Sunday, December 23, 2012

The Man at the Wheel



Statue honours seafarers Raised in 1936 as a memorial to those seafarers who perished at sea, the statue ‘The man at the wheel’ is the oldest outdoor piece of art in Mariehamn. Åland Post now issues an engraved stamp featuring the well-known statue.

Created by Emil Cedercreutz, the statue was cast in plaster in 1913. It was meant to be located in Rauma in Finland, but due to local criticism it was dismantled and left to collect dust for nearly 20 years. Agricultural Advisor Eliel Sundström purchased the statue and donated it to the Town of Mariehamn in honour of his father, Johan Edward Sundström (1843-1905), who went down with the ship Thomas Perry in the Atlantic Ocean in 1905.

The monument ‘The man at the wheel’ was unveiled in the Western Harbour of Mariehamn on July 31, 1936. First erected in the English Park, the statue was moved in the mid-1950s, because the Midsummer celebrations were considered to dishonour the statue. Today, it stands near the Maritime Museum and, every year, many people visit the statue to pay their respects on All Saints' Day.

Unique graphic sheet A unique graphic sheet of the issue ‘The Man at the Wheel’ has also been produced. Printed in a limited edition of only 300, each sheet is individually numbered and signed by engraver Lars Sjööblom. The printing was done by hand, sheet by sheet, in a handprinting press and on paper of very high quality, specifically designed for the printing of exclusive prints. The sheet measures 151 x 205 mm. 

Black print A so-called black print of the engraved issue ‘The Man at the Wheel’ will also be available in a limited edition of 2 000. With the same size as the stamp, the black print shows only the engraving, i.e. without the background photograph. Åland Post has previously offered black prints of the 2008 Lighthouse stamps.

Technical Details
Issue Date: 26.04.2012
Designer: Robert Jansson
Illustrator: Lars Sjööblom
Printer: Posten Sverige
Process: Combination printing, 4-colour offset
Colours: 4-colour offset
Size: 27 x 41.67 mm
Values: €3.00

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