Brother Edward Hall

Edward Hall, visiting card, undated
Photo: Valokuvaamo (photographic studio) John Englund
Source: Satakunta Museum

Brother Edward Hall

Richard Hall's older brother Edward was born on August 31, 1857, in Helsinki. According to church records, the family moved to Pori on December 19, 1859. From there, they moved to Helsinki in 1864 and possibly to London in 1867. The Hall family then moved to Stockholm around 1875. I discuss these times in more detail in my blog post about Richard Hall’s childhood. I have no information about where Edward Hall studied for his profession.

Career

In the 1880s, Edward Hall worked in Joensuu for Gustaf Cederberg & Co, a company that owned sawmills. From there, he moved to Noormarkku in the early 1890s to work for A. Ahlström Oy. Maarit Grahn's doctoral thesis, Family Business and Localism: Family Business and Locality: The historical heritage of A. Ahlström Corporation in Noormarkku (University of Turku, 2014), reveals Edward Hall's role during the company's first generational change:

The company's founder, Antti Ahlström, died on May 10, 1896. After that, the company's management was directly responsible to Eva Ahlström. Edward Hall was responsible for day-to-day operations, sales, and correspondence. Viktor Mäkelä was responsible for forests, ironworks, and agriculture. Leonard Berslin was responsible for accounting. They acted as procurators, i.e., authorized representatives of the company. The generational change at A. Ahlström Oy was completed in May 1904. At that time, Edward Hall announced his resignation. He cited health reasons and the need for rest after completing his most important task, managing Antti Ahlström's heritage.

Hall subsequently served on the board of directors of the Karhula factories and as an auditor and expert for several large companies, including A. Ahlström Oy, Fiskars Oy, and the Kaukas factory.

Family

Edward Hall's spouse was Anna Hall, née Anna Amalia Matilda Almberg. She was born on November 3, 1861. I have no information on when the couple married. The family included two children, Tony Paula Odelma Hall (1882–1929) and Ivor Oskar Rafael Hall (1879–1964). In 1887, Edward Hall announced in the publication Suomalainen Wirallinen Lehti that he was the foster father and legal guardian of Iwar Oskar Rafael Almberg, and that the boy's name would henceforth be Iwor Raphael Hall. Anna Hall passed away on January 11, 1940.

Obituaries

Edward Hall passed away on June 24, 1930, at the age of nearly 74. Several newspapers published obituaries about him. They stated that Edward Hall was born in an English family, spent most of his life in Finland and adapted well to the conditions in our country. He was known for his extensive expertise and lively intellect, and his death was widely mourned by friends and colleagues. He was a respected expert in his field. Edward Hall was buried at Hietaniemi Cemetery on Friday, June 27, 1930. 

Guardians of the legacy

Ivor Hall and his son Mauri R. Hall (1910–?) became guardians of Richard Hall's legacy. Mauri R. Hall was a chief physician by profession. He wrote an article for Finnish newspaper Satakunnan Kansa entitled Richard Hall from Yrjönkatu in Pori to international fame. The article, published on September 28, 1975, is one of the most important sources for my research, as it describes the stages of Richard Hall's life and tells about the works he painted and their owners at the time. The article also reveals that Richard Hall corresponded with his homeland throughout his life and that Mauri R. Hall had access to this correspondence when he wrote the newspaper article. It would be wonderful to find this correspondence, as it would be an excellent source for my research.

Richard Hall: Portrait of Edward Hall, 1910
According to the inscription the portrait has been made in Rauhala on January 1st, 1910.
Pori Art Museum, City of Pori Art Collection
Photo: Wikimedia Commons