Marianne Vedeler
Pleated fragments of clothing from
Norway
Acta Archaeologica Lodziensia nr 50/1, 61-65
Pleated Fragments of Clothing from Norway
Well preserved clothing from medieval excava tions is relativelyrare in Norway. Nevertheless, vari ous forms of visual representations of medieval cloth ing areoftenused for reconstruction. These are often based on examples ofclothing found inmedievalart, and therefore do not necessarily give a naturalistic impression of medieval clothing. From timeto time, art has been stronglyconventionalized.Another prob lem is thatrepresentations of clothing in art are fre quently show only the upper classes. In spiteof the lackof well preserved materialcomingfromclothing, the Norwegian collectionsof archaeological material contain thousands of textile fragments coming from clothing of different kinds. A closer examination of these fragments may reveal new information about medieval clothing inNorway.
One of the most interesting groups of textiles in Norwegian collections is a group of pleatedfragments foundduring excavations of medieval towns in Nor way and Sweden. These are fragments ofclothing, andtheir size varies from afew centimeterstonearly one meter. The textiles have been intentionally and permanently folded during production - hence the term “pleated” in this lecture.
This groupof textiles can be distinguished from other groups mainly byits homogeneity.Both in ap pearance and in production techniquethetextileshave relatively small variation. The most outstanding fea ture ofthese fabrics is the evenly pleated and sewn foldsthat give us an impressionoforderand severity. This kind of pleating separates the group fromother known groups of medieval textiles. The pleated tex tiles are fragments of clothing, but the form of the garmentis not yet known, and itisnot clear whether the garmentwas wornby men, women or by both sexes [Hagen 1992; Kjellberg, Hoffmann 1991; Nockert 1984; Schjplberg 1998]. There arealso many unsolved ques tions concerning the localization of pleated textiles, that is in which town areasthey have beenfound. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these questions. Maybe closer research of the archaeological material relating to clothing willbring uscloser to ananswer.
Production
All the pleated textiles in this group are made of wool, and inadditionmany of themare made ofshin ing twills that give the pleated surface a lively im pression even today [Kjellberg, Hoffmann 1991: 50, Nilsen2000: 13]. The bottomof each fold isstitched onthe reverse side of the fabric. This makes the pleats less flexible when the user of the garmentis moving. The pleated dress must have required a lot of work, because each fold has to besewn separately. For this reason, I think the appearance, style and power of locomotion must have been important. All the frag ments in this group have sharp, vertically standing pleats. Somepleats are wider at the bottom end than atthe top, while in others thepleatsare parallel.The pleats, which differ in fold width, are madeof wedge-shaped pieces of cloth. Each pleat iskeptinplace by vertical seams on the reverse side of thefabric. Pieces of cloth are always joined at the bottom of a pleat. Overcast stitches are usually worked along the raw edges in addition to running stitches. In some cases running stitches and buttonhole stitches have been used,in others buttonhole stitchesalone.
The vertically sewn pleats differfrom the kind of pleated textiles found in Birka, datingto the Viking period, and from the pleated textilesfoundin Norwe gian medieval churches. These textile groupsare fur rowed, and not vertically stitched in each fold. They are pleated by horizontal threads which are drawn together, making small, rounded pleats.Thistechnique makes the garments look broad, in contrast to the verticallymarked lines characterizing thepleated fab rics from the medieval towns.
Origin
and development
To be able to compare the pleatedfragments with otherkinds of material it is necessary to date them. This particular type ofclothingfragment has been found in archaeological deposits dating between the second part of theeleventhcentury upto approximatelyA.D.
MARIANNE VEDELER
1
Fig. 1, 2. C 35126/TH 129, pleated fragment of clothing from Tpnsberg with vertically sewn pleats. Three-shed twill from the end of the twelfth century orthe beginningof the thirteenth century. Photo: University Museumof Cultural Heritage, Oslo. 1400. In Bergen, Oslo and T0nsberg, nearly 90% of
the fragments arefoundin depositsdatingfrom A.D. 1150 to 1250.'
As far as Ican see, there are at leasttwo possible origins for the vertically sewn pleats. It is possible that they are a result of a local tradition combined with a new development in professional tailoring. An already existing local style of clothing could have been developed into a newform throughthe new pos sibility of making garments more close-fittingto the body. The basis for this supposition is that all the vertically sewn pleats are fragments of larger, wedge-shaped pieces of cloth, and that all ofthem were once wideratthebottom end than at the topof the pleats. We also have to assume that the art oftailoring in Norway reached a relatively high level of specialisa tion as early as the first part of the twelfth century [Gj01 Hagen 1992: 46-50]. There is no indication of any use of vertically sewn pleats in Norway during the Viking period, and the technique has not been usedin local costumes in modern times.
Secondly, the pleated garments may have origi natedas alocal variation ofa European trend in the medieval period. Thelong, vertical folds in the fabric can thus beseen as an exampleof earlyGothicstyle. This theory stresses the difference in visual expres sion rather than the fact that both groups of textiles arepleated.If this hypothesis is correct, then vertical ly sewn pleats did not develop from a local tradition,
1 In Bergen, which is the Norwegian city with the largest quantityof these textiles, 493 of 563 examples are dated to this
period (these figures are from the table compiled byEllen
Schjpl-berg,Bergen). InOslo, 32 of 36 examples are dated between AD
1100 and 1250 [Kjellberg, Hoffmann 1991J. In addition, 25 ex
amples are not yet dated. In Tpnsberg, 37 of38dated examples are from the 12thor13th century [Nilsen2000: 13]. 31examples from Tdnsbergare notdated.
but arrived as an independent fashion linked toearly Gothic style. Consequently, a comparison of therem nants of clothing with those shown in sculptural art from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries would be important.
Comparison
with
sculptural
art
Among preserved medieval sculptures, there are severalexamples ofclothingthat looks pleated. Mar- gareta Nockert has compared the pleated fragments of textileswith a stone effigyfromGudhem Abbey in Sweden, and with sculptures from the west portal of Chartres cathedralin France [Nockert 1984: 191 ff]. In both cases, the garments on the figures have a ver tical foldingthat is reminiscent of the form and ex pression of the verticallysewn pleated textiles. I will deal more closely with the example from Gudhem Abbey, because it is geographically moreclosely con nected to the pleatedtextiles.
The effigy from Gudhem is regarded by Aron Andersson as being a lateSwedishoffshoot of the Ile-de-France twelfth century sculptural tradition. The effigyisprobably attributed to Queen Katarina, and is dated to themiddle of thethirteenthcentury.Thebody ofthefigure has extremely elongated dimensions. The lowerpart of the torso has a column-like shapewith repeated parallel folds or pleats of equal width [An dersson 1949: 250-252].
A comparison with preservedfragments of clothing showspointsof resemblance. All the pleated fragments withvertical seams aremade in wool, and the yams are shiny and stiff. Theverticallysewnpleats in this mate rial willmake a stiff, repeating impression totally dif ferent from, for example, a fabric made ofsilk.
More thanone problemisencountered when ex cavated fragments of clothing arecomparedto me dieval sculptural art. Much of early Gothic art is
characterizedby strong stylisticconvention in, with out any real naturalism [Anker 1981: 233, Stang og 0stby 1979: 81]. This problem has beenpointed out by more than one scientist who has been working on the pleatedtextiles [Gjpl Hagen 1991: 52, Kjellberg, Hoffmann 1991:53].ButIamnotconvinced that this problem makesa comparisonof the fragments ofcloth ing with sculpture irrelevant. Conventions in styleare visible in architecture, sculpture and painting. Why should the same conventions not be visible in cloth ing? It is not unlikely that the same characteristic expressions of style may be found in different types of material culture from the same period and geo graphical area.Thesimilarity of visual expression of the pleating in sculpture and archaeological textiles in Scandinavia in thetwelfthand thirteenthcenturies is interesting. The visual effect of the pleating should be studiedinassociation withtheconvention of style insculptural art. The costumes could then be seen as part ofa larger expression of style. My opinion is, therefore, that the vertically sewn pleats can legiti mately be compared to Queen Katarina’s strict and repeated parallelfolds.
Who
was
wearing the
garments?
Someof the pleated fragments found in Norwe gian medieval towns are quitelong. The largest frag mentisfoundin Bergen, and is 85 centimetres long. Thelength indicates thatthis couldbe the lower part of a long dress. Thisdoes not necessarily mean that thefragment was part of a woman’sdress.Long,fold ed coats can be seen in sculptural representations of both sexes. SeveralNorwegian wooden sculptures of St. Olaf havelong foldedcoats. Oneexample is from the church in Skjedsmo, datedtothethirteenth centu ry [Stang 1997: 45].
Both Poul Nprlund and Margareta Nockert have pointed out thatthelongmalecoatwas probably only usedbythe king and higher nobility in Scandinaviain thefirstpart of the twelfth century. On the other hand the uppermiddle classwas beginning tousethelong dress about A.D. 1200 [Nprlund 1941: 32, Nockert
1985: 69]. If this is correct then it is notlikely that the vertically sewn pleated clothing was used by men. The group of pleatedtextiles have been found in so many townsthatit seemsimpossibleto connect them exclusively to the king and high nobility. However we have no finds of completely preserveddresses from thetwelfthcenturyin Norway,andthehypothesis for the spread in use of thelongcoat is totallyfounded on writtensources andrepresentational evidence.
It is alsopossible that thepleated textiles could be fragments of cloaks. A typeofcloakcalled “fellikapa” is mentioned in theLaxdpla-saga. Thiscouldrefer to
a pleated cloak, but the Laxdpla-saga is theonly writ ten source that mentions this name, the meaning of which is uncertain [Kjellberg, Hoffmann 1991: 53]. There is only one completely preservedmedieval cloak in Scandinavia, foundin Bocksten, Sweden. This cloak is notmadeof wedge-shaped pieces of cloth, but of pieces ofcloth of varioussizes tailored into a semicir cularform. The cloth has notbeen pleated [Nockert 1985: 41-47].
The making of the pleated dress must have de manded alot ofwork,andthe fabrics are oftenmade ofa worsted yarn[Nilsen 2000: 13, Schjplberg 1998: 209]. It is possible that the vertically sewn pleats were made by professionals, both because of the standard ised production, and because the more complicated wedge-shaped cut has been used [Gjpl Hagen 1991: 46-50]. We have at present no overall view of the areas inside medieval towns where the pleated tex tiles have been found, and it is therefore noteasy to connect them to specific activitiesor social groups. Thefactthatthis productis relatively work-intensive andexpensive nevertheless indicates that thepleated cloth should be connected with the upper classes in the medieval towns.
The
form
of
the garment
One of the importantquestions related to the ver tically sewn pleats is what kind of garmentthey repre sent.Thearchaeological material cannotgive a com pletelysatisfactory answer to this question. We have not yet found any well preserved pleated garments fromthemedieval period, but thereexist at least two fragmentarygarments with pleats on theupperpart of the torso. In his book Buried Norsemen at Herjolf- snes, Poul Nprlund describes a woman’s dress with a pleated bodice from Greenland. The dress has long sleeves, and vertical pleats standing tightly together in the upper front [Nprlund 1924: 123]. Each fold is stitchedon the reverse of the fabric, but it isnot clear whetherthe pleatsare made in the same technique as thepleatsfound in medieval towns. Unfortunately, the stitches donot existtoday [Kjellberg,Hoffmann 1991: 53]. Neither is the lower part ofthe dress preserved. The dress from Herjolfsneshasbeen preliminarily dat ed to the fourteenth century [Nprlund 1941: 53].
Another archaeological find of pleated textile was foundinachild’s grave in Uvdal stave church in Nor way. The child’s outer garment, made ofthree-shed twill in wool, lay smoothly around the child’s neck and shoulders. However, the garmentwas pleated at the chest with rounded, vertical and parallel pleats. The method that hasbeen used is probably furrowed pleating. The dress is fragmented,but thesame cloth has also been found on the child’s thigh bone. This
MARIANNE VEDELER
indicates a long dress. This grave has been prelimi narily loosely dated to the thirteenth or fourteenth century [Nilsen 1998: 74-77].
Thesize of someof the vertically sewn, pleated fragmentsfrom medieval towns indicates thatthey are fragments of long dresses. Large parts of thegarment have beenpleated, notjust the upperpart or the bodice. Many of the fragments consist of wedge-shaped pieces of cloth which have been pleated, joined to gether. This couldmeanthat thedress has been figure sewn, like thedresses fromHerjolfsnes.
Smallfragmentsaremade of pieces of cloth where the width of the pleats are the same in theupper and lower partof the fragment. These are apparentlypleat ed in parallel, while other larger fragments are so called “sun-pleated”, which meansthatthepleats wid entowardsthebottom end. Thisvariation in the mate rial could have several explanations. Thesmall paral lel pleated textiles could be fragments of garments which were originally sun-pleated, of which only smaller parts now remain. It would then be almost impossible to identify the widening of the pleats to wardsthe bottom end. Alternatively,the parallel pleat ed fragments could be theremains of a differentpart of the garment than the sun-pleated fragments. The folds on Queen Katarina’s effigy from Gudhem indi cate a garment where the upperand lowerparts have been stitched together horizontally, or consisted of two separate parts. The pleating in the bodice istight erthaninthe lower part of the garment, and a division betweenthe two partscan clearly be seen.
The coats from Herjolfsnes are ofa completely different type.There is no horizontal break between the upper and lower parts of thegarments, but in the lower part long wedged-shaped pieces of cloth have been inserted.Thismade thegarment close-fitting at the waist, but broadening out and becoming wide in the skirt. None of the dresses from Herjolfsneshave horizontalstitching between the bodice andthelower partof the garment.
The groupof pleatedfragments could thus berem nants of long garments that were close-fitting at the waist, where at least the larger parts of the skirt were pleated. The bodice couldhave beenmadeseparately,or the bodice and skirt could have been cut together, like the garments from Herjolfsnes. No fully preserved me dieval garment exists in Scandinavia today with evi dence for a horizontal seam between the bodice and the skirt, but this does not necessarily prove that such a garmentdidnotexist. Several sculptures, amongthem the effigy ofQueen Katarina, show usthat such a form could have existed. Onthe largest pleated fragmentfrom Bergen, which is 85 centimetres long, both ends have been preserved. This could indicate that the fragment was oncepart ofa two-piece orhorizontally joined dress.
Location
The vertically sewn pleated textiles have been found in the medieval towns of Trondhim, Bergen, Oslo,Tpnsberg, Lodose andLund[Hagen1992, Kjell-berg, Hoffmann 1991,Nockert 1984, Schjplberg 1998]. All theScandinavian towns where these textiles have been found are located nearthe cost, in areaswith a relatively high degreeof cultural exchange. In these areas you would expect influence on fashion from the outside world. At present, no general research has been made on the location of the pleated fragments insidethe medieval towns. A superficial glance at the pleated fragments from Tpnsberg, tells us that the fragments are not located inside asmallarea,but spread overlarge parts of the medieval town. Only 21 of69 exampleshave been found near the medieval port, in theareacalledNedre langgate [Nilsen 2000].
Isit possible that thevertically sewn pleated frag ments couldbe the remains of a fashion whicharose in Norway and parts ofSweden alone? Karin Gjpl Hagen has suggestedthat the pleated garmentswere made byprofessionalScandinavian tailors [Gjpl Hagen 1992: 47]. But is it really reasonable to suppose that this fashion came into being without any influence fromthe outside world?
In relation to thisquestion, it isinteresting to ask whether it is likely that the vertically sewn pleated dress had been in useboth in towns and in the coun tryside. Medieval textiles found in thecountrysideof Norway have notbeen examined as much as textiles from medieval towns. I have carried out technical research on 3000 examples oftextiles found in 16 medieval churches in the eastern part of Norway [Nilsen 1995, 1997]. All the churches are located in ruralareas. There are no verticallysewn pleated frag ments represented in thismaterial. This indicates that the dress withvertically sewnpleats wasmostlyused in towns, but examinationoftextiles from rural areas in Sweden and otherparts ofNorway could change thispicture. Variations inpreservation conditions could also beimportant.Approximately 37% of allthe tex tiles examined from the medieval churchesof eastern Norway are made of wool. In the towns of Osloand Tpnsberg, the picture is totally different. The percent age of woollen textiles in these townsis between 88 and 90%.At this point itis unclear whether the preser vation conditions are the primary cause of the differ encesinthe percentageof woollentextiles, or if other factors related to the churches are just as important.
Summary
Archaeological excavationsin Norwegian and Swed ish towns haverevealed numerous pleated fragments of
textiles. A large amount ofthe findings are dated to the period between A.D. 1150 and 1250. The frag ments are remnants of medieval clothing. Thegroup differs from other groups ofpleated textiles in both technique and appearance. All of them are made of wool, oftenof shiny twills, and the bottom of each fold is stitched on the reverse side of the fabric. At present, thereare morequestionsthananswers relat ed to the form of the garments, who was wearing them, andthe origins of the fashion. I havesuggested that these fragments could be remnants of a long, figure-sewn dress for women. The form of the dress mayhave been developed from a local furrowed pleat- ing-tradition. Anotherpossibility is that the vertically sewnpleateddress had its origins in an international Gothic style. Toget closertoananswer, more system atic research onthe archaeological materialis required. The connection between medieval art and remnants of clothing is anotherquestion that needs to be dis cussed much more. Style andthespread of style and its relation to fashion is a complex theme that de servesmore attention.
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