Letter from a sailor's wife.

[aukepalmhof]

This year’s theme for the Europe stamps is letter writing. The connection to the sea, and more specifically to a sailor’s wife, was evident for the Åland Post. The sailor’s wife has a strong role in Åland and is something of a national character.
Letter writing used to be the only means for the Åland sailors to communicate with their relatives back home in Åland when they were on their long stays at sea. But even today letter writing is frequently used even though one could also use the phone or send e-mail. In the old days, the women wrote mostly about practical things in their letters to their sailors. The letters could be about the wellbeing of their children or about the cows and the possible calves they had had.

The stamp depicts a woman standing on shore looking at an Ålandic ship. In addition, a part of a letter from the year 1896 can be seen, written by the sailor’s wife Ida to her husband Albin. The letter is included in the collections found in the Åland Maritime Museum.

Aland 2008 1.00 Euro sg?, scott? ( the vessel on the stamp till so far not identified.)

Aland Post Office info leaflet.