Friends in Denmark

Denmark travel leaflet 1957

As Shelf Appeal contemplates yet another trip to Copenhagen, travel research becomes important. Most pre-trip research is undertaken online these days. But in 1957 they were explaining how to ‘Meet four million friends in Denmark’, and how could you refuse an offer like that?

This leaflet cover uses the fuzzy-felt school of graphics. One I am very fond of. It is even signed: Jyt Jerslev. But, and this is no surprise, there is nothing much to be found online about the artist or the history of felt picture making or even the history of felt. And it is such a nice fabric, felt. The Scandinavian felt clog or slipper might be a common sighting in interiors magazines these days but the provenance of the stuff is pretty much a cold trail.

The tone of this leaflet, like the smiling cover stars, is decidedly upbeat. It quotes the Daily Telegraph on Denmark: ‘Comfort and good food at low cost. You will have abundant fun in Denmark and oh! The Danes are so overwhelmingly kind and friendly’. It’s all about the flowers, stripy clothes (early Marimekko, surely?), arguments over small dogs. And a big old welcome.

The centre spread of the leaflet consists of photographs of suitably bucolic scenery, ye olde buildings and lots more smiling children and youth. Presumably some of your four million new friends?

2 Comments

Ann

Oh I love it! Don’t they look fabulous in their so-1950’s fashions. I’m very fond of felt and have collected leaflets and books produced by the wonderful Dryad Press but they mostly suggest projects aimed at children and the designs are usually simple. The innovative needlecrafters of the 1930s and 40s used felt occasionally too. However Jyt Jerslev has taken the craft to another level entirely!

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shelf appeal

I love the Dryad leaflets too. I have managed not to collect more than a couple, but it is hard.

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