Norwegian Country Attire, Vos Folk Dress, Antique Chromolithograph, c.1860

Norwegian Folk Costumes from Vos, Tonsberg Edition, 1860s

This richly detailed 19th-century chromolithograph illustrates traditional male and female costumes from Vos, today known as Voss, a culturally significant area in western Norway. The scene shows a couple standing beneath a leafy tree beside a wooden log house. In the background, a rural figure tends a cow with a pack on its back, reinforcing the agrarian setting and everyday life in the region.

The man wears a mustard-colored wool jacket and breeches, a white shirt, a patterned waistcoat, and a wide-brimmed hat with a decorative band. His blue stockings are secured with embroidered garters, and he holds a walking stick or rein. The woman is dressed in a black skirt, white blouse with lace-trimmed collar, a red bodice, and an apron tied with a blue sash. A white headscarf is neatly wrapped around her head and tucked at the chin. Both costumes are carefully embroidered, and the print captures the unique regional style of Voss, where traditional dress played a vital role in community identity.

This is Plate 5 from the series Udvalgte Norske Nationaldragter, meaning Selected Norwegian National Costumes. The series was published by Chr. Tonsberg in Christiania (now Oslo), printed by Winckelmann and Sonner in Berlin, and drawn by Johan Fredrik Eckersberg, one of the leading Norwegian artists of the national romantic period. Created in the 1860s, the series aimed to preserve and promote the diversity of Norway’s regional dress during a time of growing national pride and cultural documentation.

The print is a fine example of costume illustration, both ethnographically accurate and artistically composed, offering great value to collectors and enthusiasts of Scandinavian heritage.

Condition:

Very good overall condition with vivid original coloring. Very light age toning in the margins and minor foxing near the lower edge. Image clean and well-preserved.

Framing tips:

Frame with natural oak, walnut, or matte black wood. Use a cream or light grey mount to complement the earthy tones. Ideal for Nordic-themed or historical interiors.