The S. Ljungqvists Orgelfabrik collection

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​Sanfrid Ljungqvist (1872-1950) was the son of a farmer in Saleby in Västergötland. Through Joh. Aug. Odelius, an organist and elementary school teacher who in his spare time made reed organs, young Sanfrid got inspired of the profession he chose as his own. In the fall 1899 he established himself in Vänersborg, where he also had a music shop and among others sold phonographs. The factory was moved to Landvetter in 1915 where Ljungqvist acquired a property with sawmill, mill and a small waterfall. Thus, he had own electricity to his machines. However, the 1930s involved production difficulties and, the organ making ceased totally in 1945.

According to the order-book 1915-1945 2984 organs left the factory through the years. Organs in many different styles were made such as school organs and cottage and parlor organs but also a simple self-playing organ, called ‘Harmony desk’ or easily ‘HP’, a combination of desk and organette. Order-book names Svea, Göta, Wega, Ideal, Special, Imperia, Mignon, Skrifbord [desk], piano style organs and occasionally a two manual pedal organ are illustrated by catalogues and price-lists which comprise the years 1899-1936. Ljungqvist designed all his models himself and also photographed them. Thus, there are two boxes of glass films with ‘instrument portraits’ for his catalogues and some factory interiors as well as several photos of the production in both Vänersborg and Landvetter. A water color of the Vänersborg factory, painted by Ljungqvist himself, tells about his hobbies and spare time occupations.

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The archive and collections from the S. Ljungqvist organ factory are valuable for several reasons. In most cases, nothing is left of our harmonium and reed organ factories, but here there is an order-book, a whole suite of catalogues and many photos of instruments and work that in all essential allow us to reconstruct the factory as well as its production and customers. It is the only known collection of an average sized Swedish reed organ factory which casts light upon the conditions of makers established in minor places. The collection also comprises a family book written by the daughter Kerstin in which the story of her parents is told. It is a document that by the everyday information supplements the picture of life and work and conditions of reed organ production on a small scale during the first half of the 20th century.

Gift in 2008 from Eva Börjeson and Krister Ljungqvist, grandchildren of Sanfrid Ljungqvist

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Sanfrid Ljungqvist

The reed organ model ’Svea’ with serial number 1707 was made in 1915 and first bought by Lars J. Andersson, Lidköping who paid 400 SEK for the instrument (KH 422; exposed).

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