Carl Johan Trygg, formally ''Carl Johan Thrygg'', also knowns as C. J. Trygg,
woodcarver
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...
, (1887 – 1954) was one of the recognized masters of twentieth century
woodcarving
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...
, most famous for
Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving
The Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving is a style of figure carving. The figures are carved in large flat planes, created primarily using a carving knife. Tool marks are left in the carving and very little (if any) rounding or sanding i ...
. Between C. J. Trygg and his sons they carved over 10,000 figures. Many of his carvings were sold to tourists for approximately $10.00 USD. Adjusted for
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
what cost $10.00 in 1929 would cost $108.05 in 2005.
Early years
Carl Johan Trygg was born in 1887 in
Skagershult,
Närke, Örebro county,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. He was one of nine children of S. Sgt
Carl Oskar Thrygg. At the age of 12 he left his home to make a living on his own. He worked as a clockmaker, a shoemaker, he also worked in a laundry, and a logging mill. He began carving wooden figures of various common people in the
Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving
The Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving is a style of figure carving. The figures are carved in large flat planes, created primarily using a carving knife. Tool marks are left in the carving and very little (if any) rounding or sanding i ...
.
He married
Maria Axelina Andersson in 1909. A year later she gave birth to their son
Carl Olaf Trygg
Carl Olof Trygg (December 21, 1910 – 1993), was one of the recognized masters of 20th century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Trygg was born in Stora Tuna, Kopparberg county, Dalarna, Sweden. He was ...
. In 1915 at the age of 28, he had a show of his carvings in
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropoli ...
. It was after the success at this show he began wood carving as a full-time career.
Migrating to Canada
Carl Johan, at the age of 40,
immigrated
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. He arrived in
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
on March 3, 1928. Later that year (October 7, 1928) his Wife Maria (43), his sons
Carl Olof (17) and
Nils Johan (13), and his daughter, Kally Maria Trygg (8) arrived in
Halifax. Carl Johan and his family eventually settled in
Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...
, Canada and there they continued to carve.
Carl Johan's three sons, Nils, Lars and Carl Olaf were also woodcarvers. Another relative, Ellen Trygg also carved figures in the flat plane style. Her pieces are few and far between but the hobo motif is the theme of known pieces. Together they carved thousands of figures in the
Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving
The Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving is a style of figure carving. The figures are carved in large flat planes, created primarily using a carving knife. Tool marks are left in the carving and very little (if any) rounding or sanding i ...
. Between C. J. Trygg and his sons they carved over 10,000 figures. Many of his carvings were sold to tourists for approximately $10.00 USD. Adjusted for
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
what cost $10.00 in 1929 would cost $108.05 in 2005.
Trygg was a craftsman in tune to the tourist trade. Trygg generally carved solo figures from
basswood
''Tilia americana'' is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to ...
or
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
, and mounted them on a base. He had a stylized execution with clean cuts, working from a single piece of wood. A highlight of Trygg’s carvings is his use of vibrant paint. He often painted his character’s clothing in plaid.
Return to Sweden
Carl Johan Trygg and
Carl Olof Trygg
Carl Olof Trygg (December 21, 1910 – 1993), was one of the recognized masters of 20th century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Trygg was born in Stora Tuna, Kopparberg county, Dalarna, Sweden. He was o ...
eventually returned to Sweden, where they continued their careers. Carl Johan died there 1954-02-12 in Glimminge, Västra Karup, Sweden and Carl Olof, was producing figures well into the 1980s and he died in 1993-03-01 in Halmstad, Sweden.
Examples of carvings
Image:cjtrygghobo1.jpg, Woodcarving
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...
of a hobo
A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works.
E ...
By Carl Johan Trygg circa 1940s
Image:cjtrygghobo2.jpg, Closeup of face Woodcarving
Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation ...
of a hobo
A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works.
E ...
By Carl Johan Trygg circa 1940s
The legacy
Trygg family of woodcarvers
*Carl Johan Trygg (1877–1954)
*
Carl Olof Trygg
Carl Olof Trygg (December 21, 1910 – 1993), was one of the recognized masters of 20th century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Trygg was born in Stora Tuna, Kopparberg county, Dalarna, Sweden. He was o ...
(1910–1993)
*
Nils Johan Trygg (1914–1951)
*
Lars Trygg
Lars Trygg, woodcarver, (29 May 1929 – 29 June 1999) was one of the recognized masters of 20th century wood carving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Early years
Trygg was born in Sweden. He was one of three childr ...
Trygg family wood carvings are still sought after today as collectibles. There are over 10,000 carved figures that were manufactured by the members of the Trygg family. Prices range from $50 to $500 depending upon the age, size, and condition of the piece.
Identifying Trygg woodcarvings
Trygg woodcarvings can be identified by the signatures and dates on the bases.
Signatures commonly found are:
*''Trygg'' carved on base. — Carl Johan Trygg (Generally)
*''C.J. Trygg'' — Carl Johan Trygg
*''C.O. Trygg'' —
Carl Olaf Trygg
Carl Olof Trygg (December 21, 1910 – 1993), was one of the recognized masters of 20th century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Trygg was born in Stora Tuna, Kopparberg county, Dalarna, Sweden. He was ...
*''L. Trygg'' —
Lars Trygg
Lars Trygg, woodcarver, (29 May 1929 – 29 June 1999) was one of the recognized masters of 20th century wood carving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Early years
Trygg was born in Sweden. He was one of three childr ...
*''N. E. Trygg'' —
Nils Trygg
Nils Trygg (1914–1951) was one of the recognized masters of twentieth century woodcarving, most famous for the Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving. Nils Trygg was born in Småland, Sweden. He was one of three sons of Carl Johan Trygg a ...
*''Hand Carved by Trygg'' — Carl Johan Trygg or
Carl Olaf,
Lars
Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries.
Origin
''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel".
A homonymous Etruscan name was bo ...
, or
Nils
Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas.
People and animals with the given name
* Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player
*Nils Björk (1898–1989) ...
*''Carved by Trygg Jr.'' —
Carl Olaf,
Lars
Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries.
Origin
''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel".
A homonymous Etruscan name was bo ...
, or
Nils
Nils is a Scandinavian given name, a chiefly Norwegian, Danish, Swedish and Latvian variant of Niels, cognate to Nicholas.
People and animals with the given name
* Nils Bergström (born 1985), Swedish ice hockey player
*Nils Björk (1898–1989) ...
Most of the carvings are dated and include the location carved. For example, you may find a carving with ''"C.O. Trygg 1961 Sweden"'' meaning it was carved by
Carl Olaf Trygg
Carl Olof Trygg (December 21, 1910 – 1993), was one of the recognized masters of 20th century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Trygg was born in Stora Tuna, Kopparberg county, Dalarna, Sweden. He was ...
in 1961 while he was living in
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
.
File:Hobo5.JPG, Carl Olaf Trygg
Carl Olof Trygg (December 21, 1910 – 1993), was one of the recognized masters of 20th century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Trygg was born in Stora Tuna, Kopparberg county, Dalarna, Sweden. He was ...
signature
Image:Ggolf4.JPG, Lars Trygg
Lars Trygg, woodcarver, (29 May 1929 – 29 June 1999) was one of the recognized masters of 20th century wood carving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving.
Early years
Trygg was born in Sweden. He was one of three childr ...
signature
Notes
# Carl Johan Trygg was born Carl Johan Thrygg. It is unknown why Carl Johan dropped the "h" from his family name.
#
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Trygg, Carl Johan
1887 births
1954 deaths
Swedish woodcarvers