Editing Tove Jansson (section)

== Early life ==

[[File:Tove Jansson 1923.jpg|thumb|upright|Jansson in 1923]]

Tove Jansson was born in [[Helsinki]], in the [[Grand Duchy of Finland]], an autonomous part of the [[Russian Empire]] at the time. Her family, part of the [[Swedish-speaking population of Finland|Swedish-speaking]] minority of [[Finland]], was an artistic one: her father, [[Viktor Jansson]], was a sculptor, and her mother, [[Signe Hammarsten-Jansson]], was a Swedish-born [[graphic designer]] and illustrator. Tove's siblings also became artists: [[Per Olov Jansson]] became a photographer and [[Lars Jansson (cartoonist)|Lars Jansson]] an author and cartoonist. Whilst their home was in [[Helsinki]], the family spent many of their summers in a rented cottage on one of the islands of [[Pellinki]] near [[Porvoo]], {{convert|50|km|abbr=in}} east of Helsinki;<ref name="biografiakeskus"/> The [[Söderskär Lighthouse]] island off Porvoo in the [[Gulf of Finland]] may have helped to inspire her later books, such as ''[[Moominpappa at Sea]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://helsinkithisweek.com/story/experience-silence-and-sea-nature-soderskar-lighthouse |title=Söderskär Lighthouse |date=3 July 2019 |website=Helsinki This Week |archive-date=26 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126184031/https://helsinkithisweek.com/story/experience-silence-and-sea-nature-soderskar-lighthouse |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Jansson went to Finland's first co-educational school, {{lang|sv|[[Läroverket för gossar och flickor]]|italic=no}} in [[Helsinki]].<ref name="TJ">{{cite web |title=Tove Jansson |url=https://tovejansson.com/tovepedia/ |website=Tovejansson.com |access-date=5 December 2023 |quote=Läroverket för gossar och flickor (an educational institution for boys and girls), also known as Brobergska samskolan, Helsinki 1923–1930}}</ref> She then studied at [[Konstfack|Konstfack (University College of Arts, Crafts and Design)]], in Stockholm in 1930–1933, the Graphic School of the [[Academy of Fine Arts (Finland)|Finnish Academy of Fine Arts]] in 1933–1937, and finally at {{lang|fr|L'École d'Adrien Holy|italic=no}} and {{lang|fr|L'[[École des Beaux-Arts]]|italic=no}} in Paris in 1938.<ref name="Liukkonen">{{cite web |url=http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/tjansson.htm |title=Tove Jansson |last=Liukkonen |first=Petri |website=Books and Writers (kirjasto.sci.fi) |publisher=[[Kuusankoski]] Public Library |location=Finland |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916102623/http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/tjansson.htm |archive-date=16 September 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Her first solo exhibition was held in 1943.<ref name="biografiakeskus"/>

At age 14, Jansson wrote and illustrated her first picture book {{lang|sv|Sara och Pelle och [[Neck (water spirit)|näck]]ens [[Cephalopod|bläckfisk]]ar}} (''Sara and Pelle and Neptune's Children'').<ref name="biografiakeskus"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.moomin.com/en/event/villain-moominhouse-archway-words-literary-festival-england/// |title=ArchWay With Words |website=ArchWayWithWords.co.uk |access-date=2017-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129185831/https://www.moomin.com/en/event/villain-moominhouse-archway-words-literary-festival-england/ |archive-date=29 November 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was not published until 1933. She also sold drawings that were published in magazines in the 1920s.<ref name="biografiakeskus">{{cite web |url=http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/english/?id=1395 |archive-date=7 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807230113/http://www.kansallisbiografia.fi/english/?id=1395 |url-status=live |title=Jansson, Tove (1914–2001) |last=Ahola |first=Suvi |year=2008 |work=Biografiakeskus |publisher=[[Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura]] |translator-last=Fletcher |translator-first=Roderick  |access-date=4 February 2009 }}</ref>

In the 1930s Jansson made several trips to other European countries. She drew from these for her short stories and articles, which she also illustrated, and which were also published in magazines, periodicals and daily papers. During this period, Jansson also designed many book covers, adverts and postcards. Following her mother's example, she drew illustrations for ''[[Garm (magazine)|Garm]]'', a Finnish-Swedish political and [[satirical magazine]].<ref name=biografiakeskus />