Lewis Larsson

Not to be confused with Lewis H. Larson.

Hol Lars "Lewis" Larsson
Born	1881 Nås, Dales, Sweden
Died	1958 Jerusalem, British Mandate Palestine
Burial place	Lutheran Cemetery, Bethlehem
Nationality	Swedish
Occupation	Photographer

Lewis Larsson (1881 - 1958), was born Hol Lars Larsson in Nås, Sweden, and served as the de facto head of the Photographic Department of the American Colony in Jerusalem, British Mandate Palestine. Larsson was renowned for his use of photojournalism to record and document the cultures of the south Mediterranean, primarily within the Palestinian region. Larsson was also a well respected diplomat of Sweden who acted as the vice consul and consul to Jerusalem and in that role acted in the best interests of the American Colony.

Early life

Lewis Larsson was the only son of Hol Lars Larsson and Israels Brita Ersdotter born in Nås, Sweden. His father died when he was only three years old and he was raised by his mother. He was one of five siblings, with the other four being his sisters, two born out of wedlock. In 1896, many of the residents of Nås emigrated, following the evangelist Olof Henrik Larsson, to the American Colony. This included Lewis and his family, and in 1896 they traveled mostly by train to Jerusalem in order to wait the "Return of the Lord" Lewis married Edith Larson, the daughter of the evangelist Olaf Larson.

Career with the American Colony

Photography

At the age of 16, in 1897, Lewis Larsson began studying photography under the guidance of Elijah Meyers, the founder of the photography department in the American Colony. In 1904, Larsson succeeded him as head of the department, which was becoming quite profitable.

Swedish Consul in Jerusalem

Larsson took the position of acting Swedish honorary consul and head of the Swedish consulate in Jerusalem in 1921, succeeding Gustaf Dalman who served in that position from 1903 to 1921. The new position caused him to cut back on his photography work with the American Colony. He became regular honorary consul in 1925 and served in this position until 1947.

Photo gallery

Photographs by Lewis Larsson and the American Colony

• 
  Tiberias, Palestine, photograph by Lewis Larsson taken between 1898 and 1914. Source: Library of Congress.
• 
  An American Colony photography by Lewis Larson of Christmas Services.
• 
  An American Colony Hand-coloured photography of a village carpenter.
• 
  Hand-coloured photography example from the American Colony, peasant spinning wool in Ramallah (1919).
  Source: Library of Congress

See also

• Najib Albina

References

• Gröndahl, Mia. “To Jerusalem. In the Steps of Eight Swedes and a Finn”. PASSIA, 2009. P. 37–65.
• Gröndahl, Mia. "The Dream of Jerusalem. Lewis Larsson and the American Colony Photographers." Journal, 2005. Award-winning book with 320 photographs.

External links

Media related to Lewis Larsson at Wikimedia Commons

• Library of Congress American Colony Exhibit Site