Who "Saved" the
Danish Folk Costume?
Short answer
Not enough people did, which partly explains why Norway has 200 or so costumes while Denmark has only about 50. However, there have been a few who stepped into the breach to prevent additional costumes from being "lost."
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But first, what does it mean to "lose" a costume?
It means they aren't even in museums! They're not memorialized in photographs or paintings. Gone without a trace.
How Did These Costumes Vanish?
The most egregious examples of lost costumes abound in Jylland, specifically Sønderjylland. This region had a major north-south road connecting Haderslev County with the Duchy of Slesvig and the Duchy of Holstein. That road brought modern, urban fashions from Paris and Hamburg to Jylland, resulting in the disappearance of many of its folk costumes in the late 1700s before they could be preserved in museums. Presumably, by the early 1800s, peasants felt that the old, out-of-style garments handed down from their grandparents were not worth keeping. Thus, they got thrown out and museums saw little value in preserving them.
Map showing North-South road through Slesvig, 1943
Who are the heroes who have done what they could to preserve Danish folk costumes?
a. Senn & Lahde
b. F.C. Lund
c. Hansen, Schou & Weller
d. Ellen Andersen (National Museum of Denmark)
e. Esther Grølsted (National Museum of Denmark)
f. Tove Jensen and the Board of Dansk Folkedragtforum
g. Museum Directors
h. and You!
Me? What could I possibly do?! Well, you could read about Denmark's lovely costumes, then buy one, or have one made, or ask your local museum about having a costume exhibit. It's cheesy to say, but a Danish folk costume revival really does start with all of us. Once you have your regional costume, wear it and share your pictures with us, so we can celebrate how beautiful they are with you. Perhaps some intrepid and enterprising Danish folk costume enthusiast will someday step forward and propose a (re)constructed folk costume for a region that has none (e.g. Kolding, Tønder) or a region that has meaning to you personally. You don't need permission from the King!
Senn & Lahde, 1806-1820, Klaededragter i Kjøbenhavn, 37 lithgraphs
