Samsø Island
Overview of Samsø
During the folk costume era, people in Nordby did not marry people in the southern towns located beyond the narrow spit of land connecting the island. Similarly, people from the southern towns of Samsø did not marry people from Nordby. The beautiful Samsø folk costume was worn into the 1870s.
Women's Costume
The lovely Samsø women's festdragt is most easily distinguished at a glance by the prevalence of the color green, and the use of silk everywhere except the skirt. It is a very special costume indeed!
It contains the following elements:
a. Skirt: Green wadmal (a coarse, dense wool) with a distinctive red-purple silk ribbon along the bottom edge. In the 1600s, most Samsø skirts were green and black. Green skirts, adorned with a silk ribbon at the bottom, continued to be used for festive occasions through the 1850s [Ellen Andersen, Danish Peasants Costumes, 1960, p.237].
b. Jacket: Green [per Ellen Andersen 1952, Nanna Gandil 1972 and Folkedragt.dk 1979]. It was made of a linen-silk blend called "half-silk" with so-called "ham sleeves" (e.g., Ham-Sleeves Hedebo). The jacket lacked hooks and was instead pinned or buttoned. Green was the historical party color, but other colors were worn in the 1800s, such as black, brown, red, blue, violet, multicolored and floral. Occasionally, the jacket had sleeves of a different color than the jacket body. So-called "axe-sleeves" were popular through the 1840s [Ellen Andersen, Danish Peasants Costumes, 1960, p.236].
c. Apron: often made of red-violet patterned half-silk, with checkered apron bands.
d. Scarves: Notably, this costume has two scarves. On top is a "Barcelona scarf" embroidered with silk. Underneath the Barcelona scarf sits a hardly visible embroidered white scarf.
f. Headgear: with embroidery on its top matching the black Barcelona scarf. Around the face could be either lace from the town of Tønder, or embroidered white cloth.
g. Tied Silk Bow: on top of head
Samsø Festdragt (Party Costume)
from "Danske Folke Dragter" by Nanna Gandil, 1972
This glorious costume is a treat for the eyes! It was clearly put together with painstaking and thoughtful care by someone with a knowledge of Samso's storied history. It absolutely nails all the elements: green skirt with the appropriate silk ribbon, green jacket, barcelona scarf with white scarf underneath, red-violet apron, embroidered black headgear with lace and black ribbons.
Image credit: Samsø Folkedansere
Outstanding! The authenticity and beauty of this costume are noteworthy, particularly with regard to the red-violet apron described by the historical literature. Even more remarkable is the fact that the wearer's folk dance club is not even located on Samsø. I believe that the red ribbons on the back of the headgear would indicate an unmarried woman.
Image credit: Sønder Felding Folk Dancers
In 1979, the predecessor organization to the Danish Folk Costume Society put on an exhibition, displaying the finest example of the Samsø party costume. Here the checkerboard apron strings can be clearly seen.
Image credit: Folkedragt.dk
The ultra-rare Samsø costume was spotted in Faaborg in all its green glory! Although the image resolution is low, at the bottom of the skirt one can see the distinctive silk ribbon commonly used on Samsø.
Image credit: Faaborg Folk Dancers
Image credit: Faaborg Folk Dancers
Samsø Festdragt 1840-1850
from "Folkedragter i Danmark" by Ellen Andersen, 1952
In the above image, there is a dark silk bonnet called a "rumpol." Underneath the bonnet is lace from the town of Tønder. The woman wears a "Barcelona scarf," with a white scarf underneath it. The bodice is green half-silk and the skirt is green wadmal. The apron is reddish half-silk with red-black checkered apron bands. This was likely the image that inspired the Karen K. drawing, below. What a pity that this 1952 image was not taken using color film.
An absolutely stunning Samsø costume captured at the 2024 Scandinavian Festival in Junction City, Oregon, on Danish Day. The Barcelona scarf, green skirt with distinctive Samsø ribbon, red apron, and embriodered black headgear with lace identify it a a Samsø party costume.
Image Credit: Mikael Bjerregaard
The above artwork from Karen K. nails every key component:
green skirt
green jacket
barcelona scarf atop white scarf
red-violet apron
checkered apron strings
embroidered headgear with lace
Samsø Girl in 1830
She is wearing a jacket (not a bodice and nattrøje), as was customary on Samsø.
Source: "Danish Farmers' Costumes" by Ellen Andersen, 1960
Sleeved jacket (ærmetrøje) worn in 1800s
HIstorical records indicate that in the 1800s there were three times as many sleeved jackets as bodices. Further, it is believed that when bodices were worn, they were worn underneath a sleeved jacket.
Source: "Danish Farmers' Costumes" by Ellen Andersen, 1960
Samsø Brudedragt (Wedding Costume) 1840-1850
from "Folkedragter i Danmark" by Ellen Andersen, 1952
The Samsø bride's headdress was called a "hairband." It consisted of black velvet studded with colored pearls. It was so expensive that only a few wealthy farm families owned one. Thus, they were lent out for weddings.
Wedding dresses were always black. The one above is made of silk damask. Two scarves were worn, with the lower being made of swiss dot fabric, while the upper was a Barcelona scarf rolled into a sausage. The apron bands are made of gold-embroidered silk. In a sense, these gold apron bands are akin to the gold and silver belts worn on Læsø.
Men's Costume
The Samsø men's costume is truly a sight to behold! It is unlike any other in its peach, blue and green splendor. But look more closely at that "green" stripe and you will see there's something of an optical illusion, which is typical of calamanco patterns. It's no wonder that genuine Norwich calamanco (and its less-glossy and scratchier Danish imitations) were a fashion sensation in the late 1700s.
Per the Samsø Museum and the Samsø Folk Dancers, the extraordinary costume has the following elements:
a. Shirt: linen with hand-sewn buttons. A slight amount of embroidery on the cuffs and collar.
b. Vest and jacket: This is the defining feature of this costume and what makes so visually arresting! 16 different colors woven in a calamanco wool pattern. Double-breasted. Tin buttons, often hand-cast, in two rows.
c. Breeches: Striped blue-green velvet.
d. Socks ("strømpers"): white
e. Scarf: black
f. Hat: red knit worn with vest; black top hat worn with jacket
Many thanks to Samsø Museum's Regional Archives and Samsø Folkedansere President Lisbeth Jensen for providing much of this information! Were it not for passionate folks like them, priceless regional costumes would be lost to the sands of time.
Close-ups from duplicate fabric woven by Molly Olson using swatches taken from the original museum garment
