Finnish Embroidery

Illustration: Finnish embroidery, 18th century.

The history of embroidery in Finland is made more complicated by the history of the country itself. For over five hundred years, Finland was considered an integral part of the Swedish Empire, only to end that era by becoming part of the Russian Empire for just over a century. When Finland did eventually manage to gain full independence in 1917 during the Russian Revolution, it was the end of over half a millennium of foreign domination, both politically and culturally.

Finland naturally enough has a number of traditions that derived from outside the region, particularly that of Sweden and Russia. Finns themselves however, although seen as Scandinavians, derive their original language and culture from much further east and have strong links with cultures and peoples across northern Russia. Scandinavia is really a crude but convenient regional political generalization. It would perhaps be more accurate to see the area as western and eastern Scandinavia. The eastern would include Finland, Estonia, and some areas of western Russia, all of which share similar craft and to some extent, cultural ties that are distinct from that of their western neighbours in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark.

 Illustration: Finnish embroidery.

Much of Finnish embroidery was used in costume and was stitched onto a plain, often white background with either whitework or contrasting coloured threads, very often red being a particular favourite. Interestingly whitework was often used in Russia, and the use of red thread in particular was one of the most frequently and popular colours used. Finnish embroidery shares many core values with that of its eastern neighbour Russia, including a number of the motifs and decorative borders. This is not to say that Finnish embroidery and craft skills in general were subservient to those of the Russian Empire. Finland always maintained, despite centuries of domination and forced integration into the cultures of firstly Sweden and then Russia, its own unique identity through its sense of history, mythology, and craft, and while embroiderers might well have borrowed or integrated a certain amount of decorative ideas and themes, Finnish embroiderers remained a separate craft region.

Illustration: Finnish embroidery, 18th century.

Embroidery was by no means the only craft skill that Finns excelled in, but it was one of the most widely and publicly accessible forms of craft, and as in most of Europe it was dominated by women who were often skilled to professional levels but seen as belonging to the amateur. Embroidery is often identified with the public face of a culture or indigenous group, and although a certain amount of the craft has been influenced by fashion and outside forces, the core value of this important and often-neglected skill remains. Finns, as in many other cultures, have access to their long cultural history through the often-anonymous work produced by generations of women and their embroidery. The craft, both living and historical, is an invaluable reference for the often complex cultural and craft history of the region.

Further reading links:
Finlands medeltida konsthantverk =: Arts and crafts in Medieval Finland (Swedish Edition)
The Vanishing Beauty Of Finnish Peasant Handicraft: Talonpoikaisesineiston Katoavaa Kauneutta
Finland: Nature, Design, Architecture
Ryijy Rugs from Finland: 200 Years of a Textile Art; Organized by the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design and the Smithsonian Instiution Traveling Exhibition Service
THE LANGUAGE OF WOOD; Wood in Finnish Sculpture, Design and Architecture
FINNISH ARTS AND CRAFTS.
The Vanishing Beauty Of Finnish Peasant Handicraft: Talonpoikaisesineiston Katoavaa Kauneutta
Finland: Nature, Design, Architecture
Scandinavian Design 
Nature as object: Craft and design from Japan, Finland, and Australia
Scandinavian Craft Today: 35 Artists from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
Embroidered Textiles: A World Guide to Traditional Patterns
Embroidered Textiles: Traditional Patterns from Five Continents : With a Worldwide Guide to Identification
Embroidery of All Russia
Embroidery: Traditional Designs, Techniques, and Patterns from All over the World

Alfred Vaino Blomstedt and Rug Design

Illustration: A V Blomstedt. Horses rug, 1900.

At the turn of the twentieth century, there were a number of artists in Finland who produced both contemporary and traditionally sourced tapestry and rug design work; among these were Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Timo Sarpaneva and Alfred Vaino Blomstedt.

Blomstedt was a trained fine artist who had studied both in Finland and in Paris, but he was also an illustrator, designer and textile artist. His work within textiles was chiefly concentrated within the medium of tapestry production, though he did produce a number of rug designs as well.

Rug production was considered part of the traditional culture of Finland and was resuscitated within the Finnish Arts & Crafts movement. Finland did not gain its independence from Russia until the end of the First World War. Therefore, any highlighting of traditional skills was considered patriotic within Finland, but potentially dangerous political stirring within the Russian Empire as a whole.

The Friends of Finnish Handicraft, in which Blomstedt served as artistic director from 1900 onwards, was intimately involved in the Finnish rediscovery of their traditional culture through native crafts. Admittedly, not all rug production within Finland could be considered authentic to old traditions, but the romantic ideal of a separate Finnish culture from that of Russia, appealed to many within Finnish society and a number were more than happy to buy into the traditions, whether real or partially imaginary.

Although Blomstedt is more recognised today for his Symbolist inspired fine art work, the output he achieved in tapestry and rug design, cannot be dismissed. Working through the Friends of Finnish Handicraft with numerous other artists, designers and crafts people, Blomstedt helped to put Finnish self-determination on the agenda, and although considered an integral part of the Russian Empire, the Finns were able to mould a separate identity for themselves that put them in stead when they did eventually win their independence.

Further reading links:
The golden age: Finnish art, 1850 to 1907
Bringing Art to Life: Turn-of-the-Century Finnish Artists' Homes
Finnish design 1875-1975: 100 years of Finnish industrial design : Finnish Society of Crafts and Design 1875-1975
Scandinavian Design (Taschen 25)
Finland Living Design
Finnish Arts
Finnish Summer Houses
Finnish Design: Facts and Fancy
Kalevala Koru: Ancient Finnish design
Finland: Nature, Design, Architecture
THE LANGUAGE OF WOOD; Wood in Finnish Sculpture, Design and Architecture