Tales from the Poster Hunter

Follow the adventures, and the thinking, of the Finnish poster hunter here. Each month the hunter reveals something almost breathtaking…

99 reasons to stop staring at the screen

We only have two questions for you today: Do you feel like you’ve spent too much time in front of the screen lately? Did you know that we at Come to Finland have an art treasure that can be yours? Here is our recommendation: Put away your device. Forget Game of Thrones and Instagram for awhile. Instead, focus on your home and on how you can give it a completely new look by simply putting up some art. Already a single classic Finnish ...

It’s better to spread joy!

You have probably noticed it at your post office, employees hauling bags filled with postcards? Yep, we have rediscovered a wonderful tradition. And no one is happier than me. Because, as a poster hunter, I know that many of Finland’s most stylish postcards are created by illustrators who worked both as poster and postcard artists at the time. In addition, our poster artists also knew that the images they painted by hand must always work ...

All you need is a (stylish) travel buddy

Summer 2020 is here! So now, as the world traveler you are, you might be walking around dreaming about, let’s say, Berlin, Balaton or the Bahamas? Well, we all know that international travelling isn’t in the books for this summer. But instead, let’s think higher, better, and more exotic. Let me take you on a journey through the land that has it all – Finland. How, you may wonder? Every truly successful journey requires a traveling ...

The French Lady is coming home

Sometimes the Poster Hunter leaves his beloved archive to go hunting. He is a hunter, after all. This happened recently when an auction house in France called for a poster auction with hundreds and hundreds of original, international travel posters. Among all these goodies the poster hunter had seen a true gem. There, in the middle of the catalogue was a poster, actually the only one, from Finland. The Ghost Lady. Our beloved ghost lady. In ...

The poster isn’t lying

August – the International Holiday Month! Tourists from all over the world are flowing to Finland from near and far. Or as we can read in a brochure from the 1930s: “GLORIOUS, thrilling and healthy holidays can be spent in Finland” … Well, of course not this year. But so you can understand why Finland normally is such a popular travel destination, let the Poster Hunter shed some light on the matter. The Finnish Tourist ...

The Champagne Lady has been revealed!

The most iconic poster in the Poster Hunter’s collection is by far The Champagne Lady. This was the poster that started the whole adventure twenty years ago. The poster hung alone in the window of a Helsinki antique shop, just waiting for her savior. There and then, the Poster Hunter was born. But during all these years, this question has been bothering him: who is this Champagne Lady? The Poster Hunter knows that he has to get an ...

The secret terrace bar

In our previous newsletter, the Poster Hunter left you with a cliffhanger: Where exactly is our iconic Champagne Lady from 1939, drawn by Jorma Suhonen, sitting? For those of you who are familiar with the center of Helsinki, you realize that there is something not quite right in this poster. There is not a single restaurant on Mannerheimintie - at that time know as Heikinkatu - where the Champagne Lady could sit and enjoy her fancy drink with...

Celebrate a joyful “Tipaton tammikuu”

So Christmas is over and a new year has begun, and with that comes what we in Finland call Tipaton tammikuu! But what is Tipaton tammikuu all about? Straight translated it roughly means dry January. This is our version of sober October - you see, we Finns of course prefer to do this it when it's pitch dark outside. Are you thinking of joining in? Well, we have incredibly good news! This year you can celebrate your, or your friend's, sober ...

On Pyhätunturi

Two tired men are sitting in a room. They stare out into the emptiness, both listing seemingly random numbers in different languages. One of them is holding a gavel. Have they totally lost their grip? Are they confused? No. Quite the opposite! They have full control - and they are sitting on a treasure. A poster treasure. You see, this week your Poster Hunter was out hunting as usual and this time he was searching for classic Nordic ...

The Finnish Grand Tour summer 2021

It's finally summer! And your humble Poster Hunter has once again managed to combine his two favorite activities: traveling in Finland and collecting classic travel posters. So join the expedition now! Let’s start on the west coast of Finland, in the medieval city of Raumo. The poster hunter is like everyone else: he has been blind to all the beauty that is nearby. So he blushes with delight and pride as he reads UNESCO's motivations about ...