Re-housing the Nordic Textile Collection

FAIN: PG-51083-10

Nordic Heritage Museum Foundation (Seattle, WA 98107-4140)
Lisa Hill-Festa (Project Director: May 2009 to July 2016)

Funding supports the purchase of environmental monitoring equipment and preservation supplies to rehouse clothing and textiles, dating from the early 19th century, that illustrate the history and culture of Scandinavia. Items from the collection are used in scholarly research and in educational programming, and are loaned to other institutions for exhibitions.

This project entails physically packing a selection of collection objects into archival quality storage containers using specialized materials and techniques for long term storage and preservation. The collection consists of both commercially manufactured and hand-made garments, including headwear, outerwear, underwear, and household textiles from the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, the Sami, (indigenous peoples of northern Scandinavia and Russia) and the United States. The pieces date from 1820 to the present and many were brought by immigrant families from Scandinavia and represent the continuity of traditions in a new land and across generations. The objects are included in exhibitions, publications, educational programs and other interpretive projects, to illustrate historical and contemporary Nordic craft and industrial traditions and such themes as culture, identity, and cross-cultural connections.