Bornholm Island
Overview
Early Adoption of Full Dresses
Full dresses gained popularity early on, and they occasionally had ham-sleeves or puff-sleeves, which was uncommon in other regions.
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The Bornholm folk costume is famous for its three distinctive types of headgear:
a.Nølle: Derived from a hairstyle for upper-class French women, this headgear features silk flowers and stiffened white fabric or lace that was pleated and stiffened, sometimes into "pipes" (see images below). The nølle featured red silk flowers for celebrations and bIack ones for mourning. In some respects, the nølle is similar to the Fanø wedding dress headgear. ​​​
b. "Tied on Itself" (på-sig-bund-det): quite distinctive as it goes quite far down the forehead. Many pins were used to secure the embroidered silk or cotton bonnet to the head, and it was a rather complicated matter to put it on. It had a white ribbon under the chin. Over the bonnet sat tulle or lace.
c. Hat å Houa (hat og hawa): the rarest Bornholm headgear. The National Museum's Esther Grølsted describes it as follows: "Linen, the tip of which goes down to the forehead, is bare at the temples and curls down around the ears. On top of that, the headdress has a small cardboard cap covered with fabric and decorated with silk ribbons, but no chinstrap. It can be seen here.
Minna Kragelund describes it as a "three-piece cap, placed on the outside of a rigid cardboard form. Silk ribbons lined the edges. This headgear was worn by confirmation candidates and young girls.
Bornholm Island Party Costume
from "Danske Folke Dragter" by Nanna Gandil, 1972
The Bornholm party costume above has the following characteristics:
a. the dress has short puffed sleeves and could be made of muslin, cotton or silk,
b. the black gloves were home knitted from silk yarn,
c. the headgear, or nølle, was white and stiffened, standing out from the head like a fan (not unlike Thy's headgear). It was decorated with silk flowers (red for celebration, black for mourning). Some literature (i.e., Nanna Gandil, Ellen Andersen) suggests that the "flowers" were homemade from silk ribbons. If a woman was unable to make one for herself, a nølle headdress could be purchased from a skilled seamstress. Reportedly, a nølle was quite expensive and only worn by wealthier women. Local women could borrow or rent them in the 1800s if they were to sit for a photograph. A simpler hat was used on a daily basis (see below).
d. a silk robe/cape: A well-dressed Bornholm wife had to have as many as three silk robes/capes:
i. red for parties,
ii. blue for Sunday use, and
iii. black for mourning.​
Bornholm Costume 1850-1855
from "Danske Folke Dragter" by Nanna Gandil, 1972
This costume is more urban and unlike most other Danish folk costumes. Reportely, that is because many Bornholm farms were located within the limits of Bornholm's market towns.
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The dress pattern is printed. The dress sleeves end at the elbow and is continued with a loose, white undersleeve containing embroidery. The shoulder scarf is made of white tulle and is single-layered. The apron is plum-colored or black.
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The bonnet was called "Tied on Itself" (På Sig Bundet), and is quite distinctive as it goes quite far down the forehead. Many pins were used to secure the bonnet to the head, and it was a rather complicated matter to put it on.
På Sig Bundet
På Sig Bundet headgear.
Dress of light wool. Sewn-n half sleeves with lace cuffs. Apron of half-silk.
Image credit: "Folkedragter" by Minna Kragelund, 1978
Image Credit: Licensed from Alamy
Spotted in Struer, 17 July 2025
Probable Bornholm Nølle
På Sig Bundet (on right)
In 1979, the predecessor organization to the Danish Folk Costume Society put on an exhibition, displaying the finest example of the Bornholm party costume. Here the nølle headgear can be seen.
Image credit: Folkedragt.dk
Bornholm church costume
from "Danske Nationaldragter," 3rd Ed. (1915)
by F.C. Lund with illustrations by Luplau Janssen
Bornholm Kirkedragt (Church Costume) 1850-1860
from "Folkedragter i Danmark" by Ellen Andersen, 1952
Married woman from Bornholm wearing På Sig Bundet
from "Danske Nationaldragter," 3rd Ed. (1915)
by F.C. Lund with illustrations by Luplau Janssen
På Sig Bundet Headgear
The woman on the far left's bonnet is called "Tied on Itself" (På Sig Bundet), and is quite distinctive as it goes quite far down the forehead. Many pins were used to secure the bonnet to the head, and it was a rather complicated matter to put it on.
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The woman on the far right is wearing the Hat å Houa headgear, the rarest of them all! The giveaway - no chinstrap.
This is the Hat å Houa (hat og hawa), which is the rarest of the three unique Bornholm headgears.
Hat og Hawa headgear - the rarest of them all!
Dress is hvergarn (wool + linen). Scarf is half-silk. Apron is printed cotton. Long gloves of leather.
Image credit: "Folkedragter" by Minna Kragelund, 1978
Image Credit: Mikael Bjerregaard
