Tales in Thread – The Tapestry Series “Åsmund Frægdagjeva” by Ragna Breivik

By Robbie LaFleur

Ragna Breivik (1891-1965) transformed the weaving cartoons of Gerhard Munthe into astonishing artworks. Munthe’s dark depictions of bloody folktales are powerful, but it is the subtle shading and strong contrasts in Ragna Breivik’s weaving that builds the impact of the images. Ten monumental tapestries woven by Ragna Breivik, which make up the “Àsmund Fragdagjeva” series, are on display at Bryggens Museum, the city museum of Bergen.

You should go to see Tales in Thread – The tapestry series “Åsmund Frægdagjeva” by Ragna Breivik. Block a good amount of time, because the descriptions of Breivik’s life and of the tales told in the tapestries are well-written and absorbing. The presentation is stunning. Visitors have enough space to see each large tapestry clearly, close up and at a distance.

Below is one of the full tapestries, The First Hall. The sign reads, “Inside the mountain it is cold and dark. Countless halls stretch before him. Åsmund enters the first one. The hall is empty and quiet, but there is no doubt there has been a party here. The tablecloths are drenched in blood, and black serpents slither across them. Without a sound, he moves on.” Snakes and blood! (And what is under the table?)

Gerhard Munthe, Designer. Ragna Breivik, Weaver. “The First Hall,” 1949. Photo: Robbie LaFleur

As I examined each tapestry, I took photos of details I loved, both for the images and Breivik’s brilliant weaving skills. I marvel at the subtle changes in gray and beige. Details like these:

Near the end of the exhibit a wall essay tackles the question of whether Breivik should be considered an artist.

Art or craft? Tradition or innovation? Artist or artisan? The ten tapestries that make up this exhibition reflect an artist and an art that defy easy categorisation.

Throughout her life, Ragna Breivik worked to combine modern art with ancient craftsmanship. Though celebrated for her work, she faced resistance from the established art world. By the time she completed her life’s work, “Àsmund Fragdagjeva”, time had moved on from the predominantly national romantic tapestries. Interest in her artistry faded, leaving only the image of a craftswoman who merely copied the designs of others.

Yet, it was “Asmund Fragdagjeva” that secured Ragna Breivik’s place in Norwegian and international textile art. Through this and her other work shines an innovative, modern, original artist, teacher and craftswoman. She lived and worked in the juxtaposition of tradition and innovation – both when working from her own designs and when following designs made by others.

I’m not sure whether her designation matters. Her genius is taking the lines drawn by an wonderful artist — in this case, the bones of the image by Gerhard Munthe — and bringing life to the final artwork through her use of color and her mastery of tapestry technique. Another exhibit label notes, “They called her “Munthe’s little weaver” – a craftswoman who wove tapestries from others’ designs, especially Gerhard Munthe’s. An independent artistic vision, they claimed, was out of the question. But Ragna Breivik possesses originality, skill, and a voice of her own. Her art and outlook on life resonate in Munthe’s imagery and folk ballads.”

This is the cartoon for “The First Hall,” shown above. Image from the Hordamuseet, as found on digitaltmuseum.no. Full record: https://digitaltmuseum.no/0210214843148/tegning

The Bergen City Museum has a deep historical collection, and the exhibit designers clearly have the ability to include buttons to push, or things to light up — all the bells and whistles that are used to attract modern audiences. I appreciated the Breivik exhibit design with only the slightest bit of high tech. A painting of Ragna Breivik at her tapestry loom, animated with AI, is placed in a huge space as you walk down stairs to the exhibit. It’s mesmerizing to see her hands pluck the warp threads, to go back in time. But beyond that, it is the tapestries, and the stories — both of Breivik’s life and the Àsmund Fragdagjeva heroic tale — that engage the viewer.

Video: Robbie LaFleur

The paragraphs below from the exhibit are a beautiful summation of her life and work.

On a rainy September day in 1891, a new life enters the world on the Rod farm in Fana. The little girl, named Ragna Mathilde after her grandmother, is the second of what will become a family of ten siblings. She grows up between mountains and fjords, surrounded by sheep, cows, pigs, and hens. Her father’s job as a maritime pilot often takes him away from home, while her mother tends to the land, house, and home.

The days are too short, yet her mother still finds time for the loom. Countless tapestries and shawls take shape beneath her hands. It is meticulous work, and it must be done properly. Ragna watches and learns. At just eight years old, she can shear sheep, card wool, spin, and weave. Most importantly, she learns the secrets of dyeing yarn with plants. “My home was my academy, and my mother, my professor”, she would later say. The legacy of her childhood home, the craftsmanship, work ethic, and the joy of weaving – leaves an imprint that will never fade.

Art and cultural heritage meet in Ragna Breivik’s work – innovation and tradition are entwined. Like many artists of her time, she is drawn to national identity, the search for “authentic Norwegian qualities”, and a new national art. In particular, she seeks out the richly adorned and vividly coloured textiles of the Middle Ages. Here, sagas and stories from a distant past are brought back to life.

Just as important as the finished piece is the preservation and passing on of old knowledge. Ragna is firmly rooted in Norway’s old rural traditions, yet she dares to venture down new paths. With a profound understanding of wool, spinning, dyeing, and weaving, she explores colours, yarns, textures, and techniques. Plant-dyed wool and warp thread of blended hues create a shimmering, undulating effect on the fabric. In the meeting of old and new, traditional craftsmanship takes on a fresh expression – modern art, rooted in history.

For more information, a detailed article about the artist and her lifelong devotion to tapestry, “Ragna Breivik and her Works,” by Magnus Hardeland, is included in this issue. It is translated by Lisa Torvik from Frå Fjon til Fusa, Årbok 1966 for Nord-og-Midhordaland Sogelag [From Fjon to Fusa, Yearbook 1966 for North and Mid-Hordaland History League], p. 111-130.

I you are not already planning a Bergen trip to see this exhibit, here is more praise from another Minnesotan, Holly Hildebrandt, an enthusiastic weaver who is new to tapestry.

I was struck by the fact that she dyed her own yarns to achieve such specific shades for each piece to so beautifully depict the originals.To be honest, I loved how gory it was. When I think of weaving – the act of weaving personally, studying textiles and techniques – it’s such a wholesome practice, rooted in tradition, and connected to ancestry and something ancient. It’s cozy, comforting, and calming. I didn’t know what to expect from Ragna Breivik’s exhibit, as I wasn’t familiar with her prior, but what I found was anything but cozy in the best way! I loved that she used her weaving abilities to convey such a gruesome and heroic story. The increasingly present blood spatters in every panel, the disturbing trolls and witches, it was fantastic. And so different from how I’ve ever thought of weaving!

Finally, for tapestry fans traveling to Bergen, I have two more pieces to add to your itinerary. Frida Hansen’s Juni transparent tapestry is at KODE, the art museum in the center of Bergen (described in this post), and the Science Building at the University of Bergen houses a three-story high tapestry by Elsa Marie Jakobsen (described in this article: The Red Thread: A Monumental Tapestry by Else Marie Jakobsen).

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk

Maria Mundal — From Mountainous Norway to Manhattan

Leave a reply

By Robbie LaFleur

Maria Mundal (1893-1974) grew up in Sogn on the West Coast of Norway, and couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t know how to weave. As a young girl, Maria wove a beautiful, large traditional rutevev or smettvev, [geometric square weave tapestry]. Her own description was, “Old Pattern from Sognefjord My first try at Aakle veaving (sic). Ca. 1905. Maria Mundal, 13 years old.” It is now in the collection of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. (62″ L, 27.5″ W)

She learned to weave from her mother, Nilsina Mundal (1861-1952), who also wove her whole life. Maria treasured a square-weave coverlet her mother made when she was only twelve. It was displayed in at least two news articles about Maria. That coverlet is also owned by Vesterheim; see a color photo here.

Maria Mundal displays the coverlet made by her mother, Nilsina Mundal.

Maria studied with Sunni Mundal (1887-1953, her sister) at her school of weaving in Oslo from 1919-1920, and also at a school run by her aunt, Britta Dahle at the Hotell Mundal in Sognefjord, Norway. She completed her weaving studies with Kristi Sexe Meland from Hardanger in 1925-26. Meland was the weaver who was commissioned by a group of Norwegian-American women to weave a replica of the Baldishol Tapestry that was presented to President and Mrs. Coolidge one year after the Coolidges visited the 1925 Centennial celebration of Norwegian immigration to the U.S.(1)

Maria Mundal married the noted Norwegian artist Mons Breivik (1881-1950) on April 14, 1924, and they lived in the U.S. for several years. Mons returned to Norway in 1936. He longed for home, didn’t thrive in the city. Years of struggle in Depression-era New York strained their marriage. Mons was sometimes without work and Maria was forced to take housework, often far from their home. (2) At the same time, they moved in artistic circles; they were listed as guests at an opening at the Brooklyn Museum in 1932. In 1936 Mons returned to Norway, and Maria remained in the U.S. Their divorce became final in 1936 or shortly thereafter.

1925 sketch of Maria Mundal by her husband Mons Breivik. Owned by Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

During WWII she worked as a “canteen mother” at Camp Norway, a military training facility for Norwegians in Lunenburg, Novia Scotia, Canada. “But then I received my papers and came south from Canada in 1943. If I could manage there, then I could manage to weave for a living.” (Reported in Nordisk Tidende, August 14, 1969)

One source listing the opening of her NYC Studio was a letter with a poem she sent to Eleanor Roosevelt after the death of Franklin Roosevelt, on June 12, 1946. “I have now opened a studio for handwoven material and scarfs, and have already had the pleasure of seeing my work well received.”

For the following decades, until her death at 81 in 1974, Maria taught and wove. She had a studio in her home in Manhattan, until moving to Baltimore in 1970, and then to Alexandria, Virginia in 1971. Over the years she taught weaving in her own studio, at the Chautauqua Institution, and in outside studios. She was active in weaving organizations and in Scandinavian-American groups, including the Norwegian Art and Craft Club of Brooklyn and the Bay Ridge Norwegian Art and Crafts Club. Her resume, updated in 1973, just months before her death, lists extensive lecture topics, shows, teaching venues, and affiliations.

Her tapestry subjects included mythology and astrology. Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum owns a Capricorn tapestry. In 1958 she began a series of tapestries based on the story of Per Gynt.

Maria Mundal. Sagittarius, 1971. 16″ H, 22.75″ W. Owned by Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

She spoke passionately about her love for weaving and her faith. “When you are creating something beautiful, you feel closer to your creator.” (Quoted in Anne Hannan, “Weaver Spins a Folk Tale of Scandinavia,” Newsday, Suffolk Ed, Feb, 7, 1958, p. 37) For her “Study in Crosses,” she spent time at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, making sketches of a wide variety of crosses.

Maria Mundal, Study in Crosses, 1969. 30.5″ H x 40″ W. Owned by Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Another of her religious tapestries depicts the moment of Christ’s death. She wrote, “It pictures the Crucifixion, just at the time when the man dies and the bird flies up. I don’t think most people realize that the Bible says that a darkness fell over the earth at the time.” (Lucy Acten, “Weaver Finds Kindred Element in Tapestry, Poetry, City’s Hills. Baltimore Sun, Thursday, October 1, 1970) Another article about Mundal elaborates on the theme of darkness.

Among her most dramatic works is Crucifixion — simple and original in composition and color. She said that she began the tapestry to loosen an inner depression that had taken hold, and her own therapy had the desired outcome. [translation mine] (“Norsk billedveverske Maria Mundal – Poet I farger,” Nordisk Tidende, October 4, 1973.)

Maria Mundal, Crucifixion. 43″ H x 27″ W. Owned by Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

She lived a long life, but had a tragic end before she was able to finish the tapestry she long planned to complete, a faithful, full-sized reproduction of the Baldishol Tapestry. A Norwegian-American newspaper reported her death.

The renowned art weaver Maria Mundal died at Ullevaal Hospital in Oslo on June 11. She had been living in Alexandria, Virginia, and had earlier this summer traveled on vacation to Norway after a 40 year absence from her homeland. She turned 80 in October 1973.

After a visit to the Munch Museum she was hit by a car and broke her collarbone. She was taken to the hospital. She developed complications and her life could not be saved. She died on June 11 and was buried in Vegårdshei in Aust-Agder, where her mother is also buried. (Nordisk Tidende, June 27, 1974. “Art Weaver Maria Mundal is Dead”)

Maria Mundal traded views of mountains for the tall buildings of Manhattan, but never lost her strong ties to Norwegian weaving traditions. She was active in the vibrant East Coast Norwegian-American community. Many of her weavings are preserved at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, and soon the collection will include the replica of the Baldishol Tapestry she began before her death. See the companion article, “Solving the Mystery of the Backwards Baldishol.”

November 2025

(1) Read more about the Baldishol commissioned for President and Mrs. Coolidge: Robbie LaFleur, “The Baldishol Tapestry–The White House Replica and Others,” Norwegian Textile Letter, March 2019, Updated April 2024. And Hermund Kleppa, “The Baldishol Tapestry in the White House,” Norwegian Textile Letter, March 2019.

(2) According to family lore, perhaps Maria worked as a maid for Kathryn Hepburn. A note was found with Mundal’s Baldishol replica, written by the daughter of the woman who married Abbie Wetzel’s husband after Abbie’s death. It is interesting that Abbie Wetzel’s husband, who died the year the note was written, didn’t remember Maria Mundal’s name, but characterized her as a “maid for Kathryn [sic] Hepburn.”

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk

The American Debut of “This is Norway”

Leave a reply

By Josh Brown, Ph.D.

For ten days in early September 2025, Eau Claire, Wisconsin hosted Anne Tiedemand-Johannessen Møller and her billedvevene (woven tapestries). This year we are celebrating the 200^th anniversary of Norwegian immigration to the United States. The sloop Restauration arrived on October 9, 1825, in New York City with 52 people aboard and has since become a symbol of Norwegian American identity. In this anniversary year, Møller came to the Upper Midwest with many of her woven tapestries so that we could delight in their depictions of Norwegian life and history. A highlight of the exhibition was Møller’s tapestry of the Restauration itself being led across the ocean by a bald eagle. I was especially intrigued by her use of threads outside of the woven ground to show interest and dimensionality.

Detail of Restauration showing addition of non-woven threads. All photos are courtesy of the author.

Møller grew up on a farm in Gausdal, northwest of Lillehammer, Norway. As a child, she enjoyed exploring the outdoors — hiking in the woods and mountains and skiing in the winter. She began work in healthcare but later took further education in art history and eventually weaving courses in Lillehammer. She enjoys that her tapestry weaving can tell a story.

In 2004, Møller’s This is Norway — a set of twelve tapestries — travelled around the country. She intended them to feature the months in her region of Norway. The tapestries are full of animal life with wolves, puffins, and polar bears. My favorite one was December which presented to the viewer as if peering through from a warm inside through a window to the cold outside. The folks outside were just as warmed through it seems, enjoying some fun winter activities.

Two friezes depicting historical events in Norwegian history were also included in the exhibition. The first depicted scenes from Norwegian history and was woven by Møller to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the dissolution of union with Sweden.

Another frieze, woven to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the Norwegian Constitution in 2014, shows decades of recent history in Norway.

[Left: Detail of the Frieze, Norwegians heading to church. Right: Detail of the frieze, Svinesud Bridge crossing Iddefjord joining Sweden and Norway, 2005]

I was honored to offer the presentation “From Norway to the American Midwest: 200 Years of Immigrant Folk Art” as a complementary program to the exhibition. I used the presentation to position Møller’s traditional craft within a larger story of Norwegian folk art and craft in the diaspora — with a special focus on the lasting contribution of Norwegian folk art and craft in the American Upper Midwest and the value in maintaining it and its practitioners.

Møller’s visit and exhibition was sponsored by Løven Lodge (Sons of Norway), Midwest Institute of Scandinavian Culture, Waldemar Ager Association and Museum, McIntyre Library (University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire), and L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library. She continues to work on tapestries and is currently weaving one of St. Olaf, the 11^th century King of Norway.

October 2025

Josh Brown is Skwierczynski University Fellow in Languages and professor of German and linguistics at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. He prefers spending time at the loom, learning about the techniques that are deeply rooted in a culture, especially his own Pennsylvania Dutch culture and Scandinavian cultures. Josh has published and presented widely on heritage language communities in the U.S., including the Scandinavian Americans. He dreams of a life as an artisanal weaver in New England. His academic website is: https://www.joshuarbrown.com/ and his weaving website is: https://www.thebullfroginn.com/

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk

Solving the Mystery of the Backwards Baldishol

Leave a reply

By Robbie LaFleur

I find it surprising that so many weavers have felt compelled to reproduce Norway’s most famous weaving, the Baldishol Tapestry. Many Baldishol replicas are in the U.S.: Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum has three full-sized replicas, and one is in storage at the White House, a gift from Norwegian-American women to President and Mrs. Coolidge. (Read more about those in “The Baldishol Tapestry–The White House Replica and Others.”)

Baldishol Tapestry. Between 1150-1190. Nasjonalmuseet. (full record)

Weaving a Baldishol tapestry is not a small commitment for a weaver; a full-sized replica is large at 46” x 80”. It is tricky in terms of technique; in particular, several outlined areas on the birds’ breasts and the back of the horse challenge even the most skilled tapestry weavers. Perhaps that’s why many weavers choose to make their own copies – to challenge their weaving skills? (1)

I learned of another reproduction of the Baldishol in the U.S. in 2021. It was located in Florida and presumably woven by Abbie Wetzel (1920-2002).

Abbie Wetzel was born in Massachusetts. According to her brief obituary, she was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, serving in World War II. She taught instrument flying to pilots. She was married to Robert Wetzel, an artist, Navy veteran, and producer of animated films. Bob and Abbie had no children. They lived in the Washington DC area for many years, later retiring in Winter Haven, Florida.

After Abbie died, Bob remarried. He died of cancer in 2004, and Abbie’s textile supplies and the Baldishol reproduction were left with his second wife, Mary Martin Wetzel. When Bob Wetzel died, much of the background story of the Baldishol replica was lost. After Abbie Wetzel’s death in 2002, the Baldishol replica remained in her husband’s family for two decades, carefully stored in Winter Haven, then Gainesville, Florida, and then Asheville, South Carolina.

Emily Mann, the granddaughter of Bob Wetzel’s second wife Mary, contacted me about the tapestry, believed to be woven by Abbie Wetzel. It seemed a bit baffling. What prompted Wetzel to take on such a large weaving and this image? Had she seen the original? Did she have Norwegian background? Was she an experienced tapestry weaver?

The original Baldishol Tapestry is 46.5” tall by 80”. The Abbie Wetzel reproduction is approximately 50” by 70”, so it is a full-size replica. But this Baldishol tapestry has a very odd characteristic — the image was woven backwards!

Snapshot taken by Emily Mann, with the horseman riding in the wrong direction

That didn’t seem right, and I suggested to Emily that perhaps she had sent me a photo of the back. But it was the front; she sent me photos clearly showing that unwoven ends were on the other side. That was also a bit odd. In the Norwegian billedvev [tapestry] tradition, the hanging ends on the backs of tapestries are woven in so that the reverse side is as beautiful as the front.

Emily Mann inherited the tapestry, but after it was in storage for so many years, her family members had few details. They did know that Abbie Wetzel was not able to finish it, and Bob Wetzel paid someone to finish the weaving. When that was or who did it, Emily didn’t know.

I searched for more information on Abbie Wetzel. She was an active spinner and weaver and at one point owned five spinning wheels, according to a 1990 article in the Pensacola News Journal. She had been spinning for thirty years. She gave workshops on straw weaving and demonstrated spinning at her local library. Abbie compiled extensive natural dye notebooks and samples, which Emily inherited and passed on to an artist friend.

Then I spent a whole day on the couch, peeling back layers of the internet….

It wasn’t Abbie Wetzel who began the Baldishol, It was a Norwegian-American weaver, Maria Mundal. And the person who finished weaving the tapestry was Mary Mahon from Orlando.

Mary Mahon pictured in an article in the *Orlando Sentinel,* August 22, 1999, “Interweaving Artistry, History.”

In an article in the Orlando Sentinel, Mary Mahon mentioned that it was Maria Mundal who started the tapestry. Mary Mahon and Abbie Wetzel were active members of the Weavers of Orlando; both are mentioned in issues of the guild newsletter, Fibergramme, which is archived online. It is interesting that Mary Mahon is working on a floor loom, not an upright tapestry loom. I thought she might just be weaving something else, for the purposes of a photo, but it looks like she is weaving tapestry. She is not weaving in the Norwegian tradition with butterflies; I see a tapestry bobbin and another small shuttle.

The article states that Mary Mahon had been working on it for three years, so probably beginning about 1996. The article noted that the original weaver, Maria Mundal, died more than 20 years previously (previous to 1999) and said it was an accident.

What was the accident? I discovered the sad answer through the Norwegian National Library online, in an article from Nordisk Tidende, June 27, 1974. “Art Weaver Maria Mundal is Dead.” (My translation)

The renowned art weaver Maria Mundal died at Ullevaal Hospital in Oslo on June 11. She had been living in Alexandria, Virginia, and had earlier this summer traveled on vacation to Norway after a 40 year absence from her homeland. She turned 80 in October 1973.

After a visit to the Munch Museum she was hit by a car and broke her collarbone. She was taken to the hospital. She developed complications and her life could not be saved. She died on June 11 and was buried in Vegårdshei in Aust-Agder, where her mother is also buried.

Maria Mundal had a strong wish to weave the Baldishol Tapestry, one of Norway’s most famous tapestries, through her whole life. It dates from the 12th century and was found in the Baldishol Church in Hedmark. and hangs in the Kunstindustri Museum [now part of the Nasjonalmuseet] in Oslo. She obtained the materials she needed and had begun the large work, but it was not completed. Now another person will be sought to finish it. Maria Mundal herself said that the Baldishol would be the greatest work of her life.

So how did Maria Mundal’s Baldishol come to be with Abbie Wetzel? I guessed that Abbie was a tapestry student in one of Maria Mundal’s tapestry classes, or was a friend through a weavers group near Alexandria, Virginia, where Maria Mundal lived before her death. Wetzel lived in the DC area before retiring later to Florida.

I discussed the backwards Baldishol with Laurann Gilbertson, Curator at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. She began digging into a cache of letters and records about Maria Mundal in their archives. There were letters from Abbie Wetzel, who had donated other weavings by Maria Mundal to the museum. The story of Maria Mundal’s Baldishol replica became much clearer, and I should have contacted Laurann earlier! In 2000 Abbie Wetzel was in communication with Vesterheim about the completed Baldishol replica. This was shortly before she died in 2002. The communication stopped. The Baldishol was stored away in Florida. And two decades later Emily Mann inherited it and began to seek information about it.

In a letter from the Vesterheim archive, Abbie Wetzel related more information about Mundal’s Baldishol replica. “Husfliden resisted selling Maria the handspun vegetal dyed yarn so it was Maria’s persistence that won out. She had been working on the tapestry for about a year before her untimely death and had completed about ¾ of it. The cartoon was lost in the handling of her estate and I obtained a copy from a friend in Norway.”

An article in Nordiske Tidende from October 4, 1973, profiled Mundal as a prominent Norwegian-American weaver, and ends with the following paragraph. “Maria has just received yarn from Norway and is ready to begin weaving a copy of the Baldishol Tapestry, a project she has looked forward to and feels will be one of her most important works.” If Maria Mundal began weaving the replica around October, 1973, when she was 79, and then wove ¾ of the tapestry before her accident in Oslo in March, 1974, that was a fast weaving pace!

But why was the image backwards?

A question remained: If Maria Mundal began the tapestry, and she learned to weave as a child, in an unbroken tradition from her mother, grandmother, and as one article said, weavers back to Viking times, why would she leave tails on the back of a tapestry? That is against Norwegian tapestry history and technique. And if weaving the Baldishol Tapestry was a lifelong goal of Mundal, why would she weave it backwards? I have a theory.

I believe Maria Mundal was weaving the tapestry from the front, left the tails of each color on the front, and planned to weave in all the ends (like a good Norwegian). But the person who finished weaving the tapestry (Mary Mahon, and perhaps also Abbie Wetzel) didn’t know that was supposed to be done. Most American tapestry weavers don’t follow that tradition. I looked more closely at one of the detail photos, showing one end of the tapestry, and it looks like some ends have been woven in, just not cut off. If all the ends can be woven in – voila! – the horseman will not be riding backwards.

Emily Mann is donating the Baldishol replica to Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, which has a number of other pieces woven by Maria Mundal. Maria Mundal would be pleased, no doubt, although her initial hope was that it would be displayed in the Norwegian Embassy in Washington, DC, or at the United Nations. And Abbie Wetzel, who had been a good friend to Maria Mundal, would be happy to know that the completed Baldishol will be part of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum collection. (2)

Abbie Wetzel once wrote to Laurann Gilbertson, “My experience as a handspinner and handweaver has contributed to my respect for these crafts associated with these creative endeavors. When it is the part of the lives of many generations, as in a museum, it evokes reverence and a joy of the spirit, doesn’t it?”

(Robbie bio)

(1) Weavers in Norway continue to challenge themselves by weaving Baldishol replicas. See “From 1180 to 2024 – Norwegian Weavers are still Committed to the Baldishol Tapestry.” robbielafleur.com, April 22, 2024.

(2) Members of the Minnesota Weavers Guild of Minnesota Scandinavian Weavers Study Group will weave in the loose threads on Mundal’s tapestry, to fulfill her strong wish to weave a Baldishol replica.

October 2025

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk

What’s in that Potte-blå?

Leave a reply

By Robbie LaFleur

Frida Hansen (1855-1931) and Hannah Ryggen (1894-1970), two of the most important Norwegian tapestry weavers of the 20th century, wove monumental tapestries with very different styles and aesthetics. They both used liberal amounts of the vibrant blue loved by countless Norwegian weavers over time, potte-blå, or “pot blue.”

Most dyes require a mordant in the dyeing process, an ingredient that creates a bond between the color and the fiber. In the case of indigo, urine works well. Although both artists warrant much longer descriptions of their lives and works, this article will focus on interesting anecdotes about their use of blue dye and urine—from camels and from men.

Frida Hansen was most active from the late 1890s through the 1920s and her tapestries reflected the Art Nouveau style of her era. Her figures, almost exclusively of women, were elegant. She was one of the first artist weavers, responsible for both the design and weaving of her tapestries (though she had help at the loom). Her images were filled with nature, evoking flowers from the gardens of her youth. In addition to her artistic talent, Hansen was also known for reinvigorating historical Norwegian tapestry weaving at the end of the 19th century, for her research into traditional plant dyes, and for her entrepreneurship as the head of a weaving studio of around 20 weavers.

Many of Frida Hansen’s tapestries include liberal amounts and numerous shades of indigo blue. In Sørover [Southward, 1903], ten maidens ride swans on blue fan-shaped waves. The indigo shades set off the sinuous maidens in complementary colors. Without the variety of blue, the massive tapestry (10’ x 11’) would be much less striking.

Frida Hansen. Sørover [Southward], 1903. Photo courtesy of Peter Pap.

Frida Hansen also developed and patented a unique form of wool transparent tapestry, with areas of open warp contrasting with fully-woven sections of pattern. Blue was a favorite color for her warp; more than half of her designs featured indigo-dyed warp. Blue was also prominent in the rugs and upholstery fabrics woven in her studio.

Indigo-dyed warp used in Frida Hansen’s transparent tapestry Nellik og Hane [Cloves and Rooster], 1901. Photo: Robbie LaFleur

Frida Hansen dyed large quantities of wool for her own tapestries and those woven in her workshop, and her students did too. Around 1916 Ragna Bachke, a student of Frida Hansen’s, ran into problems obtaining her mordant for indigo. Bachke was weaving three rugs designed by Hansen and she needed several liters of potte-blå. Frida Hansen specified that only natural dyes be used, and Bachke was importing camel urine from Morocco for her indigo mordant. (Wouldn’t it be interesting to see the bottles and labels?) However, submarine warfare interrupted shipping, and Bachke visited Frida Hansen to express her concerns. Hansen consoled her immediately, saying, “Remember, dear lady, there are strong men at Jæderen too.” (1)

Røde roser [Red Roses], 1902. Photo courtesy of the Stavanger Kunstmuseum. Photo: Dag Myrestrand. The rugs woven by Ragna Bachke likely included red and blue roses similar to this tapestry.

It is interesting that camel urine was used, that WWI interrupted its use, and that in its absence, Frida Hansen suggested that men’s urine, in particular, was still available. Hmmm…only men?

Hannah Ryggen’s career started around the time of Frida Hansen’s death in 1931. She was born in Sweden and married Hans Ryggen, a Norwegian artist. They lived on a small farm without electricity near Trondheim, Norway, yet her visually powerful tapestries commented on international issues. For example, she skewered Hitler and Nazis while Norway was occupied and continued her social critiques for decades. Her images were not always political. We are Living on a Star, woven to celebrate her marriage, is filled with symbols of love, but the tapestry became political. It was hanging in a government building and damaged during the terrorist attack of Hans Breivik on July 11, 2011. When the tapestry was repaired, it was done imperfectly, intentionally, to show the tear in the fabric of society, and the coming together in its wake.

Hannah Ryggen. Vi lever på en stjerne [We are Living on a Star], 1958. In the collection of the Norwegian Government. Photo: Christine Novotny.

Her use of bold color and design brings to mind the decorative aspects of folk art, yet the images wouldn’t be called pretty. Ryggen said that she did not consider her works as textiles, but representations of people’s lives and struggles. She mostly used wool spun by her from her own sheep and dyed it with natural materials. Ryggen also used men’s urine in dyeing her vibrant blue. Many overviews of her work note that Ryggen kept a bucket for pee and asked male guests to her farm to contribute.

Hannah Ryggen. *Karsten i vevhimmel* [Karsten in Weaving Heaven] 1953. The beautiful blue in this tapestry of the painter Ludvig Karsten extends to tufts of pile. In the collection of the Nationalmuseet, Stockholm. Photo: Robbie LaFleur

A contemporary artist, Veslemøy Lilleengen, whose own grandfather had contributed to Hannah Ryggen’s famous jar of pee, made it a personal quest to dispute the common belief that men’s urine makes the best blue.

She wrote, “The content of urine affects the color. What you have eaten and what you have drunk, health and age are examples of what gives different shades of blue. After working with the color method for a few years, I have been confronted time and again with a certain myth: only men can contribute urine to make pot blue. It comes from different quarters, both experts on color, experts at Hannah Ryggen and museums. It may seem that people believe men have magical urine.” (2)

To dispel this mistaken belief, Lilleengen collected urine from other women artists and used it to make a blue shade unique to each person, a sort of genetic fingerprint in a dyepot. She dyed a t-shirt in the unique dye for each artist and stamped the artist’s name on the front. The 55 shirts were assembled as an art work, Norsk Bauta [Norwegian Monument], and displayed at the 2021 Høstutstillingen, a prestigious annual contemporary art exhibition in Oslo. The indigo t-shirt project is a part of Lilleengen’s larger focus on the underrepresentation of women in art and museum collections. (3)

Veslemøy Lilleengen. *Norsk Bauta*, 2021. Photo courtesy of Veslemøy Lilleengen.

Both Frida Hansen and Hannah Ryggen would have enjoyed Veslemøy Lilleengen’s research to break the myth of men’s urine as best. But however those artists obtained their potte-blått, the resulting tapestries with a myriad of blue shades are a cause for celebration and admiration.

1. Letter from Christian Mohr to Anniken Thue, Oslo, October 27, 1991, Anniken Thue’s Frida Hansen archive, Stavanger Art Museum.
2. Lilleengen, Veslemøy. “Norsk Bauta.” Website: https://www.veslemoylilleengen.com/work/norsk-bauta.
3. LaFleur, Robbie. “To the Point, with Textiles.” Vesterheim, Vol. 19, No. 2 2021.

More reading on Frida Hansen:

LaFleur, Robbie. “Frida Hansen’s Sørover.” Norwegian Textile Letter, February 2022.

LaFleur, Robbie. “Frida Hansen: A Brief Biography.” Norwegian Textile Letter, February 2022.

Simonæs, Anne Sommerin. “Frida Hansen: A Leading Star in European Textile Art.” Nasjonalmuseet website, Oslo. https://www.nasjonalmuseet.no/en/stories/explore-the-collection/frida-hansen/

Ueland, Hanne Beate, editor. Frida Hansen, Art Nouveau in Full Bloom. Stavanger Art Museum, 2015.

More reading on Hannah Ryggen:

“Hannah Ryggen.” Webpage from the Nordenfjelske Kunstindustrimuseum. This Norwegian museum has the largest collection of Hannah Ryggen’s tapestries.

“Hannah Ryggen, 1894-1970,” AbsoluteTapestry website. https://www.absolutetapestry.com/artist/hannah-ryggen/

Paasche, Marit. Hannah Ryggen: Threads of Defiance. London: Thames & Hudson, 2019.

A web search of Hannah Ryggen’s name will turn up many articles that include photos of her amazing tapestries.

This article originally appeared in Tapestry Topics from the American Tapestry Alliance, Spring 2025, Vol. 51 Issue 2.

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!

Frida Hansen’s Swans and Maidens in “Southward” are Heading Eastward

Leave a reply

By Robbie LaFleur

Maidens riding swans are forever moving through blue fan-shaped waves in Frida Hansen’s monumental tapestry, Sørover [Southward], 1903. Perhaps that is appropriate for such a well-traveled work of art?

Frida Hansen. Sørover (Southward), 1903. Photo: Peter Pap

Southward was barely cut from the loom of Frida Hansen before spending decades on exhibit in many American states.

1903. Berthea Aske Bergh, a New York Norwegian-American socialite, weaving teacher, and pupil of Frida Hansen, bought Southward from Frida Hansen and brought it to the U.S.

1903-1931. Southward was exhibited in more than 25 U.S. venues, including New York City and Brooklyn, New York; Rochester, New York; Washington D.C.; St. Louis, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; Toledo, Ohio; Burlington, Vermont; and Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Read more: “Southward on Display.”)

In particular, tens of thousands of Norwegian-Americans visited the Norse-American Centennial celebration held at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on June 6–9, 1925. Thousands of the visitors must have seen Southward hanging in the Exhibition hall.

*Southward hung prominently at the Norse-American Centennial. Photo: Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum*

1961 — Southward is sold at the estate auction of Norman Bergh, son of Berthea Aske Bergh, but there is no record of who bought it or how much was paid. (Read more: “More Provenance Puzzle Pieces are in Place.”)

19?? (1970s?) — David McInnis, a rug dealer from Keene, New Hampshire, acquired Southward and stored it carefully.

2021 — After the death of David McInnis, Rug Dealer Peter Pap rediscovered the tapestry, many decades after it was last publicized, folded in a bin. (Read more: “Frida Hansen’s Sørover.”)

2022-2023 — After cleaning, Southward was once again exhibited in two venues. It was part of Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890-1980 at LACMA, the Los Angeles Museum of Art (Oct. 9, 2022-Feb. 5, 2023), and the Milwaukee Museum of Art (March 24-July 23, 2023).

2025 — Southward travels eastward, back to Norway for an exhibit at the Stavanger Art Museum, From the Roots: Kitty Kielland & Frida Hansen.

Imagine all the times Southward has been rolled, unrolled, and moved. Here is a photo of the tapestry in Peter Pap‘s studio in Dublin, New Hampshire, being rolled for shipping to Stavanger.

Think of all the types of vehicles that were used to transport the tapestry to various venues. It came by boat from Norway in 1903. It was most likely moved by horse-drawn carriage during the first decade of the 1900s, and then by gasoline-powered trucks and cars. It was sent between the Toledo Museum of Art and the Brooklynn Museum of Art in 1931 with American Railway. It will not be sent back to Norway by boat.

Through the diligent work of Berthea Aske Bergh, the owner of Southward, the tapestry itself was a vehicle in the United States for promoting Norwegian tapestry and Frida Hansen’s talent. Bergh received the St. Olav’s Medal from Norway’s King Haakon the Seventh for her promotion of Norwegian art. I think she would be happy that the tapestry she bought from Frida Hansen’s loom is still admired by new generations.

“The Honorable Erling E. Bent, Consul General of Norway presenting Mrs. Berthea Aske Bergh with the St. Olav’s Medal. Sent from King Haakon the Seventh of Norway for her many years work for Norway Arts and Industries at a party held for Mrs. Bergh in the Norwegian (Seamen’s?) Hotel, December 10, 1948. Brooklyn, NY”

Thousands of Americans have had the opportunity to admire Southward. After 122 years in America, it seems high time to bring it back to Norway for a blockbuster exhibit.

Fra Røttene: Kitty Kielland & Frida Hansen [From the Roots: Kitty Kielland & Frida Hansen]
Stavanger Kunstmuseum, June 14-August 31, 2025

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!

Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest (Exhibit Recap)

Leave a reply

By Robbie LaFleur

Important note: The exhibit has been extended to April 19, 2025

Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest, an exhibit including 49 traditional and contemporary weavings, opened at Norway House in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 31, 2025. For more than thirty years devoted fans of Scandinavian weaving techniques at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota have been gathering to learn from one another. This resulted in a strong community created by a shared interest in traditional Scandinavian weaving techniques and commitment to keeping our craft alive — and vibrant. The current exhibit at Norway House in Minneapolis celebrates the history and the ever-constant enthusiasm of the members of the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group.

Each piece in the exhibit is accompanied by a QR code, which leads to information about the artist and the piece. The weavers were encouraged to give detailed background about their weavings, and because this is a study group retrospective, to write about how the Scandinavian Weavers Study Group has been important to them. All the descriptions are linked to this table: Artists and Description

Norway House
913 E Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404
January 31 – April 19, 2025

In the center of the exhibit is a magnificent weaving in progress by Melba Granlund on a warp-weighted loom.

People of all ages enjoyed an introduction to weaving on two Family Fiber Days on February 22 and March 22. The March event began with a group from a local retirement center, Becketwood, followed by a steady stream of families and children all day long, more than 60 in all. The Family Fiber Day demonstrators (Beth Detlie, Nancy Ebner, Melba Granlund, Holly Hildebrandt, and Peg Hansen) gave away at least 10 frame looms with shuttles so visitors could finish weaving at home.

Carstens Smith, Program Coordinator at Norway House, shared several positive comments about the first two months of the exhibit.

“This is one of the best-attended exhibits we’ve had.

“People are using the collateral materials more than I have ever seen them used before. People want to learn about the artists, the materials, and the processes.

“When people first walk in the gallery, I can see an immediate reaction – whispered “oh wows,” smiles, zeroing in on a piece and going straight towards it like an arrow – strong positive responses that one doesn’t normally see at an art gallery.”

(Photo: Lisa-Anne Bauch blends with her weaving, Aegean Norwegian.)

Carstens also shared a story that reflects a change in audience responses to textile-related exhibits. “I have seen a tectonic shift in the attitude towards working with textiles as art. In the early 80s, I attended a gallery showing of quilts with my father-in-law. He barrelled through the exhibit, and when I caught up with him, he snorted, “I wish they wouldn’t pass these things off as art.” The people coming to this exhibit clearly recognize the textiles they see as art. They appreciate the work that went into each piece and they acknowledge the artistry. There’s no snorting here.”

I agree with Carstens, and also feel that even if textile objects are not exclusively examined as art, they can be appreciated as important cultural historical objects or examples of exquisite (and often disappearing) craftsmanship. Those are all valid reasons to be worthy of gallery exhibits.

Vibrant Tradition honors the Scandinavian Weavers’ longstanding programs, including education, mentorship, group projects, exhibits, and collaborations with other organizations. Several group members studied weaving in Norway and other Scandinavian countries through weaving schools and private study, while others have taken classes with visiting teachers at American institutions such as the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, Vesterheim Folk School, the American Swedish Institute, and Vävstuga. Several of the members teach weaving.

Our Scandinavian Weavers Study Group is a source of personal connection and sharing of expertise. This retrospective will be over soon, but plans are already underway for our next opportunity, featuring even more interactive programming.

Read more about Vibrant Tradition: Scandinavian Weaving in the Midwest in these two articles:

“Vibrant Traditions on display at Norway House: A colorful tapestry of Nordic color.” Carstens Smith, The Norwegian American, January 25, 2025.

“Norway House’s Vibrant Traditions — a tapestry of time and place.” Sommer Wagen. The Minnesota Daily, February 5, 2025.

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles (and the publisher’s upcoming research in Norway) with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. This warbler is chirping his thanks! Tusen takk

Finding Unexpected Treasure in a Familiar Place

Leave a reply

By Lisa Torvik

Imagine my surprise when, at the end of a lovely dinner with my old friend “H”, her family and some of my relatives, she plucked something off the wall in the corner and proudly showed it to us: a genuine Hannah Ryggen tapestry! My jaw just dropped. I have visited this home many times since the mid-1980s, since her parents, then her brother and finally she and her family lived there, on her mother’s ancestral farm outside of Trondheim. Though we seldom dined in the formal dining room, which they call the Red Parlor, I was amazed that I had never noticed this particular part of the décor, somewhat obscured by her great grandmother’s wedding veil.

How did it come to be there? Here is the tale in “H’s” own words, my translation:

“The story: At the end of the 1950s, Hannah Ryggen broke her ankle. At that time my father was a “young” doctor at the Central Hospital in Trondheim. He operated [on Hannah] and set in a screw. When she left the hospital he said he thought he deserved a tapestry for the good job he had done, said with a gleam in his eye of course (you well remember my father….). She replied that he would never be able to afford to buy one of her tapestries. Certainly said with a gleam in her eye, also. When she came for a checkup some weeks later she had this tapestry with her, which of course shows the ankle with the screw and the doctor’s hand. Now it hangs in the Red Parlor!!”

Not a bad “tip” for good medical care, I would say.

Bio: Lisa Torvik credits early influences of her mother, grandmothers, aunts and friends in Norway for her knitting, sewing, embroidery and weaving interests. She spent a year in her youth studying weaving at Valdres Husflidsskule in Fagernes, Norway, and now focuses on projects in traditional Norwegian techniques and more contemporary applications.

March 2025

Editor’s note: If you want to celebrate and view the work of Hannah Ryggen this summer, visit the Hannah Ryggen Trienniale 2025 sponsored by the Nordenfjelske Kunstindustrimuseum.

Read more: Minnesota weaver Christine Novotny visited the Trienniale three years ago, and reported on her experience in this Norwegian Textile Letter article, “Anti-Monument: The 2022 Hannah Ryggen Triennial.”

Walborg Nickelsen: A Designer Influenced by Frida Hansen

Leave a reply

Frida Hansen (1855-1931) was a ground-breaking Norwegian artist at the beginning of the 20th century. Her work was tied to the National Romantic period in Norway, and influenced by the international Art Nouveau Movement. She reinvigorated Norwegian billedvev, [tapestry weaving] from the Renaissance era, investigated natural dyes used in historical weavings, ran a school for tapestry weaving, directed one of the largest tapestry studios in Europe at the turn of the 20th century, and gained international fame for her large tapestries in Art Nouveau style. She also developed a patented technique for weaving “transparent” tapestries with wool warp and weft. Portions of the weavings, usually hung as portieres or curtains, were left unwoven, giving a see-through effect and an emphasis on positive and negative spaces in the images. Hansen’s transparent tapestries drew rave reviews at the Paris Exposition in 1900, and were purchased throughout Europe.

Frida Hansen, *JUNI* [JUNE], 1918. Now on view at KODE Museum in Bergen, Norway

Frida Hansen inspired a production of transparent tapestries in her signature technique that stretched for decades, and even inspires contemporary artists. She released her patent in 1906, and some of the first pattern designers were weavers from her studio, Den Norske Billedvæveri [The Norwegian Tapestry Studio]. Hansen’s open warp technique became part of the curriculum in early 20th century Norwegian weaving schools, so it was widely practiced.

Below are two details from the JUNI transparent tapestry.

Detail from the *Juni* transparent tapestry

The transparent tapestries designed by Frida Hansen are well-documented, due to her diligent record-keeping and the incredible sleuthing of her biographer, Anniken Thue. But the names of creators (and weavers) of many patterns designed by her followers remain a mystery. I would like to solve some of these mysteries, and in doing so, demonstrate the enduring influence of Frida Hansen and her innovative technique on decades of weavers. I recently had the chance to do just that on a visit to Norsk Folkemuseum. When exploring in the museum archives I came across boxes of patterns from Husfliden [the National Handcraft Association] dating to the early 1900s, and I made a few discoveries. A young woman named Walborg Nickelsen, who briefly worked for Husfliden, designed at least two patterns for transparent tapestry. This article highlights one of these, and tells the brief tale of her life, as far as I could piece it together.

Norsk Folkemuseum Curator Bjørn Sverre Hol Haugen unfolds a full-sized 1927 pattern for a portiere designed by Walborg Nickelsen. Most patterns in the archives were small sketches, not full-sized.

I have not seen a woven version of the full-sized pattern, with the wonderful deer. The second pattern, from a smaller sketch, must have been woven frequently. I recognized it from the collections of three museums, none of which listed the designer.

The second Walborg Nickelsen pattern. There are admonitions printed on the pattern that the yarn samples must not be clipped off and to please handle the pattern carefully

The color choices made by the weavers give each version an entirely different feel. This copy from Maihaugen is in lighter and softer colors than the suggested yarn colors that were attached to the Husfliden pattern.

A tree of life transparent tapestry design by one of Frida Hansen's followers has turned up in multiple versions around Norway — The museum record is here: https://digitaltmuseum.no/0210211617142/portiere. I think the pattern clearly includes a tree image, so it is surprising when it is hung upside down. The weaver’s name is unknown, and it is also displayed upside down.

Here is a version at the Sverresborg Trøndelag Museum.

The colors chosen are similar to those in the pattern, except the weaver used white wool for the background, giving a more open feel to the image. Museum record: https://digitaltmuseum.no/021028326715/akle

A version of the pattern is even found in an American museum, Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa. It was woven by a Norwegian-American weaver from Portland, Oregon, Ruthi Klever Lunde Clark (1900 or 1903-1981). Clark’s pink and green version was woven in tow linen rather than wool. (You can read more about Clark’s version and other American tapestries that were woven in Frida Hansen’s technique in this article, “Frida Hansen – Transatlantic Ties.”)

Nickelsen pattern woven by Ruthi Clark, found in the collection of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum

Since the first draft of this article was written, yet another set of portieres in Nickelsen’s tree pattern turned up on the Norwegian Blomqvist auction site. They were originally listed “Unknown Designer,” but I was able to give them updated information.

Walborg Nickelsen-designed portieres for sale by Blomqvist. Full record: https://www.blomqvist.no/auksjoner/moderne-design/moderne-mobler/nickelsen-walborg/740186

The auction house was not able to provide any provenance. I have no verification, but since this version is woven in exactly the colors specified by threads attached to the pattern in the Husfliden archives at the Norsk Folkemuseum, I have a hunch they may be the original set woven by the designer. Will more clues turn up?

Who was Walborg Nickelsen, the designer?

Walborg Weil Nickelsen (1907-1980) was born in Narvik, in the far north of Norway, in 1907, during the time her father, Wilhelm Nickelsen (1874-1953), served as the city engineer. They moved to Oslo in 1910, and Wilhelm spent most of his career as an engineer in the construction division of Asker municipality. According to newspapers of the day, he was a frequent speaker on the radio, often during a program with the tagline, “Small Visits with Big Men.” (One example was in Buskerud og Vestfold, April 11, 1931.) Walborg’s mother, Ragnhild Agnes Marie Nickelsen (born Ruud), cared for the home and lived to 103.

Walborg became a well-trained weaving instructor. She studied weaving at the Kvinnelig Industriskole [National Women’s Arts and Design School] for four years (best guess, around 1923-26), and then worked for Husfliden [the National Handcraft Association] for two years (1927-28?).

Walborg Nickelsen in a Hallingdal costume, 1926. From the Norsk Folkemuseum. Photo: Anders Beer Wise. Full record.

After her stint at Husfliden, Walborg worked as the assistant to Tora Qviller, a well-known Art Deco-influenced designer and weaver in the 1930s. An article in Dagbladet (12/12/1931) described Qviller’s work on two large commissions, for the director’s office of the Oslo Electric Company and 75 rooms at the Continental Hotel. In the General Director’s Office, Qviller proposed designs for upholstery, curtains, and rugs. “Tora Qviller and her young assistant, Valborg Nickelsen, received only a week and a half to create all the samples.”

In 1932 Walborg Nickelsen moved on to teach weaving for a new private weaving school started by Ingebjørg Hvoslef at the Tanberg estate in Ringerike. The ad for the school listed Nickelsen as the instructor. The three-month course had a very ambitious scope – both for learning and teaching! Students would study overshot weaving, linen damask, clothing fabric, home-spun, tapestry, pile weaving, transparent weaving, coverlet weaves, weaving theory, lace-making, pattern design, natural dyeing and spinning of linen and wool.

As far as I could determine, Walborg Nickelsen ended her career as a weaver, teacher and designer after teaching the course in the fall of 1932. Her name was not listed in the advertisements for the Tanberg Weaving School in the years after that. Also, according to newspaper notices in the summer and fall of 1932, Walborg became engaged to Ellef Bennichmann Petersen. She married in 1935, and had one son, Bjørn. She died in 1980. It seems a shame that she didn’t continue her life as a weaver and designer. If anyone knows more about her life, I’d love to know.

Frida Hansen’s influence

What if Frida Hansen had chosen to lead a life of conventional expectations, to work exclusively in her home? She began her career in textiles by opening an embroidery shop out of necessity, when her husband went bankrupt in an economic depression. After his finances improved, he encouraged her to give up outside work, but she refused. She had too much to accomplish, too many tapestries to create.

Walborg Nickelsen’s tree design is just one small indication of the decades of influence Frida Hansen had on weavers and designers in Norway. Nickelsen learned the technique in weaving school, created patterns for the technique as a young designer, and taught the technique as a weaving instructor.

Bibliography

Thue, Anniken. Frida Hansen: Europeeren i Norsk Vevkunst. Oslo : Universitetsforlaget, 1986.
“Wilhelm Nickelsen,” Lokalhistoriewiki.no [accessed 10/8/2024]

Read more about Frida Hansen: “Frida Hansen: A Brief Biography.” Norwegian Textile Letter, April 2022.

Robbie LaFleur is a weaver and writer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has been following a thread of Scandinavian textiles since she studied weaving at Valdres Husflidskole in Fagernes, Norway, in 1977. She is a Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum Gold Medalist in weaving, coordinates the Weavers Guild of Minnesota Scandinavian Weavers Study Group, and publishes the Norwegian Textile Letter. In 2019 she received a fellowship from the American Scandinavian Foundation to study the transparency technique of famed Norwegian tapestry weaver Frida Hansen. Contact: lafleur1801@me.com. Blog: robbielafleur.com. Instagram: robbie_lafleur

Help support wonderful articles on Scandinavian textiles with a donation to the Norwegian Textile Letter. Thank you! Tusen takk!

A Red Lion and Castle Flamskväv from Skåne

Leave a reply

By Kristina L. Bielenberg

The historic textiles of southern Sweden are especially appealing, given their bright colors and detailed designs. My great-grandmother came from western Skåne, so I am particularly fond of the geometric röllakan and curvilinear tapestry weaves from this region of Scandinavia. The older textiles, from the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries, have become harder to find at reasonable prices in recent years. Therefore, as a weaver and collector, I am happy when I can purchase even a tattered textile that reveals technical features of its construction while retaining much visual charm.

In anticipation of my birthday, I splurged and bought a well-worn top of a square cushion cover [dyna, jynne or kudde] woven in dovetail tapestry technique – flamskväv. According to several authorities, its central design, a red lion and a castle in a roundel of foliage and flowers, was one of the most popular during the period 1780-1800. Most of the red lion and castle tapestries are attributed to the Bara District just east of Malmö, with some 70 examples having been inventoried from southwest Skåne, including single and double agedyna [seat covers]. Interestingly, many of these surviving textiles are almost identical in composition and color, suggesting that their weavers relied on the same prints or cartoons for their design or closely copied the work of other weavers.

All photos: Kristina Bielenberg

The cushion top that I acquired is approximately 19 inches high by 20 inches wide. It has an indigo blue background inside the roundel, which contrasts nicely with the red lion, and also a dark brown field behind the surrounding frame of flowers. Some of these flowers are recognizeable – tulips, roses, and a lily – but other blooms and figures defy identification. Like most flamskväv pieces, the design was woven perpendicular to the warp on a vertical tapestry loom. (See detail photos here and at the end of the article.)

The warp is a fine two-plied linen warp (Z2S) with a sett of 12 ends per inch. The weft is spun of fine worsted wool, two-plied (Z2S) and, though the density varies somewhat, there are approximately 40 weft passes per inch, creating a firm but flexible fabric. The front of the textile is somewhat faded, but the vegetable-dyed weft yarns retain their distinct colors and lustrous beauty.

Why the red lion and castle? That remains a bit of a mystery. Some scholars say that the red lion was derived from the Biblical story of Samson’s battle with the lion; others describe it as a symbol of nobility and valor. One has said that the red lion was a heraldic symbol for the village of Bara. No one knows for sure. King Frederick I of Sweden acquired a live lion in 1731, so I imagine that this might have been a source of inspiration.

My cushion top’s design, or one very similar to it, was copied by 20th century weavers and woven using commercially-dyed, woolen-spun yarns. One from about 1900 recently sold at Stockholm Auktionsverk and, though nicely executed, it is coarser in appearance and the pattern is reversed and simplified. See: Flamskväv Skåne The patterns for such 20th century reproductions were often produced by handicraft associations and can still be purchased on-line from Skåne AB’s webstore. See the akedyna design kit with materials at: https://butiken.hemslojdeniskane.se/produkt/lejon-i-krans/

As noted at the beginning of this article, my red lion and castle cushion top is tattered. Sections of weft are missing and there are tears along the selvedge. The seller had mounted the piece on dark cardboard with a cardboard and fabric frame to hold the piece in place. My plan is to remount this textile using acid-free board, supporting fabric, and museum conservation clear glass to protect the weaving from ultraviolet light. This should extend the life of this historic treasure for future generations to admire and study.

Sources:

Viveka Hansen. Swedish Textile Art: Traditional Marriage Weaving from Scania. The Khalili Collection of Textile Art: Vol. 1. The Nour Foundation : London, 1996.

Willborg, Peter. Flatweaves from Fjord and Forest: Scandinavian Tapestries of the 18th and 19th Centuries. David Black Oriental Carpets : London, 1984.

Also, DigitalMuseum.se, “flamskväv” For example: Vävnad

Kristina L. Bielenberg is a retired attorney living in Vermont. She learned to spin at the age of 9 and weave as a teenager. Her current dream project is to weave a Norwegian-style åkle on an oppstadgogn using her own handspun yarn.