't as good as I would like. But it tells the story accurately. This video was selected to appear on the program Real Kansas on KPTS, our regional PBS station, in June 2007. Enjoy!"
The title was simply "B G GRÖNDAL PHOTOGRAPHER."
In 2009, Mr. Abercrombie used his work to publish it on YouTube. Here are his words with this video as of June 21, 2009:
"B. G. (Bror) Gröndal was persuaded to come to Lindsborg, Kansas from Round Rock, Texas by Bethany College founder Carl Aaron Swensson in 1887. Gröndal's photography business stayed in operation until the end of World War II. Today's Turner Photography is the direct descendant of Gröndal's studio. This was one of my early videos when I wasn't as familiar with Adobe Premiere as I am today so the production values aren't as good as I would like. But it tells the story accurately. This video was selected to appear on the program Real Kansas on KPTS, our regional PBS station, in June 2007. Enjoy!"
"B. G. GRÖNDAL PHOTOGRAPHER"
by
Mr. Chris Abercrombie
2009
First created for "Real Kansas," KPTS / PBS, 2007
THE TRANSCRIPT
Who would think a church convention in Round Rock, Texas could play an important role in the history of Lindsborg?
That church convention was attended by Bethany College Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson and a young Swedish born photographer Bror Gustaf Gröndal. Swensson was so impressed with the young photographer he invited him to Lindsborg.
Gröndal was born in Västerås, Sweden, in 1855, one of eleven children. After his father's death his mother moved the family to Uppsala where she thought the children would received a better education.
Not so for the restless young Bror. His mother bought him a round trip ticket to the U.S. and he headed for work in the orange groves of Florida. He was 14 years old when he left Sweden.
Young Gröndal worked in the groves and then in a sawmill. While in Florida, he contracted yellow fever. His doctor suggested the best cure for the disease would be a sea voyage. So Gröndal signed on to work on a clipper ship sailing to many parts of the world.
As a young worker adventurer, Gröndal never liked to sail on a ship twice. He was fascinated by the sea and changed ships often eventually landing in Chicago where he worked on the wharf.
It was in Chicago where Gröndal became interested in photography and went on to apprentice with a photographer in St. Paul, Minnesota. Once he had developed confidence in his skills, he headed for a warmer climate in the Swedish settlement of Round Rock, Texas. There he met an attractive young photographer named Sarah Nyod who was already in business.
The two photographers became friends, then courted and married. By 1886, the photographic business was well under way when Aaron Swensson attended that fateful church convention. Swensson was enthusiastic about Gröndal work and convinced the young couple to come to Lindsborg.
They agreed to try it for a year. That year grew into a lifetime. The Gröndal's settled into a house in the four hundred block of North Main and raised their family in the small Swedish community.
Gröndal established his studio in 1887 and is remembered to this day for his meticulous craftmanship and his rare ability to capture personalities on film.
Gröndal developed a special friendship with Dr. Swensson, was an enthusiastic supporter of the College, an avid sports fan and active in politics. When presidential candidate Teddy Roosevelt came to Lindsborg, it was Gröndal who organized a community supper for him.
Gröndal never forgot the adventures of his youth, often sharing sea stories and sailor songs with his children and grandchildren.
Gröndal maintained his studio on Main Street into his 90s. He died in 1948.
-- Chris Abercrombie
That church convention was attended by Bethany College Dr. Carl Aaron Swensson and a young Swedish born photographer Bror Gustaf Gröndal. Swensson was so impressed with the young photographer he invited him to Lindsborg.
Gröndal was born in Västerås, Sweden, in 1855, one of eleven children. After his father's death his mother moved the family to Uppsala where she thought the children would received a better education.
Not so for the restless young Bror. His mother bought him a round trip ticket to the U.S. and he headed for work in the orange groves of Florida. He was 14 years old when he left Sweden.
Young Gröndal worked in the groves and then in a sawmill. While in Florida, he contracted yellow fever. His doctor suggested the best cure for the disease would be a sea voyage. So Gröndal signed on to work on a clipper ship sailing to many parts of the world.
As a young worker adventurer, Gröndal never liked to sail on a ship twice. He was fascinated by the sea and changed ships often eventually landing in Chicago where he worked on the wharf.
It was in Chicago where Gröndal became interested in photography and went on to apprentice with a photographer in St. Paul, Minnesota. Once he had developed confidence in his skills, he headed for a warmer climate in the Swedish settlement of Round Rock, Texas. There he met an attractive young photographer named Sarah Nyod who was already in business.
The two photographers became friends, then courted and married. By 1886, the photographic business was well under way when Aaron Swensson attended that fateful church convention. Swensson was enthusiastic about Gröndal work and convinced the young couple to come to Lindsborg.
They agreed to try it for a year. That year grew into a lifetime. The Gröndal's settled into a house in the four hundred block of North Main and raised their family in the small Swedish community.
Gröndal established his studio in 1887 and is remembered to this day for his meticulous craftmanship and his rare ability to capture personalities on film.
Gröndal developed a special friendship with Dr. Swensson, was an enthusiastic supporter of the College, an avid sports fan and active in politics. When presidential candidate Teddy Roosevelt came to Lindsborg, it was Gröndal who organized a community supper for him.
Gröndal never forgot the adventures of his youth, often sharing sea stories and sailor songs with his children and grandchildren.
Gröndal maintained his studio on Main Street into his 90s. He died in 1948.
-- Chris Abercrombie
*
For information on B. G. Gröndal's granddaughter's book, start HERE with Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy ~ Chronicling the Lindsborg, Bethany College and Smoky Valley Photography of Swede Bror Gustaf Gröndal, 1887 - 1945.
*
THROUGH THE LENS OF B.G. GRONDAL: KEEPER OF HIS TIME
by his granddaughter
Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy
This photograph "is in a collection of Lindsborg work in the Library of Congress" -- Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy,
page 105 of Through the Lens of Bror Gustaf Gröndal: Keeper of His Time.
THROUGH THE LENS OF B.G. GRONDAL: KEEPER OF HIS TIME
by his granddaughter
Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy
This photograph "is in a collection of Lindsborg work in the Library of Congress" -- Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy,
page 105 of Through the Lens of Bror Gustaf Gröndal: Keeper of His Time.
Courtesy of the Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy Family.
* * *
"Let Us Celebrate Them"
* * *
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
"Let Us Celebrate Them"
* * *
Swedes: TheWayTheyWere
~ restoring lost local histories ~
reconnecting past to present
* * *
All color photography throughout Swedes: The Way They Were is by Fran Cochran unless otherwise indicated.
Copyright © since October 8, 2015 to Current Year
as indicated on main menu sections of
www.swedesthewaytheywere.org. All rights reserved.
