Einar Erici was a skilled amateur photographer who traveled across Sweden in the 1930s to document the country and its people. Best known for photographing church organs as part of his scientific research, he also turned his lens on ordinary citizens. Most of his portraits came from trips through the provinces of Gotland and Uppland.
Older men with long beards appear most often in Erici’s portraits. These were working-class men from rural Sweden. They stood still before the camera, staring directly into the lens with serious expressions. Their full facial hair was a defining feature, and Erici chose these subjects to show the traditional character of rural Swedish life.
Erici also photographed people in the middle of their daily routines. One man sits in his workshop crafting shoes with hand tools. Another digs in his garden with a shovel. Some subjects are caught playing guitar in their living rooms. The tools and instruments in each frame are authentic to the era.
Families also appear throughout the collection. Wives and children pose in front of wooden homes or inside simple kitchens. Erici included these settings deliberately — the buildings and furniture of Gotland and Uppland reveal the exact living conditions of 1930s rural Sweden.
