A Brief History Of Fine Swedish Table Linen
Linen itself has been featured in history since Prehistoric
times. Egyptian culture used linen as a basic cloth as well as
for costume. Archaeologists have found samples of linen, dating
back to 4200 BC. Linen that is now used in fine Swedish table
linen was processed in much the same way, back in 642 AD.
Unfortunately, few pieces have survived from that time.
By the 1500's, a damask linen was imported by Holland and
Flanders. This linen was used for table cloths by the wealthy.
This tradition was replicated in the seventeenth century in
Sweden. Fine Swedish table linens were owned by wealthy Swedish
families--they were ornate and decorative. And it wasn't until
the 1800's that table linen was used as an everyday table cloth.
>From the seventeenth century, Halsingland, Sweden began to
produce both flax and linen. It was in 1730 that a man by the
name of Stephen Bennet set up a linen factory of sorts with
about eighty looms. The quality of the damask created was high,
but the factory stopped producing fine Swedish table linen in
1845 when it closed down.
In terms of producing the linen, most histories agree that men
were given the responsibility of the heavier work--carrying and
lifting and transport of materials. Women were taught from a
young age about the craft of linen. Many of the children and
older women were in charge of less delicate jobs, while those
with manual dexterity and stamina were given the task of making
the higher quality fine Swedish table linens on one of the many
looms.
Prior to weaving and spinning, the women would color the flax.
Bleaching the fine Swedish table linens was difficult, as many
of the dyes were not colorfast. Some of the natural dyes that
were utilized were from natural findings--leaves, lichens, moss,
and bark. In the rare occasions when other colors were
requested, they could buy colorings--logwood, gambier, indigo,
and Farnock (from a tree).
The complicated process of weaving fine Swedish table linen was
not without good results though. One story goes that an owner of
a weavery--Calle Redhe-- used to go to Norway to sell his fine
Swedish table linen. In one particular summer trip, he met an
older woman of about seventy years old. The woman came up to
Calle and asked him if he was indeed Calle Redhe, to which he
replied yes.
The woman was delighted to find Calle as she herself had bought
a fine Swedish table linen from Calle's father in 1948 just
after she was married. Now, recently widowed after fifty-seven
years and returned to Norway to live she was delighted to learn
she could finally buy some napkins woven from the same loom as
the tablecloth. She had her tablecloth with her and purchased
matching napkins.
Fine Swedish table linen has a long history behind it, but it's
the story of the owners and their families are what enrich their
legacy. And with the long-standing tradition of linen making and
weaving, you too can probably find something to match your
great-grandmother's linens.