Envelope from Sweden

The envelope depicted here enclosed a letter to Hernmarck from her aunt Ka Markelius, whose husband was a leading modernist Swedish architect, Sven Markelius. Hernmarck’s relationship with her aunt was especially close, and she recalls days spent at the couple’s modern home outside Stockholm as some of the happiest moments of her childhood. These family relationships were formative to Hernmarck’s development as an individual and an artist. That environment—both physical and conversational—helped her learn to speak the same language as architects and other designers, a great asset to her later artistic career. Hernmarck wove the envelope exactly as it was, including the wrinkles and smudges sustained through shipment. In 1984, she was naturalized as a U.S. citizen. Envelope from Sweden offers a snapshot of her identity: an American national with Swedish roots.