Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s correspondence digitised for free use
The collection includes thousands of letters from hundreds of cultural figures.
The letters received by artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931) have been digitised for everyone to read in the Astia online service of the National Archives!
Gallen-Kallela had a wide circle of friends: the collection includes thousands of letters from hundreds of domestic and international artists and other significant cultural figures. The communications date from the late 19th century to the early 20th century.
“The digitisation and publication of the letters will make research material available to both international and domestic researchers,” says Elias Djupsjö, Collection Manager of the Gallen-Kallela Museum.
The digitised collection includes letters from Ida Aalberg, Emil Wickström, Hugo Simberg, Louis Sparre and Sigurd Wettenhovi-Aspa, among others
The letters archived in the National Archives of Finland are from the Gallen-Kallela Museum’s collection. Djupsjö (MA) and researcher Emmi Rintanen (MA, BTh) have digitised the material as part of a partnership agreement with the National Archives.
Partnership digitisation refers to digitisation in cooperation with the National Archives. The National Archives provides guidance and training on the use of its digitisation equipment and is responsible for exporting the material to back-end systems and, ultimately, to the Astia online service for customer use.
“This provides us with a high-quality and efficient way to digitise important material for researchers and the general public,” says Senior Inspector Vesa Anttila.
The materials will also be published on the Gallen-Kallela Museum's Finna page later in 2025.