Colourful houses from bygone days

Old residential buildings are in focus on the 2019 Sepac stamp series issued by the small posts of Europe. Åland Post highlights a type of carpenter’s houses, common in Åland around the turn of the century 1900. Artist Kjell Ekström designed the issue appearing on 9 May.

IN ÅLAND, most houses are built from wood. The dominating technique was the X-joint log house. The development of the sawing and timber industry in the 1800s increased the availability of industrially produced planed timber. Houses with a loft with planed panelling, a material that was also used for the porch, became popular. The wooden panelling was painted in oil paint, while red ochre was used for the carpentered and unplaned house body. Believed to have been introduced in Åland by Ostrobothnian craftsmen, this style stayed in fashion until World War I. Only some ten houses of this type are preserved in the Åland countryside today.

ONE OF THEM is the manor house of the Jonesas farm in Önningeby, Jomala. The last resident of the house died in 1980 and, today, the house is owned by Önningeby folklore society. A museum for the Önningeby artists’ colony lodges in the stone barn of the farm. One of its driving forces is stamp artist Kjell Ekström who informs us that the body of the manor house probably dates back to the mid-1800s. The loft was added during the first decade of the 1900s. The floor plan suggests a well-situated home; the reception room and an oblong hallway are flanked by two bed chambers on the left and the kitchen, on the right. The drawing-room and kitchen were most commonly placed on either side of the hallway. Kjell also reveals plans of the folklore society to open the farmhouse for guided tours in 2019. The drawing-room has recently been renovated, revealing the wooden ceiling and restoring the window frames.

391

SEPAC – OLD RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

DATE OF ISSUE: 9 May 2019 ARTIST: Kjell Ekström EDITION: 100 000

DENOMINATION: Europa ()1.70) PRICE FDC: )2.50

STAMP SIZE: 40 x 26.6 mm

SHEET SIZE: 2 x 16 stamps PAPER: 103 g/m² PERFORATION: 13 per 2 cm PRINTING METHOD: 4-colour offset

PRINTING HOUSE: Southern Colour Print

In Åland, the planed wood panelling was usually painted in light-green or light-grey oil paint as opposed to similar houses in Ostrobothnia where the red houses would often have a yellow upper part. The first day cancel shows one of the gable windows of the house.