"The Other Swedes"
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~
Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy
2013 "Through the Lens of B.G. Gröndal: Keeper of His Time"
~ Dedication, Foreword by Mrs. Lorna Nelson, Preface by Mr. Don Weddle, Acknowledgments
~ Celebrating Them ~
~ The Smoky Valley Writers ~
Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy
2013 "Through the Lens of B.G. Gröndal: Keeper of His Time"
~ Dedication, Foreword by Mrs. Lorna Nelson, Preface by Mr. Don Weddle, Acknowledgments
DEDICATED TO
Bethany College
The Smoky Valley Community
And to the Gröndal Descendants
AND
IN MEMORY OF
Bror Gustaf Gröndal
Sarah Margaret Noyd Gröndal
PHOTOGRAPHY BY B.G. GRÖNDAL I TEXT BY MARGARET DAHLQUIST EDDY I DESIGN BY CYNTHIA EDDY
***
Bethany College
The Smoky Valley Community
And to the Gröndal Descendants
AND
IN MEMORY OF
Bror Gustaf Gröndal
Sarah Margaret Noyd Gröndal
PHOTOGRAPHY BY B.G. GRÖNDAL I TEXT BY MARGARET DAHLQUIST EDDY I DESIGN BY CYNTHIA EDDY
***
FOREWORD
THROUGH THE LENS OF B. G. GRÖNDAL, KEEPER OF HIS TIME showcases the life and work of a gifted Swedish-American photographer who worked in the Lindsborg and Smoky Valley area of Kansas from 1887 to 1945. His work spanned the age of photography, from the use of wet plates to dry, to sensitized film, and the advent of color photography. Gröndal‘s unique perspective and talent brought artistry to the recording of life in the Smoky Valley for nearly 60 years.
B.G. Gröndal documented life in a Swedish-American community in the Midwest from the settlement period of the 1880s, through the time of transition and Americanization, and the end of WW II. His talent allowed him to capture people and places around him in a way that transcends the passage of time. He was generous with his time and dedicated to the highest quality in his work. Families across the area captured much of their own history through Gröndal‘s lens.
Gröndal influenced the changing field of photography and received recognition for his efforts. Manufactures named a new photo mount after him in 1903. In 1905 he helped organize the Kansas Photographers Club, a highly recognized and exclusive group limited to 12 photographers at a given time. He served as an officer of the Kansas Professional Photographers Association and earned numerous accolades from colleagues. As the state’s oldest active photographer for many years, he earned the title of “Dean of Kansas Photographers.”
Gröndal‘s reputation as a master of photography was remembered after his passing with these words:
"He came to Lindsborg with his camera in 1887, established himself in the community, and built such a state-of-the-art studio in 1908 that photographers from across the state flocked to the town to see it."
Lorna Nelson, Director
McPherson County Old Mill Museum
***
PREFACE
The Magic of Lindsborg Is People
If this is a startling statement, well, that's natural because magic is startling.
Let me explain. As far back as I can remember, it was people – not matinee idols
or other famous folks – who impressed me most. To me, distinguished and accomplished
local people are so vivid. Except for a few national figures such as
Admiral Byrd and Charles Lindbergh, most of the people that are so vivid to me
are Lindsborg people. They are my heroes.
Bror Gröndal, the gifted photographer, gave us color and electricity, vitality
and vigor. His chatter and wit were always present. His artistic stimulus
was a wizardly part of the setting. His understanding of the depth of his subjects
was, for him, in his nature.
Bror was handsome, like Thomas Alva Edison. I thought of him as a gallant
Swedish sailor. My vision of him was strangely part
of the imaginary of his falling from a ship in New Orleans harbor.
He died when I was young.
To this day, I think of his former studio as the Gröndal atelier.
Don Weddle | April 9, 2010
[For a time, Mr. Weddle (1923-2017) came to be referred to by some as the unofficial ambassador of Lindsborg.]
***
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
"THERE ARE MANY TO THANK FOR THEIR PART IN THIS BOOK"
"My profuse thanks go to my daughter Cynthia Eddy, New York City, for her talent and knowledge to design and publish this tribute to her great-grandfather, Bror Gustaf Gröndal. "Posthumous thanks to Edith Gröndal Carlson, Seattle, Washington, B. G.'s daughter who wrote pages of recollections that supplied the main body of the text. Without her recollections much of this history would have been lost. Sentences and phrases can be found in the text that have been copied verbatim from her notes. Information from Dr. Bror Leonard Gröndal about his father's work was from the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections and gathered by his granddaughter Barbara Boyd of Seattle. The Gröndal family photographs in Seattle are cared for by Barbara's sister Margaret Gröndal Delourme, who graciously made them available. "Deep gratitude to Jane Brunsell for financial support in memory of her mother, Emeline Rosander Brunsell; also, to Jim Turner, professional photographer, who scanned the prints and the glass negatives in the Turner Red Brick Gallery and Studio of Lindsborg, Kansas; and to Ruth Ann Leaf, editor. "Bob Brinkman, Texas State Historical Society, researched and supplied the Round Rock locations and copies of legal documents. "Grateful thanks go to Don Weddle who suggested the book, wrote the beautiful Preface and encouraged me: 'Margaret, you have to.' He and other local historians including Jane Brunsell, A. John Pearson, and Chris Abercrombie offered their encouragement and knowledge. |
"Key figures who have never wavered in their invaluable assistance and graciousness in locating photographs include Bethany College Librarian Denise Carson and assistant Lucy Walline. Included in this group must be the McPherson County Old Mill Museum Director Lorna Nelson and Archivist Lenora Lynam. Mrs Nelson also authored the Foreword. Charlotte Ternstrom, longstanding guardian of the Bethany Lutheran Church archives, was an invaluable resource. The photograph and scan of the Davis Coffee Shop is courtesy of Linn and Mary Peterson archives in the McPherson Kansas, Public Library.
"Recognition for reading the text and offering helpful suggestions is given to the following: Alf Brorson, Torsby, Sweden; Karen Humphrey, Saint Paul, Minnesota; Nancy Peterson, Manhattan, Kansas; A. J. Hanley, New York City; Lorna Nelson, Lindsborg, Kansas; Luca Blackburn, Clay Center, Kansas. "Years of history gleaned from the local newspapers yielded a rich mine of Gröndal lore -- their friends, social events, school news, the frequent Gröndal Studio advertisements. Books were read by the author describing early photography and methods. "Deep appreciation is expressed to those in the Lindsborg community who answered my invitation to submit their Gröndal photographs. The following families gave generously from their large collections; Hilding and Esther Marie Jaderborg, Royer and Althea Barclay, Linn and Mary Peterson, and Lee and Susie Ruggels. Glass negatives used were from Jim Turner and Tom Jaderborg. The greatest considerations in selecting from the hundreds of photographs were their artistic merit and the capture of a moment in time." Margaret Dahlquist Eddy Granddaughter of Bror Gustaf Gröndal |
Go HERE to "Through the Lens of B.G. Gröndal: Keeper of His Time:
~ The Words of Mrs. Eddy: "Life Experiences" "The Smoky Valley"
Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy
(1927-2017)
Granddaughter of B.G. Gröndal
(1927-2017)
Granddaughter of B.G. Gröndal
Bror Gustaf Gröndal
(1855-1948)
Lindsborg's Photographer
1887-1945
“Dean of Kansas Photographers”
* * *
The Family of Mrs. Margaret Dahlquist Eddy has kindly extended permission to share selections from her
2013 Through the Lens of Bror Gustaf Gröndal: Keeper of His Time in SWEDES, 8-23-23.
This "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.
2013 Through the Lens of Bror Gustaf Gröndal: Keeper of His Time in SWEDES, 8-23-23.
This "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.
SOURCE: THROUGH THE LENS OF B.G. GRÖNDAL: KEEPER OF HIS TIME
* * *
"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.