Scan My Photos And Yours To Lock In The Past, Share With The Future
See What We’ve Learned From This Norwegian Girl’s Image
If you’re anything like us, you’re staring at this image, wondering, Who is this girl?
Her image, an ink-based photolithograph, was taken some time between 1890 and 1900. Although it looks similar to a regular photograph, upon closer inspection you can see it is made of many tiny dots.
She’s a poignant reminder of how important it is to preserve history and memories for generations to come. This image was taken more than 100 years ago. Without it and others similar to it, we would be left to wonder what Norwegians wore then. She’s the answer to all those who ask, “Why do I need to scan my photos?”
The girl pictured is from Hardangerfjord, Norway. The area is located in the country’s western half, and the fjord itself is 179 kilometers long and up to 800 meters deep.
In the photolithograph, she is staring off into the distance, not straight on. She looks thoughtful, perhaps pensive. What is she thinking? What is her name? We are left to wonder. We are glad, though, that her image and the cultural richness it represents are still with us to this day.
So now we have you convinced, but how about your friends and colleagues? Are they still asking, “Why do I need to scan my photos?” Call up this image for them, and read on to discover what else can be learned from the young maiden.
Her outfit is a traditional Hardanger woman’s bunad. Bunads are worn by both women and men, and can vary depending on a person’s family and region. The variations do share some commonalities, however; women sport a long-sleeve white shirt, vest, apron and skirt. Bunads are usually made of wool and embellished with jewelry. Today, Norwegians slip them on to celebrate special occasions, from baptisms and balls to weddings and confirmations. They may be worn with a marriage headdress, cape, shawl, scarf, bonnet and/or purse, and can be passed down to new generations.
But not every bunad gets passed down. Some are reconstructed or reproduced based on past designs, while others are inspired by them. Without images such as this, though, we would have no starting point.
Tags: photo scanning, scan my photos
She’s not a girl but a married woman. The fact that she is wearing that intricate head covering indicates her marital status. That is a Hardanger matron’s head covering.
Also, because of the lace on her apron, I would say that she is wearing a Fana bunad rather than a Hardanger bunad. They are similar but not identical. So actually, she is probably wearing a Hardanger head covering with a Fana bunad.