By Jane Olson Glidden

It’s wonderful when life takes us in directions that connect the past with the present; I always try to watch for those links because I know they are not accidental.  This story begins with my connections to Norway, where my grandfather was born. My first trip to Norway was in the 1970s, when my sister and I were searching for clues about his birthplace.  While that initial quest was unsuccessful, I did discover a fascination for Norwegian weavers, namely Frida Hansen, Hannah Ryggen and Unn Sønju!  Now, after forty-plus years and three more trips, I finally found my grandfather’s birthplace on a farm in Ølen, and have visited dozens of museums and galleries to satisfy my interest in the history of weaving and in my favorite weavers from Norway. 

These days, much of my life is focused on involvement in my local guild, the Weavers’ Guild of St. Louis, which recently celebrated its 95th anniversary.  The guild was founded in March of 1926 as an extension of the weaving classes at the School of Fine Art at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.  The guild has an extensive archive, but we continue to research the artists from our guild and our history as the second oldest weaving guild in the nation.  

Transparent Tapestry was interesting, even in a small black-and-white photo.

Several years ago, I saw an article in our archives with a black and white photo of a piece titled Transparent Tapestry by Mrs. E. Siroky, which had been featured in a guild exhibition in 1939.  The piece called to me, even in black and white.  I knew I needed to locate that piece.  I found the artist’s name listed as Mrs. Elsie Siroky in the guild archives. She was one of our early members, joining the guild in 1927 while studying weaving with Miss Lillian Glaser at Washington University. Then, I found myself scouring the white pages and calling random phone numbers listed under the last name of Siroky.  Miraculously, I eventually found a family member who gave me the name of Elsie Siroky’s daughter, Joye, who was kind enough to invite me to her home to view and photograph more examples of her mother’s work.  Within a few feet of her front door, I found myself face to face with the captivating, full color version of Transparent Tapestry.  I immediately felt like I was transported back to Norway, discovering Frida Hansen’s work for the very first time.  I suspected there had to be a connection somewhere because the piece was so reminiscent of the transparent portieres designed by Frida Hansen.  

Transparent Tapestry, Elsie Siroky

When the light source is behind the transparency you can see the shapes formed by the areas of open warp.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to meet with Joye’s daughter Heidi, a granddaughter of Elsie Siroky, so I could get better photos of her work.  Once again, I found myself absolutely enthralled as we spent an entire day enjoying a rare treasure trove of photo albums and a newly discovered school portfolio filled with weaving notes, designs, pattern drafts and even the actual cartoons from several of Elsie’s pieces.  Amazingly, we found the folded paper cartoon for Transparent Tapestry.   The full size cartoon on graph paper was very detailed, with meticulous notes on color changes and open warp areas.  It appeared to be drawn with colored pencils. 

We also found sketches for weaving her initials E.S. and the year 1930 into the design. This was a revelation because they were well hidden in the diamond shapes in the corners at the bottom of the piece, but easily recognized after seeing the design drawings. 

Elsie Siroky’s initials and the date were woven at the bottom, but are almost impossible to see because they are woven in the same yarn as the background.

After enlisting the help of other guild members, we searched for a direct link between Elsie Siroky and Frida Hansen but found no specific evidence.  We did find one intriguing possibility though, with documentation that Elsie’s weaving teacher, Lillian Glaser, had traveled throughout Europe in 1930.  In a March, 1931, article by Louis La Coss in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat Magazine, Glaser was quoted as saying, “Norway and Sweden, you know, do the best weaving in the world today.  In other years France led, but the crown has been taken from that country by the Scandinavians.  Last summer I visited eight countries in Europe – Norway and Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Czecho-Slovakia, Austria, Italy, France, and England.  Everywhere I found an intense interest in the art, far beyond the traditional attention that has been paid to it for centuries.  In Norway and Sweden, especially, I found the art developed to its finest form.”

Perhaps this was the link that connected Frida Hansen with Lillian Glaser’s students.  We know that Lillian Glaser traveled to Norway in 1930 and two of her students went on to weave their own transparent tapestries with a distinct resemblance to Hansen’s work.  We know that Elsie Siroky wove her Transparent Tapestry in 1930 and her classmate, Carolyn Horton Cowan, likely wove hers in the same semester.  You can certainly see the influence of Frida Hansen’s design aesthetics and imagery when you compare both student-woven transparent tapestries side by side with Hansen’s Summer Night’s Dream [Sommernattsdrøm, 1914].  All three tapestries have a strong Art Nouveau style with similar motifs of stylized garden settings with trees.  The circles indicate areas with specific design similarities like the white spots and elongated shapes in the tree foliage.   

From left to right: Transparent Tapestry by Elsie Siroky, Summer Night’s Dream by Frida Hansen, and a transparency woven by another student of Lillian Glaser, Carolyn Horton Cowan

It certainly appears that Lillian Glaser introduced Frida Hansen’s unique transparent tapestry technique to her students after her visit to Norway, but nine decades later, finding proof is quite a challenge.  I love how this story connects so many facets of my life; interest in my Norwegian heritage, my love for weaving in general, and my fascination with the weavers/artists that left such a wonderful legacy in this art. I am excited to work with my fellow guild members as we continue to research our guild history while we approach our 100^th Anniversary in 2026.  Perhaps someday we will discover the precise details that connect Frida Hansen with Lillian Glaser and her talented students. For now we can all appreciate the impact of Frida Hansen’s groundbreaking work and admire the amazing efforts of two weaving students inspired by her technique and designs. 

Jane Olson Glidden weaves in St. Louis. She is active in the Weavers’ Guild of St. Louis where she is a member of several study groups including their Swedish Weaving Study Group.  She co-founded the guild’s annual sale in 1983 and continues to serve as Sale Chairperson.  She was awarded Lifetime Honorary Membership in the guild in 2012.