Bruno Liljefors — Mallards on a Frozen River, 1915

A small flight of mallards drops toward a frozen river, wings spread, feet already lowering — the moment before a landing slides into a settled arrival. Behind them, a wall of birch holds the blue of mid-winter against the white. Liljefors painted this in 1915, during a long stretch of work that returned again and again to the duck on cold water, the bird he probably knew better than any other in his catalogue. Nothing in the picture is rushed: the air decides the speed, and the birds simply trust it.

Printed at A6 on heavy art paper, the card holds the chilled palette and the warm green of the drakes' heads without losing either. A welcome arrival for a postcrossing partner with a soft spot for waterfowl, a thoughtful card after a riverside walk, or a small framed companion to a desk lamp on a long winter evening.

Browse the full Bruno Liljefors postcard collection.