THE FRIENDS OF FINNISH HANDICRAFT SOCIETY
The painter Fanny Churberg established the Friends of Finnish Handicraft Society in 1879 “to promote Finnish handicrafts and to develop them in a patriotic and artistic direction”. In the 1880s Churberg created a Finnish style to counter the international trends and currents of the day. The examples followed were the ethnographic collections of the student corporations and especially the geometric ornament of Karelian embroidery. The Society made textiles for everyday use and national costumes in addition to providing models and patterns.
Photo: Suomen käsityön museo / Eija Puskala
NATIONAL COSTUME
National costumes, based on folk costume, were first presented in public when Emperor Alexander III of Russia and the Empress Maria Feodorovna visited Finland in 1885. The Empress was given a boat rowed to the site by nine maidens in national costume, representing the provinces of Finland. Shown here are some of the rowers.
Photo: Suomen kansallismuseon kuva-arkisto
A MUSEUM OF CRAFTS
On 14 December 1888 it was decided to establish a Museum of Crafts in Helsinki. Since 1982, the Craft Museum of Finland has operated in Jyväskylä. The illustration shows a papier màche dish inlaid with mother of pearl and obtained for the Museum’s collections from the Paris World Fair of 1889.
Photo: Suomen käsityön museo / Eija Puskala
NATIONAL ROMANTICISM
During the 1890s national romanticism was expressed in a striving to create a national style. This was evident in architecture, music, literature, the visual arts, crafts; applied arts and interior design. The tendency to establish national styles was common throughout Europe. The essence of Finnishness was sought for example in Karelia, which was the destination of several expeditions. Shown here are results of Yrjö Blomstedt’s and Victor Sucksdorff’s journey to Russian Karelia in 1894.
Photo: Victor Sucksdorff.
THE PUUKKO-KNIFE
The sheath-knife, or puukko, is the basic Finnish tool, which evolved into various regional types developed by individual smiths. Kauhava in Southern Ostrobothnia is renowned for the puukko knives made by Iisakki Järvenpää and J. K. Lammi. The Tommi knife comes from the Kainuu region.
Photo: Suomen käsityön museo / Ismo Hannula
CARTS AND CARRIAGES
Smithing skills were also needed for making carts, one and two-seater chaises, sledges for church trips and work, and four-wheeled carriages. The making of springs and fitting iron hoops to wheels were demanding work.
Photo: Suomen käsityön museo
THE USE OF STONE FACADES
The use of steatite and other stones in building façades, requiring the stonemason’s skills, was a characteristic feature of architecture at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The Pohjola Insurance Company building in Helsinki.
Photo: Rakennustaiteen museon kuva-arkisto / Risto Kamunen
BEAUTY IN THE HOME
Family-centredness was an important aspect of the culture of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The home, the base of the family, became an important object of love and care. From 1899 popular educational organizations and the Martta Federation of Women in particular took upon themselves the task of educating rural and working-class homes. A comfortable home was to reflect the personality of its inhabitants especially in the affluent urban homes. Painting byOlga von Tobiensén.
Photo: Olga von Tobiensenin maalaus / Helsingin kaupungin museon kuva-arkisto
