Martta Wendelin's city women arrive in Erkkola
Martta Wendelin (1893–1986) is best known as an illustrator of idyllic domestic and rural scenes. However, in the 1920s and 1930s, she also depicted a completely different era and atmosphere: the hustle and bustle of cities and fashionable jazz girls. The Tuusula Art Museumu0026#x27;s exhibition u0026quot;Silkkisukkia, polkkatukkiau0026quot; (Silk Stockings, Bobbed Hair), which opens in Erkkola on Wednesday 10 September, highlights this lesser-known phase in Wendelinu0026#x27;s career, which depicted modern femininity and urban culture.
The exhibition examines Wendelin’s work during a period when the status of women in society was changing rapidly. New ideals, international trends and the desire for liberation among the younger generations gave rise to a new image of the independent, style-conscious and pleasure-seeking woman. This was particularly evident in the cover illustrations of magazines and entertainment novels, where modern female characters adventured in various urban environments, ballrooms and cafés – even behind the wheel of a car.
The growing city of Helsinki with its new apartment buildings appeared in Wendelin’s paintings while he lived in the city between 1925 and 1937. During that time, he also illustrated the cultural magazine Aittaa, which was aimed at the urban public. Wendelin’s drawings stood out as fresh and contemporary, and his female characters embodied a modern image of the times and youth.
The exhibition features works that reflect Wendelin’s interest in fashion, clothing and a new attitude to life. The cover illustrations for young adult novels emphasise girls who are educating themselves and pursuing their own careers, foreshadowing the changing status of women in society. The illustrations also convey the international influences of the time and the liberating opportunities opened up by travel and mobility.
By the 1930s, more traditional family values had once again begun to dominate public discourse and the visual arts. Although the jazz girl character faded and Wendelin’s work became more home-centred, her works from the 1920s and 1930s remind us of a time when people dared to think about femininity in new ways. The exhibition invites visitors to examine Wendelin’s art as part of a broader narrative of images of modern Finnish women.
The works on display have been compiled from the collections of the Tuusula Art Museum and the Martta Wendelin Society, as well as from private collections.
Silk stockings, bobbed hair – Modern women in Martta Wendelin’s art
10 September–14 December 2025
Erkkola
Rantatie 25, Tuusula
Open
10 September–14 December, Wednesday–Sunday, 12 noon–5 p.m.
Admission
fees €8/€6/€0 Free
with Museum Card and Kaiku Card
Further information
Curator, exhibition assistant Marja Niemi, Tuusula Art Museum,
tel. +358 40 314 3457, marja.niemi@tuusula.fi
This content has been translated using AI