Signe Hammarsten-Jansson

Signe "Ham" Hammarsten-Jansson (née Hammarsten, 1 June 1882 – 6 July 1970) was a Sweden-born graphic artist, illustrator and caricaturist who spent most of her career in Finland. She was Finland's first professional stamp designer, designing around 220 Finnish postage stamps over three decades. She was the mother of Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomin characters.

Biography

Early life and education

Signe Hammarsten was born in Hannäs, came from a respectable Swedish clerical family and was the child of a pastor's daughter and a court chaplain.

It was during a study trip to Paris in 1910 that Hammarsten met the sculptor Viktor Jansson. The Summer Book (1972) concerns a young girl whose mother has died and her relationship with her grandmother. Hammarsten-Jansson's death marked the end of the Moomin series of novels and Jansson's literary output became primarily adult-oriented.