{{Short description|Finnish artist and political cartoonist (1864–1932)}} {{more citations needed|date=August 2015}} [[File:Alex Federley.jpg|thumb|175px|Alex Federley (c.1900); from the ''Biografiskt Lexikon<br /> för Finland'']] '''Alexander Thiodolf Federley''' (12 July 1864, in Turku – 17 November 1932, in Helsinki) was a Finland-Swedish graphic artist who created political cartoons, posters, book illustrations and postcards. His works are generally signed '''AFley'''.<ref name="kansallisbiografia">{{cite web |last1=Reitala |first1=Aimo |title=Federley, Alex (1864 - 1932) |url=https://kansallisbiografia.fi/kansallisbiografia/henkilo/3357 |website=Kansallisbiografia |accessdate=24 August 2020 |date=6 September 2001}}</ref><ref name="ctf">{{cite web |title=Alexander Federley 1864-1932 |url=https://cometofinland.fi/artist/alexander-federley/ |website=Come to Finland |accessdate=24 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="artists">{{cite web |title=Alex Federley |url=https://kuvataiteilijamatrikkeli.fi/en/taiteilija/alex-federley |website=Artist Register |publisher=Artists' Association of Finland |accessdate=24 August 2020}}</ref>
==Biography== His father was a military judge. He studied at the drawing school of the Finnish Art Society (now part of the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki), from 1885 to 1888, then attended the Académie Julian in Paris from 1890 to 1893, where he studied with Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Tony Robert-Fleury.<ref name="B">[http://www.blf.fi/artikel.php?id=3357 Brief biography] by Aimo Reitala @ Biografiskt Lexikon för Finland.</ref>
In the late 1880s, he was already providing illustrations to the Swedish-language satirical magazine ''{{ill|Spets (magazine)|fi|Spets|lt=Spets}}'' (Nib), then to the Finnish-language equivalent, ''{{ill|Velikulta|fi}}'' (Dear Brother), published by the Young Finnish Party.<ref name="B" /> During that time, he also became one of the first political cartoonists in Finland to sign his drawings. Among his best-known book illustrations are those for the multi-volume collection of historical short-stories, {{Lang|sv|Fältskärns berättelser}} (The Surgeon's Tales), by Zachris Topelius.
In 1898, he became a regular contributor to ''Fyren'' (Lighthouse), published by the Swedish Party (forerunner to the Swedish People's Party of Finland) and remained associated with it until its demise in 1922.<ref name="B" /> In 1907, he designed the party's election poster, which was used repeatedly and as late as 1966. During the 1920s, he was the party's representative to the Haaga Township Council.
In addition to his other activities, from 1894 to 1916, he was the Chief Curator for the "Finnish Artists' Association", and he taught at a boys' preparatory vocational school from 1900 until his death, serving as the school's Director after 1909.<ref name="B" /> His wife, {{ill|Sanny Hagelstam|fi|Sanny Hagelstam-Federley}}, was also an artist.
==Selected works== <gallery mode=packed heights="220"> File:A Federley Kajana 1908.jpg|Postcard of lumber in the rapids near Kajaani File:Satire drawn by Alex Federley without texts.png|"Haven't I told you to keep your mouth shut when<br /> talking to people?!" File:Federley Velikulta XII1906.jpg|Men representing various political parties, competing for the Finnish Maiden File:Sibelius pilapiirros.jpg|Caricature of<br /> Jean Sibelius </gallery>
==Books by Federley== * {{Lang|sv|Bilder och visor : små spånor och flisor – i färger och ord – från mitt arbetsbord}} Bildkonst, 1929 (Pictures and songs: small chips and splinters – in colors and words – from my desk; published in Finnish as {{Lang|fi|Lauluja ja kuvia, lapsille huvia, suomentanut mukaillen}} A. L., Kuvataide, [1929] * {{Lang|sv|Sagor om djur och fåglar, mest om fåglar}}, Söderströms, 1922 (Fairy tales about animals and birds...mostly birds.)
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * {{Writers in Finland 1917-1944}}
==External links== {{Commons category}} *[http://www.histdoc.net/kuvia/Federley/index_en.html More postcards by Federley] @ Histdoc.net
{{Authority control (arts)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Federley, Alex}} Category:1864 births Category:1932 deaths Category:Artists from Turku Category:People from Turku and Pori Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Category:Swedish-speaking Finns Category:Finnish political artists Category:Finnish magazine illustrators Category:Finnish magazine cartoonists Category:Finnish editorial cartoonists Category:19th-century Finnish illustrators Category:20th-century Finnish illustrators Category:Finnish poster artists Category:Postcard artists Category:Académie Julian alumni Category:Artists from the Grand Duchy of Finland