Carl Olof Trygg (December 21, 1910 – 1993), was one of the recognized masters of 20th century

woodcarving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ...

, most famous for

Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving The Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving is a style of figure carving. The figures are carved in large flat planes, created primarily using a carving knife. Tool marks are left in the carving and very little (if any) rounding or sanding ...

. Trygg was born in Stora Tuna, Kopparberg county, Dalarna,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. He was one of three son of

Carl Johan Trygg Carl Johan Trygg (1887–1954), formally ''Carl Johan Thrygg'', also knowns as C. J. Trygg, also kwas a woodcarver and one of the recognized masters of twentieth century woodcarving, most famous for Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving. B ...

and

Maria Axelina Andersson Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, d ...

. Carl Olof worked with his father carving wooden figures of various common people in the

. Between C. O. Trygg, his father (Carl Johan) and two brothers (Nils, and Lars), they carved over 10,000 figures. Many of his carvings were sold to tourists for approximately US$10.00. Adjusted for

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...

what cost $10.00 in 1929 would cost $108.05 in 2005.

Migrating to Canada

Carl Olof, at the age of 17,

immigrated Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

with his mother Maria (43), brother Nils Johan (13) and an unknown relative, possibly his sister, Kally Maria Trygg (8) arrived in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

on October 7, 1928. He was proceeded in immigrating by his father Carl Johan who arrived in Halifax on 3 March 1928. The Trygg family eventually settled in

Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, Canada and there they continued to carve. Together they carved thousands of figures in the

. Between C. J. Trygg and his sons they carved over 10,000 figures. Many of his carvings were sold to tourists for approximately US$10.00. Adjusted for

what cost $10.00 in 1929 would cost $108.05 in 2005. Trygg was a craftsman in tune to the tourist trade. Trygg generally carved solo figures from

basswood ''Tilia americana'' is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

, and mounted them on a base. He had a stylized execution with clean cuts, working from a single piece of wood. A highlight of Trygg's carvings is his use of vibrant paint. He often painted his character's clothing in plaid.

Return to Sweden

and Carl Olof Trygg eventually returned to Sweden, where they continued their careers. Carl Johan died there 1954 and Carl Olof, based on the dates on his carvings, was producing figures as late as 1987.

Examples of carvings

Image:Trygghobocu.jpg, Closeup of face

Woodcarving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ...

of a

hobo A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps, and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; a bum neither travels nor works. Et ...

By Carl Olof Trygg circa 1961

The legacy

Trygg family of woodcarvers

(1877–1954) *Carl Olof Trygg (1910–1993) * Nils Johan Trygg (1914 – 1951) * Lars Trygg Trygg family woodcarvings are still sought after today as collectibles. There are over 10,000 carved figures that were manufactured by the members of the Trygg family. Prices range from $50 to $500 depending upon the age, size, and condition of the piece.

Identifying Trygg woodcarvings

Trygg woodcarvings can be identified by the signatures and dates on the bases. Signatures commonly found are: *''Trygg'' carved on base. —

(Generally) *''C.J. Trygg'' —

*''C.O. Trygg'' — Carl Olof Trygg *''L. Trygg'' — Lars Trygg *''N. E. Trygg'' —

Nils Trygg Nils Trygg (1914–1951) was one of the recognized masters of twentieth century woodcarving, most famous for the Scandinavian flat-plane style of woodcarving. Nils Trygg was born in Småland, Sweden. He was one of three sons of Carl Johan Tryg ...

*''Hand Carved by Trygg'' —

or Carl Olof,

Lars Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel", and is therefore related to the name ...

, or Nils *''Carved by Trygg Jr.'' — Carl Olof,

, or Nils Most of the carvings are dated and include the location carved. For example, you may find a carving with ''"C.O. Trygg 1961 Sweden"'' meaning it was carved by Carl Olof Trygg in 1961 while he was living in

. File:Hobo5.JPG, Carl Olof Trygg signature Image:Ggolf4.JPG, Lars Trygg signature

Notes

# # Carl Olof Trygg was listed on the immigration record as Karl Olof Trygg. This is most likely due to the poor legibility of the original indexes. The signature used on woodcarvings he produced is ''C. O. Trygg'' (Carl-Olof Trygg).

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Trygg, Carl Olof 1910 births 1993 deaths Swedish woodcarvers People from Borlänge Municipality