Date of use : 1920 Sweden

Swedish Business Mail to USA with King Gustaf V Stamps

This Swedish-dispatched cover was addressed to "J. S. Lundgren," a photographer in the town of Kane, Pennsylvania, United States. One of the most striking aspects of the envelope is that the recipient's profession is clearly indicated. The word "Photographer" suggests that the correspondence was directly connected to photographic activity. In the early 1900s, photographers were not limited to operating portrait studios; they were also involved in producing postcards, preparing commercial documents, and supplying visual material for local newspapers. For this reason, international correspondence relating to equipment supply, sample prints, or business connections would have been entirely normal.

The fact that the letter was sent from Sweden to the United States also raises the possibility of immigrant connections. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, large numbers of Swedish immigrants settled in America, particularly in industrial regions such as the Midwest and Pennsylvania. The surname Lundgren is of Scandinavian origin, which suggests that the recipient may have belonged to an immigrant family. As such, this document is significant because it demonstrates that even a small-scale photographer could have been part of a transatlantic communication network.

Record Information

Title: Swedish Business Mail to USA with King Gustaf V Stamps

Category: Photographic History / International Correspondence

Subcategory: Immigrant Networks / Studio Practices

Country: Sweden → USA

City: Sweden → Kane, Pennsylvania

Date of use: circa 1920

Recipient: J. S. Lundgren, Photographer, Kane, Pennsylvania, USA. Surname suggests Scandinavian origin, possibly part of Swedish immigrant community. A local photographer engaged in portrait work, postcard production, or commercial documentation.

Sender: Unidentified individual or business in Sweden.

Object Type: International commercial/personal cover

Postal Features: Swedish stamps featuring King Gustaf V; transatlantic postal markings; addressed to a photographer in Pennsylvania.

Language: English, Swedish

Material: Paper envelope

Dimensions: Standard envelope format

Collection Theme: J. S. Lundgren, Swedish-American photography, immigrant photographers, transatlantic correspondence, early 20th-century studio networks, King Gustaf V stamps, Pennsylvania photography.

Archival Significance: This 1920 cover documents transatlantic communication between Sweden and a photographer of likely Swedish descent in Pennsylvania. It illustrates the integration of immigrant photographers into international networks for equipment supply or professional exchange. The explicit "Photographer" designation confirms the recipient's profession. This item is a primary source for understanding the connections between European origins and American photographic practice in the early 20th century.

Research Note:

This article is based on historical research and independent analysis of the material in the author's collection. The text has been prepared as an original interpretative study and does not reproduce copyrighted material.

This item is documented as part of the Photography in Postal History research project.
For research context, see the Research Methodology.
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