“Spying is waiting”
― John le Carré, The Russia House
Marketing at Hötorget (the Haymarket) in Stockholm City. To the left is the Stockholm Concert Hall, inaugurated in 1926. 1943
What we know of Fredrik Daniel Bruno (1882–1971) we learn via the Swedish National Hertiage Board. Born and raised in Hudiksvall in the province of Hälsingland, in the northern part of central Sweden, Bruno was an engineer and a “dedicated amateur photographer”. He traveled widely, taking colour photographs of Sweden in the 1940s and early 1950s. The pictures are shot with either expensive Kodachrome or Agfacolor diapositive film. Through his lens we see Swedish towns – buildings, harbours, squares, monuments, docks, markets and public parks – Göteborg (Gothenburg) on the west coast and Stockholm, the Swedish capital. But his images of people are what really grab you. There are crowd scenes, but people are often alone and isolated in the street, their backs the camera. Bruno seems to be watching them. Once you notice them, you get an itch that these individuals are his true field of study. The sightseeing is a ruse. There’s something of the secret agent about this engineer’s approach to photography. The pictures fizz with atmosphere. A stray thumb, a fame from the shadows, his positioning in the middle of the road or a high vantage point… We sense the photographer’s presence. The figure with the camera is watching. Do you see him? He sees you:
Stigbergskajen and Masthuggskajen quays in Gothenburg, by Göta River. View from the Maritime Museum. 1944
Hötorget (The Haymarket) in Stockholm City. 1942
Drottninggatan street, at the junction with Brunkebergsgatan street in Stockholm city. 1944
Järnvägsgatan (Railway street) in Karlstad and Hotel Drott to the left. 1943
People in the park of Trädgårdsföreningen, The Garden Society of Gothenburg. 1948
Henriksberg Restaurant, also called the Lind House, at Stigbergsliden in Gothenburg. 1
Brunnsparken (The Baths Park) in Gothenburg, with the statue “The sowing woman” popularly called “Johanna in the Baths Park”. 1944
People in Slottsskogen (“Castle Forest”) in Gothenburg. The building is the Large Restaurant from 1906, more known as Björngårdsvillan (The Bear-Garden Villa). 1948
Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, by night. 1943
Svenska Mässan in Gothenburg – Swedish exhibition and congress centre. 1948
Västra Götaland, Göteborg, Göteborg, Västergötland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö
Västra Götaland, Göteborg, Göteborg, Västergötland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö, Byggnadsverk-Religionsutövning – kyrkor-(01) Exteriörer
Geijersgatan street in Gothenburg. In the background is Vasa church. 1948
University College of Gothenburg. (Today the University of Gothenburg). 1945
Värmland, Filipstad, Filipstad, Värmland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö
Men at table at a house in or outside Eskilstuna. A conference? 1942
Men at a bus in Eskilstuna. A conference? 1942
Stora Brogatan street in Borås. 1944
The Main Square in Alingsås. 1948
Swimming pool in the old Swimming Baths of Borås. 1944
Building at 2, Norrtullsgatan street in the northern part of Stockholm city, built in 1925-1927 for Stockholm University. Today, the building is called the Student Palace and is used by the student unions of Stockholm. 1944
The Stockholm City Hall, designed by architect Ragnar Östberg, inaugurated in 1923. Photo from the inner courtyard towards Riddarfjärden bay in lake Mälaren. The Nobel Prize banquet takes place in the Blue Hall at the Stockholm City Hall on December 10th every year. 1945
Stockholm by night. Kungsgatan street in Stockholm City, at the intersection with Sveavägen street. 1940
People at Skansen open air museum at Djurgården in central Stockholm. 1943
Västerlånggatan street in the Old Town in Stockholm. 1944
Construction of a new bridge at Skanstull in the southern part of Stockholm city. 1945
Crossing between Götgatan and Ringvägen streets at Skanstull in the southern part of Stockholm city. 1943
Aircraft at Bromma Airport near Stockholm City. The aeroplane in the foreground is a Douglas DC-4, the two in the background are Douglas DC-3’s. 1947
Kungsgatan street in Sollefteå. 1944
Stockholm, Stockholm, Stockholm, Uppland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö, Byggnadsverk-Kommunikationsväsen-Trafikanläggning
The High Street in Landskrona in Scania.1943
Kalmar, Nybro, Nybro, Småland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö, Miljöer-Torgmiljö
Kalmar, Nybro, Nybro, Småland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö
The Town Hall and the Grand Hotel at Tyska torget (the German Square) in Norrköping. 1947
The Main Square in Motala. In the background is Motala church. 1944
Dalarna, Mora, Mora, Dalarna, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö
Västra Götaland, Mölndal, Mölndal, Västergötland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö
Men on a steamer, Lake Vättern, Småland, Sweden. 1945
The harbour of Marstrand. 1948
The City Hotel in Karlstad, at 22, Kungsgatan street (King Street), and a producer gas driven car. 1943
Värmland, Karlstad, Karlstad, Värmland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö, Byggnadsverk-Rekreation och turism-Hotell
A woman walking in Västerlånggatan street. 1945
Kalmar, Kalmar, Kalmar, Småland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö
On the way to Norway. Gustaf, Carin, Lilly and a Volvo PV. 1948
The match factory. Jönköping, Småland, Sweden. 1945
Jönköping railway station. 1945
Jönköping, Jönköping, Jönköping, Småland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö
Nybrogatan street in Härnösand. 1944
Funfair in Hudiksvall, the home town of Fredrik Bruno. 1942
Gävle Town Hall, built in 1784-1790. 1949
Ship M/S Stockholm of the Swedish American Line, moored at Stigbergskajen quay. The man to the left is Thore Bruno, related to the photographer Fredrik Bruno. 1948
Västerås Cathedral. 1948
A man and a woman, a pink parasol and Uppsala Cathedral. The image is taken from the garden of the Skytteanum building, partly viewed in the image.1943
Stockholm, Uppland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö, Byggnadsverk-Kommunikationsväsen-Järnvägsanläggning
Stockholm, Stockholm, Stockholm, Uppland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö, Övrigt-Arbetsliv
Stockholm, Uppland, Miljöer-Stadsmiljö – 1944
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