Dressed in a Present from the Past: The Transfers and Transformations of a Swedish Bridal Crown in the United States

Lizette Grad	én

doi:10.3384/cu.2000.1525.10238695

Authors

Lizette Grad én Department of Design, Craft and Textile Art at Konstfack, Sweden

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3384/cu.2000.1525.10238695

Keywords:

Gift-giving, heritage gift, performance, the dressed body, Swedish-America

Abstract

Ever since the emigration from the Nordic countries the Old world and the New world have maintained an exchange of ideas, customs, and material culture. This cultural heritage consists of more than remnants of the past. Drawing on theories of material culture and performance this article highlights the role of gifts in materializing relationships between individuals, families and organizations in the wake of migration. First, I build on a suggested coinage of the term heritage gifts as a way of materializing relationships. Thereafter, I map out the numerous roles which a Swedish bridal crown play in the United States: as museum object, object of display and loaned to families for wedding ceremonies in America. The transfers and transformations of the bridal crown enhances a drama of a migration heritage. This dynamic drama brings together kin in Sweden and America and maps specific locations into a flexible space via the trajectory of crown-clad female bodies.

References

Fieldwork carried out at the American Swedish Instiute, Minneapolis and the Swedish American Center in Karlstad. A pilot study was made in June-August 2006, with subsequent fieldwork in February and June in 2009. This fieldwork contains observation, participant observation, and interviews. Archival studies have been used to add historical depth to the study.

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