Imatra Falls in Snow

At the end of the 19th century, the Imatrankoski rapids were a fashionable tourist resort, attracting visitors even from abroad. As the tourist flow increased, the mighty natural rapids also attracted various services, such as the ropeway. A party was arranged at the hotel by the rapids during the Celebration of the Epiphany in 1893, with popular artists painting the rapids with the guests following their progress. The culmination of the evening was the turning on of the great floodlights, or the “miracle of Aladdin’s magic lamp,” as one of the witnesses described the event. The rapids were steaming red and green in the alternating electric light, as the viewers screamed in excitement. Akseli Gallen-Kallela later painted the rapids in peace. In this painting, only the bridge in the distance bears witness to the presence of the masses.

We present today's painting thanks to Europeana Collections, which provides access to over 50 million digitized items—books, music, artworks, and more. The original painting is in the Finnish National Museum's collection.

P.S. Here you can see another intriguing work of the Finnish master digitized and available in open access!