We've arrived at the second instalment of Saima's postcards. You've already caught a glimpse of the album, so today I'm sharing what the box holds inside.

The note paper box, labelled "Saima's postcards 1912-1916" actually holds postcards to other family members as well, and beyond the years stated.

Just look at that handwriting! That's my great grandmother Ester writing to my great grandaunt Saima. Most of the postcards are black and white art reproductions or Finnish landscapes. Akseli Gallen-Kallela's grim Lemminkäinen's Mother is one of the colourful exceptions.

Almost three quarters of the postcards in this box are actually blank and unused. I don't know if I should save all of them, or should I dare to use a few.

Many stern historical celebrities. I personally would welcome a rising popularity of sterner expressions - my smiley photos always look a bit loony, but then again my relationship with smiling is altogether different than my friends' in the States! For a somewhat serious person I do smile awful lot, but I have never master that smile where your teeth and eyes are visible at the same time - I just go squinty the moment the corners of my mouth move upwards and I can't do a fake smile for the life of me.

All that being said about stern expressions, I'm well aware these people aren't smiling mostly because of the photography techniques of the time where they had to stay still for ages. One of the reasons why I love Emil's photos so much, is the contrast of his candid photos and the stiffly posed old-time photos we're more used to. Next week I'll share a few more of Emil's snapshots I just had scanned from negatives. I promise you a few blurry faces and double exposures! Tempting, isn't it?