Tuesday, October 26, 2010

The Northerners









of Sweden (my maternal lineage).
As with many pre-industrial revolution cultures, the citizens of the Swedish provinces made and wore particular clothing that delineated them from one another.
Above, from left: Olandcostume, Blekingcostume, Lappcostume, Varendscostume, Gagnefscostume, Leksandcostume (child), Skedevicostume, Leksandcostume, Vingakerscostume, Osterakerscostume, Hafveröcostume (child), Rättvikscostume.

Rättvik female folk dress includes seven aprons, each for a different occasion ...red for Sunday church, white for funerals. In Skåne a woman might wear up to seven skirts over her aprons, each showing a bit of hem, with the top skirt intended as a head cover should it rain. Undergarments weren't worn, save a linen sark or shift which also served as a nightdress. I'm not sure about bloomers?

The last edict regarding dress disappeared in 1794, five years after the French Revolution. Folks began dressing how they liked and one generation later, in the 1870's, folk costume was for the most part folded and stored away. Men were the first to let their outfits go. Women continued to wear them into the 1920's.

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