Carl Larsson lived from 1853-1919, and painted happy family life scenes. He is among the best known Swedish artists. Carl Larsson and his family lived in Dalarna, the same part of Sweden as Andrew and Margareta Tagstrom Lundwall, our great-grandparents -- and near the homes of my mother's relatives as well!
Enjoy!
Santa Lucia Morning
Christmas Eve
Waiting for Christmas
Left side of Christmas Morning
Beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing them with us, Nancy.
ReplyDeleteNorene, in your travels to Sweden, have you ever seen such a narrow table with what looks like a hand-loomed runner or is this just what was used years ago?
The table looks narrow because of the length of it. It's a trestle table, and was widely used many years ago. When I was an antique dealer, this type of table was sought and the long tables were used in large country kitchens years ago. There were no counter tops back then, so the tables were work stations as well as serving tables for smorgasbords, and for eating. I think it looks longer in the painting because the runner is the width of the top of the table and the angle of the painting itself. The Larsson's were well off and had a larger home than most others in Dalarna had.
ReplyDeleteWeaving was done in most homes in Sweden, and they have beautiful beautiful runners, tablecloths, rugs, curtains and bed coverings (see first painting) -- and when there were looms in most homes, they could make the runners the correct length for the table.
Our Great-grandmother, Louisa, was a weaver as well. When I was a girl, Beda Krans Beaudry had the loom that may have been Louisa's and she made rugs on it. I still have several of "Aunt" Beda's rugs packed away and love to just take them out and feel them and then I put them away again. Hard to believe I've had them for the past 50+ years. They bring back wonderful memories.