Østhimmerland, 1835
The costume above is a hvergarn dress with "ham sleeves." A second wadmal wool skirt was worn under the dress. The apron above is made of patterned cotton, but could have been made of silk. The scarf above is white cotton but could also have been of silk. The headgear shown is the so-called "Randers headgear," which was used in Randers and Østhimmerland. The telltale sign of this headgear is the elaborate embroidery on the "neck" of the hat (see image upper right).

In the 1830s, hvergarn (linen + wool) dresses became more and more common among the rural population. Many were made of striped or checkered fabrics, some at home and others by the village weaver. Additionally, fabrics from other towns or abroad were sold by "roving peddlers," and these were in particularly high demand. As outerwear, the fashionable used a shawl, either checkered wool or printed cotton.

In 1979, the predecessor organization to the Danish Folk Costume Society put on an exhibition, displaying the finest example of the Himmerland Peninsula costume. By 1839 in Viborg County, it was noted that only the oldest women still wore the red nattrøje sweater. Younger women wore hvergarn (linen + wool) dresses.

Text credit: "GN" from Danish Folk Costume Society, 1991
Image credit:Licensed from Folkedragt.dk