Nils Thomasson

Thomasson, Nils (1880-1975), Swedish photographer of Sami parentage, a pioneering photographer of the Sami people, whose life in the vast northern region of Jämtland he documented over five decades. Sent in 1900 by his father to the city of Gävle to work as a photographer's apprentice, he soon returned to his native Svedje and by 1902 had established an elegant but simple daylight studio at his family's homestead. After initially making portraits and documenting village life, Thomasson later looked beyond it to the region as a whole, at a time when the nation-state was rapidly encroaching on Sami culture and traditions. His oeuvre extends to over 30, 000 glass plates, recording in detail not only Sami life but also early tourism and the practices of farmers and forest workers.

— Jan-Erik Lundström