Monday 17 November 2008

Found in Finland

The Finnish board of museums (Museovirasto) has an interesting internet exhibition of "A Thousand Unknown People" (Tuhat Tuntematonta) on old photographs. Among these photographs of ordinary and not-so-ordinary Finns through the ages (and their pets) are a few chirayliqs, too.

Tadao Watanabe is one of the "unknowns" who has been identified by attentive visitors. He was a Lutheran missionary who married a Finn, Siiri Pitkänen. I have written about them earlier.

This couple has not been identified, but we know that they are Tatars. The photo was dedicated to "Mrs Aishä Ishakova from Höseyin Abudarov" in March 21, 1913.
So, what did the Finns look like 100-80 years ago? Any blond and blue-eyed chirayliq candidates?


This gentleman looks strikingly similar to the Tatar man above.


I always find that Finns look Scandinavian, but a special kind of Scandinavian, if you know what I mean.


This guy looks like Andy from my comic Goldenbird. After a bourgeois makeover, to be sure.


Finns and Russians just happen to be neighbours, they have nothing else in common... Just coincidence upon coincidence... Let's not jump to conclusions...

Soldier boys trying to look tough. Same as everywhere...

But I think these guys, who were working for the national railways, are my favourites.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I always find that Finns look Scandinavian, but a special kind of Scandinavian, if you know what I mean."

Kaunispiirteinen nuorimies.

Niin rauhallinen...

Anonymous said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_people#Genetics

http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2008/08/european-population-substructurefinns.php

http://www.hs.fi/english/article/Sharp+differences+in+genetic+makeup+of+Finnish+regions/1135240494575

http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=135&a=63734&l=en&newsdep=135

Tinet said...

Wow, thanks, Anonymous. We were really hoping to meet someone one day who knows how to use Google. Feel free to drop by any time you find other interesting links that you like to share anonymously with no comment.

Cheers~