I visited my good friend, the journalist and musician Jacob Hallerström, in the middle of August. He and his partner taught me so much about the history of Sweden, especially how its culture conceives of itself through art and architecture. We visited the National Museum, Carl Eldh’s studio, August Strindberg’s apartment, and the world-historical collage that is City Hall, with its grandiose attempt at National Romanticism.

We also went swimming in the archipelago at what my friends dubbed its “capital,” the small town of Vaxholm. This is the last picture I took on the trip. I’d gone on and on about the “pelargos” in the windows with such clear light. Anaïs suggested I take a photo when I admired this one.