Ingmarssönerna (1919)

My partner Ivo Blom recently visited Sweden and found in a Stockholm shop this complete series of postcards of Ingmarssönerna (1919), also known as Dawn of Love and Sons of Ingmar. This film was directed by one of the two great masters of the Scandinavian silent cinema, Victor Sjöström. The maestro also plays one of the leading roles.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/1. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919) with Victor Sjöström as Young Ingmar Ingmarsson at Heaven's Gate. The caption translates: I would like to meet Old Ingmar to ask for his advice in an awkward matter.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/2. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: Brita from Bergskog (Mountain forest).


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/3. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Victor Sjöström and Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: I proposed to Brita from Bergskog.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/4. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Svea Peters (as Brita's mother), Harriet Bosse and Wilhelm Högstedt (as Sven). Translation caption: An nightly contest down at Bergskog.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/5. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Harriet Bosse and Wilhelm Högstedt. Translation caption: When I will be gone, will you give a thought to him who cannot be pleased?

Born out of wedlock

In Ingmarssönerna/Dawn of Love (1919), stage actress Harriet Bosse, the third wife of author August Strindberg, plays the leading role of the young farmer girl Brita.

Brita kills her baby girl, born out of wedlock. The father, young Ingmar Ingmarsson (Victor Sjöström), is the son of a rich and proud farmer's family, and he refuses to recognise his daughter.

This makes Brita an outcast, and she tries to commit suicide, but she is held back from jumping off the cliffs.

While Brita is in prison, Ingmar visits old Ingmar (Tore Svennberg) in heaven and he hears that he should forgive. Young Imgmar recognises his part in Brita's behaviour. When Brita is released, Ingmar asks for her hand. They marry and start a new life.

Ingmarssönerna/Sons of Ingmar (1919) is based on the first chapters of Selma Lagerlöf's novel Jerusalem (1901-1902), about religious emigrants from Sweden to Palestine. Lagerlöf would win the Nobel Prize for Literature for Jerusalem. In 1920, Victor Sjöström would also film Karin Ingmarsdotter, based on other chapters from the same novel.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/6. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: I will thus have to celebrate the baptism before the wedding.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/7. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Victor Sjöström and Hildur Karlberg (as jis mother Marta). Translation caption: Mother: It is because Brita will have her child, but then she will recover and it will be over.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/8. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: I have to do something or I won't find any rest in my soul.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/9. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Gustaf Ranft (as the Judge) and Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: And so before the district court the judge thinks it fair to sentence her to three years of prison.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/10. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: And now the prison chaplain urges her to write to Ingmar.

Victor Seastrom

Victor Sjöström (1879-1960) was one of the most important Swedish actors and directors. He was famous for his poetic and touching narratives.

Among his classic Swedish films are Ingeborg Holm (1913), Terje Vigen/A Man There Was (1916) - by then the most expensive Swedish film made - and Körkarlen/he Phantom Carriage (1920), which is considered one of the best Swedish silent films.

From 1923 on, Sjöström worked in the USA under the name of Victor Seastrom. In Hollywood, he directed such films as He Who Gets Slapped (1924), starring Lon Chaney, and The Wind (1928), starring Lilian Gish.

Sjöström returned to Sweden at the advent of sound cinema, and he continued working in Scandinavia. Memorable is his last acting part as the old professor in Smultronstället/Wild Strawberries (1957) by Ingmar Bergman.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/11. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: Brita the bride.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/12. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: She saw no one, she was just full of devotion and gratitude.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/13. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Victor Sjöström and Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: Now they understood why they were sitting alone on the bench.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/14. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Victor Sjöström and Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: They walked out of the church as soon as the sermon was over.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/15. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Harriet Bosse, Victor Sjöström and Hildur Karlberg. Translation caption: For God's sake, let us travel.


Swedish postcard by Nordisk Konst, Stockholm, no. 958/16. Photo: publicity still for Ingmarssönerna (Victor Sjöström, 1919), with Victor Sjöström and Harriet Bosse. Translation caption: You don't need to be afraid, there is one who helps us.

Sources: Wikipedia and IMDb.

This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday, hosted by Beth at the The Best Hearts are Crunchy. You can visit her by clicking on the button below.