Per Olov Jansson

01

The legacy of the summers in Pellinge – the love of the sea

The middle child in the Jansson family, Per Olov, was introduced to the cliffs and sea of Pellinge at an early age, as the Janssons began spending their summers in Porvoo's Pellinge archipelago when he was just a year old. These childhood summers became meaningful and had a lasting impact on the children of the Jansson family, even if they did not realise it at the time.

“My brother Per Olov is happiest below the surface of the sea, my brother Lasse above the surface, and I am happiest on land looking out over the sea.” Tove Jansson described her siblings’ relationship with the sea like this in a radio programme she and her brothers made in the early 1960s for the public broadcaster Yle’s Swedish-language radio channel. Nature’s importance to the careers of both Tove and Per Olov was enormous.

In his book Teckna, men med ljus (“Draw, but with light”, 2006), Per Olov, six years younger than Tove, describes how Tove’s dreams were realised in her cottage on an island, while Per Olov’s own dreams were about the sea; fishing, sailing, diving. When Per Olov was just 18, he went sailing with his uncle Harald Hammarsten. The sailing trip, which lasted several months and included climbing in the Norwegian mountains, was a perfect example of the adventurous spirit that characterised the Hammarsten and Jansson families.

“As for Tove, I didn’t envy her because she was better at drawing and writing and had a more vivid imagination, but it was annoying that she was a better swimmer.” Per Olov reminisces in Resa med Tove: en minnesbok om Tove Jansson (“Travelling with Tove: A memoir of Tove Jansson”, 2002). As an adult, however, Per Olov made a wetsuit by gluing together neoprene for so that Tove could swim in the sea even when it was cold.

The 18-year-old Per Olov Jansson on a months-long sailing trip with his uncle.

Uncle Harald Hammarsten kept a detailed logbook of sailing trips and Per Olov also wrote his own personal diary. The diary has since been published as a self-published book, Med Thalatta till Nordkap, with an ex libris drawn by Tove.

The middle child in the Jansson family, Per Olov, was introduced to the cliffs and sea of Pellinge at an early age, as the Janssons began spending their summers in Porvoo's Pellinge archipelago when he was just a year old. These childhood summers became meaningful and had a lasting impact on the children of the Jansson family, even if they did not realise it at the time.

“My brother Per Olov is happiest below the surface of the sea, my brother Lasse above the surface, and I am happiest on land looking out over the sea.” Tove Jansson described her siblings’ relationship with the sea like this in a radio programme she and her brothers made in the early 1960s for the public broadcaster Yle’s Swedish-language radio channel. Nature’s importance to the careers of both Tove and Per Olov was enormous.

In his book Teckna, men med ljus (“Draw, but with light”, 2006), Per Olov, six years younger than Tove, describes how Tove’s dreams were realised in her cottage on an island, while Per Olov’s own dreams were about the sea; fishing, sailing, diving. When Per Olov was just 18, he went sailing with his uncle Harald Hammarsten. The sailing trip, which lasted several months and included climbing in the Norwegian mountains, was a perfect example of the adventurous spirit that characterised the Hammarsten and Jansson families.

“As for Tove, I didn’t envy her because she was better at drawing and writing and had a more vivid imagination, but it was annoying that she was a better swimmer.” Per Olov reminisces in Resa med Tove: en minnesbok om Tove Jansson (“Travelling with Tove: A memoir of Tove Jansson”, 2002). As an adult, however, Per Olov made a wetsuit by gluing together neoprene for so that Tove could swim in the sea even when it was cold.

02

In shadows and light: at the crossroads of war, family and art

Per Olov Jansson was born into a family of artists where creativity and storytelling were central to everyday life. He grew up in a creative environment and sought his own voice in the arts, with his family's expectations creating their own challenges.

Per Olov “Prolle” Jansson (1920-2019) was born in Helsinki in April 1920, the second child in a family consisting of the illustrator Signe “Ham” Hammarsten Jansson and the sculptor Viktor “Faffan” Jansson and their firstborn child Tove. The family was completed with another son six years later when younger brother Lars “Lasse” Jansson was born.

Storytelling was a central part of the Jansson family’s life, and thus it was for Per Olov too. The family’s children grew up in a creative environment in the artist parents’ studio home, where they supported each other in many ways. However, Per Olov felt enormous pressure to create art, surrounded by the achievements of both parents and siblings: his sister Tove sold her first drawing at the age of 14, and his younger brother Lars wrote his first book at almost the same age. Under these circumstances, Per Olov was also expected to produce art and literature.

Per Olov, who studied philology and psychology at the University of Helsinki, was sent to the front during the Second World War, to the horror of his family. During the war, he found his artistic passion in photography, inspired by his sailing expedition with his uncle Harald, who was also an accomplished photographer. After surviving the war, Per Olov worked mainly as an industrial and advertising photographer, although the camera he bought in 1938 was taken by the Russians at the end of the war when Per Olov was wounded and lost his rucksack.

“4 air-raid warnings before breakfast. It’s all underway in earnest now and one dreads the news. Things are hot where Prolle is. Mama is tired and depressed.”

Tove Jansson in a letter to her friend Eva Konikoff in the USA on 27 June 1941.

Per Olov met his future wife Saga Jonsson in 1943, when a poetic advert was published in Hufvudstadbladet seeking pen pals among the front-line officers, and Per Olov’s reply led to Saga and Per Olov meeting. The correspondence led to a lifelong relationship when the couple married in 1945. The family had children Peter (1946-) and Ingegerd (1948-) and foster daughter Maija Anneli ‘Misan’. Saga was an active member of Save the Children and over the years the family cared for nearly 80 children waiting for adoption. Sometimes up to three children were cared for at the same time, and the family’s own children were a great help in changing the diapers and caring for the little ones.

While Tove and the Moomins took over the world, Per Olov focused on his family. His wife Saga, his children, and later grandchildren and great-grandchildren became more important to Per Olov than his own artistic career and success, although Per Olov admitted that he often photographed his children for his photography competition entries rather than to document family life.

“When I became a father myself, I remembered what it was that I had admired most in my parents. Not professional skills or success, but moments of unexpected boldness, irrational actions, and very simple things close to nature, such as being able to orient in the forest, fillet a cod in a few seconds, swim, ski, and shoot. That’s what I wanted to be for my children.”

Per Olov Jansson, Minnen från Edisviken (“Memories from Edisviken“).

Tove and her six-years-younger brother Per Olov.

There is also a six-year age gap between Per Olov and his younger brother Lars.

Per Olov Jansson was born into a family of artists where creativity and storytelling were central to everyday life. He grew up in a creative environment and sought his own voice in the arts, with his family's expectations creating their own challenges.

Per Olov “Prolle” Jansson (1920-2019) was born in Helsinki in April 1920, the second child in a family consisting of the illustrator Signe “Ham” Hammarsten Jansson and the sculptor Viktor “Faffan” Jansson and their firstborn child Tove. The family was completed with another son six years later when younger brother Lars “Lasse” Jansson was born.

Storytelling was a central part of the Jansson family’s life, and thus it was for Per Olov too. The family’s children grew up in a creative environment in the artist parents’ studio home, where they supported each other in many ways. However, Per Olov felt enormous pressure to create art, surrounded by the achievements of both parents and siblings: his sister Tove sold her first drawing at the age of 14, and his younger brother Lars wrote his first book at almost the same age. Under these circumstances, Per Olov was also expected to produce art and literature.

Per Olov, who studied philology and psychology at the University of Helsinki, was sent to the front during the Second World War, to the horror of his family. During the war, he found his artistic passion in photography, inspired by his sailing expedition with his uncle Harald, who was also an accomplished photographer. After surviving the war, Per Olov worked mainly as an industrial and advertising photographer, although the camera he bought in 1938 was taken by the Russians at the end of the war when Per Olov was wounded and lost his rucksack.

“4 air-raid warnings before breakfast. It’s all underway in earnest now and one dreads the news. Things are hot where Prolle is. Mama is tired and depressed.”

Tove Jansson in a letter to her friend Eva Konikoff in the USA on 27 June 1941.

Per Olov met his future wife Saga Jonsson in 1943, when a poetic advert was published in Hufvudstadbladet seeking pen pals among the front-line officers, and Per Olov’s reply led to Saga and Per Olov meeting. The correspondence led to a lifelong relationship when the couple married in 1945. The family had children Peter (1946-) and Ingegerd (1948-) and foster daughter Maija Anneli ‘Misan’. Saga was an active member of Save the Children and over the years the family cared for nearly 80 children waiting for adoption. Sometimes up to three children were cared for at the same time, and the family’s own children were a great help in changing the diapers and caring for the little ones.

While Tove and the Moomins took over the world, Per Olov focused on his family. His wife Saga, his children, and later grandchildren and great-grandchildren became more important to Per Olov than his own artistic career and success, although Per Olov admitted that he often photographed his children for his photography competition entries rather than to document family life.

“When I became a father myself, I remembered what it was that I had admired most in my parents. Not professional skills or success, but moments of unexpected boldness, irrational actions, and very simple things close to nature, such as being able to orient in the forest, fillet a cod in a few seconds, swim, ski, and shoot. That’s what I wanted to be for my children.”

Per Olov Jansson, Minnen från Edisviken (“Memories from Edisviken“).

03

Photographer and gold digger at heart

Per Olov Jansson was known as a photographer whose camera captured family members and a famous sister, but whose particular interest lay in capturing the sea, forests and islands. Over the years, Per Olov's passion expanded to include scuba diving and gold panning, but time and again he returned to his images, where careful planning met the beauty of nature.

As a photography enthusiast, Per Olov Jansson found his closest connection to the landscape – the sea, the archipelago, and the forest. Alongside his hobby of art and nature photography, Per Olov documented his family, but also his sister Tove, her work, and her studio. Per Olov also took all the photographs for his sister’s book Skurken i Muminhuset (“The Scoundrel in the Moominhouse”, 1980). In all his various photographs, Per Olov was known for his careful planning and composition of the image.

In the 1950s, Per Olov and his brother Lasse took commercial aerial photographs for Aerofoto. In his book Teckna, men med ljus (“Draw, but with light”, 2006), Per Olov describes the difficulties of taking aerial photographs without zoom in the 1950s. As competition increased, profitability declined, and the company closed in 1956. His brother Lasse became increasingly involved in the production of Tove’s Moomin cartoons, while Per Olov had found a new and interesting hobby for his summer holidays.

As a counterbalance to his post-war career, Jansson devoted himself to diving and was later made an honorary member number 1 of the Finnish Divers’ Federation. Per Olov mainly developed diving navigation and later switched to underwater gold digging. After making diving suits for his entire family, Per Olov’s love of adventure now took a new form.

Per Olov’s son Peter also started diving and was his father’s faithful diving buddy for 30 years. The duo searched for wrecks and Per Olov tried to photograph diving in them, even though the murky waters of the Gulf of Finland were a problem already back then. In 1969, father and son were awarded the Finnish Divers’ Federation’s “Diver of the Year” award. The award was presented for the first time to two divers and highlighted the duo’s habit of always diving together, which is very important for communication and diving safety.

Their diving skills and existing equipment came in handy when Per Olov’s brother Lasse also became enthusiastic about diving for gold. Digging for gold using scuba diving was originally Per Olov’s idea after he read about it in an American diving magazine. Together with Lasse and Peter, Per Olov took conventional gold panning to a new level when they started diving for gold in the mid-1950s and 1960s in Finnish Lapland using a suction dredge that Per Olov had built himself.

It was not until his 80th birthday that Per Olov organised his first exhibition, following in the footsteps of the other members of his childhood family. Even before his first exhibition, however, he had already been successful in several major photo competitions and was thus a well-known photographer. For his photo exhibition in 2000, Per Olov Jansson selected pictures of his beloved Pellinge taken from 1943 onwards. Being a far-sighted person, he also returned to the landscapes he had known since childhood to take even more nature photographs for the exhibition. These photographs showed even greater detail in the diversity of nature, its individual parts, and colours.

When photographing his sister, Per Olov saw confidence in Tove's hands, but always a subtle tension in her face and body. He felt that he never managed to take a picture where Tove was completely relaxed and unprotected.

Per Olov with his family in their living room. They are wearing diving suits made by Per Olov for his family.

Per Olov is said to have been generous in sharing advice with anyone interested in diving for gold and he kept a detailed list of places where gold had been found. Photo of Lars, photographed by brother Per Olov.

Per Olov Jansson was known as a photographer whose camera captured family members and a famous sister, but whose particular interest lay in capturing the sea, forests and islands. Over the years, Per Olov's passion expanded to include scuba diving and gold panning, but time and again he returned to his images, where careful planning met the beauty of nature.

As a photography enthusiast, Per Olov Jansson found his closest connection to the landscape – the sea, the archipelago, and the forest. Alongside his hobby of art and nature photography, Per Olov documented his family, but also his sister Tove, her work, and her studio. Per Olov also took all the photographs for his sister’s book Skurken i Muminhuset (“The Scoundrel in the Moominhouse”, 1980). In all his various photographs, Per Olov was known for his careful planning and composition of the image.

In the 1950s, Per Olov and his brother Lasse took commercial aerial photographs for Aerofoto. In his book Teckna, men med ljus (“Draw, but with light”, 2006), Per Olov describes the difficulties of taking aerial photographs without zoom in the 1950s. As competition increased, profitability declined, and the company closed in 1956. His brother Lasse became increasingly involved in the production of Tove’s Moomin cartoons, while Per Olov had found a new and interesting hobby for his summer holidays.

As a counterbalance to his post-war career, Jansson devoted himself to diving and was later made an honorary member number 1 of the Finnish Divers’ Federation. Per Olov mainly developed diving navigation and later switched to underwater gold digging. After making diving suits for his entire family, Per Olov’s love of adventure now took a new form.

Per Olov’s son Peter also started diving and was his father’s faithful diving buddy for 30 years. The duo searched for wrecks and Per Olov tried to photograph diving in them, even though the murky waters of the Gulf of Finland were a problem already back then. In 1969, father and son were awarded the Finnish Divers’ Federation’s “Diver of the Year” award. The award was presented for the first time to two divers and highlighted the duo’s habit of always diving together, which is very important for communication and diving safety.

Their diving skills and existing equipment came in handy when Per Olov’s brother Lasse also became enthusiastic about diving for gold. Digging for gold using scuba diving was originally Per Olov’s idea after he read about it in an American diving magazine. Together with Lasse and Peter, Per Olov took conventional gold panning to a new level when they started diving for gold in the mid-1950s and 1960s in Finnish Lapland using a suction dredge that Per Olov had built himself.

It was not until his 80th birthday that Per Olov organised his first exhibition, following in the footsteps of the other members of his childhood family. Even before his first exhibition, however, he had already been successful in several major photo competitions and was thus a well-known photographer. For his photo exhibition in 2000, Per Olov Jansson selected pictures of his beloved Pellinge taken from 1943 onwards. Being a far-sighted person, he also returned to the landscapes he had known since childhood to take even more nature photographs for the exhibition. These photographs showed even greater detail in the diversity of nature, its individual parts, and colours.

04

Emotional expressions and traces of creativity at the Jansson family outhouse

For many of the members of the Jansson family, it was easier to write than to show their feelings and talk about them out loud. When Tove decorated the outhouse wall of family's summer cottage with pictures, thoughts and quotes, Per Olov wrote his comments under Tove's texts instead of speaking. It was this kind of conversation that led to the creation of Tove's first Moomin character.

On 7 February 2019, the middle Jansson sibling, Per Olov, passed away at the age of 98. In addition to being an important source for researchers of Tove Jansson’s history through his photographs, Per Olov also played an important role in the creation of the very first Moomintroll. It is confirmed that Tove drew her first troll on the outhouse wall in Pellinge in the 1930s while Tove and Per Olov were having a philosophical discussion in text and pictures.

Tove had been arguing with her brother about philosophical issues and had gone to the outhouse to vent her frustration. She drew the ugliest creature she could think of on the wall, a rather thin and pointy one, which later became the soft and round Moomintroll that everyone loved. Although Tove was the one who drew the first Moomintroll on the wall, Per Olov was part of the artistic family that made room for and valued creativity.

The first Moomin-like character from the 1930s.

A photo showing Per Olov participating in the AFK (Amateur Photographers Club) competition.

For many of the members of the Jansson family, it was easier to write than to show their feelings and talk about them out loud. When Tove decorated the outhouse wall of family's summer cottage with pictures, thoughts and quotes, Per Olov wrote his comments under Tove's texts instead of speaking. It was this kind of conversation that led to the creation of Tove's first Moomin character.

On 7 February 2019, the middle Jansson sibling, Per Olov, passed away at the age of 98. In addition to being an important source for researchers of Tove Jansson’s history through his photographs, Per Olov also played an important role in the creation of the very first Moomintroll. It is confirmed that Tove drew her first troll on the outhouse wall in Pellinge in the 1930s while Tove and Per Olov were having a philosophical discussion in text and pictures.

Tove had been arguing with her brother about philosophical issues and had gone to the outhouse to vent her frustration. She drew the ugliest creature she could think of on the wall, a rather thin and pointy one, which later became the soft and round Moomintroll that everyone loved. Although Tove was the one who drew the first Moomintroll on the wall, Per Olov was part of the artistic family that made room for and valued creativity.

The legacy of the summers in Pellinge – the love of the sea

In shadows and light: at the crossroads of war, family and art

Photographer and gold digger at heart

Emotional expressions and traces of creativity at the Jansson family outhouse

OTHER PEOPLE

Lars Jansson

Signe Hammarsten Jansson

Viktor Jansson