Jakob Kulle

Sweden was industrialised during the 1870’s, and during this time factory-produced textiles became available to the rural population.  Earlier, the peasant women had woven their own fabrics for clothes and bedclothes, hangings and cushions. This was obviously time consuming, and factory produced materials quickly gained popularity. At the same time a general interest for the old, traditional folk textiles sprouted.   

Such an interest, for historical styles and the use thereof in the then contemporary art industries, was spread throughout Europe at this time, a reaction to industrialisation, and was mainly present among bourgeois and artistic circles.  There was a will to preserve the old, but also an ambition to create new things, inspired by the old styles. This was a transitional period, and there was a general awareness of entering into new modern times, with optimism toward the future and nostalgia toward older times and traditions that were being abandoned.

In this context, Swedish textile folk art was considered to be of a very high standard, which was noted by among others the German art historian Jakob von Falke, whose ideas are considered to have been instrumental for the creation of the Nordic Museum in Stockholm.

It is against this background that Jakob Kulle’s work becomes meaningful and significant. Kulle was born Nils Jakob Ohlsson on 6 July 1838 in Lund. He was an apprentice goldsmith  in Malmö from 1855 and moved to Stockholm in 1860 where he worked as a goldsmith until 1867. From 1864 until 1872 Kulle studied at the Academy of Arts in Stockholm. He painted mainly scenes from the life of the peasantry and is represented at the National Museum in Stockholm, Malmö Museum, Hälsingborg Museum, Kristianstad Museum and Kulturhistoriska Museet in Lund.

Kulle’s interest for the peasantry eventually led to his pioneering work in textile folk art. Kulle travelled around Scania and studied the old decorative weaves.  He collected thousands of traditional patterns. During the 1880’s Kulle worked as a teacher in pattern design at the Technical School in Stockholm. Together with his sister in law, Thora Kulle, he also set up weaving schools in Lund and Stockholm. Kulle’s work is significant perhaps mainly because he conveyed the knowledge of the Scanian peasant women to the association Friends of Handicraft in Stockholm.

Sophie Adlersparre, feminist and editor of the magazine Tidskrift för Hemmet (Magazine for the Home), took the initiative in 1874 to create the association Handarbetets Vänner (Friends of Handicraft), which would play an important role in relation to Swedish textile design and art throughout the 20th century. The association, based in Stockholm, established contacts with rural weavers and lace makers, who worked under the supervision of designers, women graduates from the Academy of Arts in Stockholm. Many traditional techniques were improved thanks to this cooperation. The members of the association travelled around the country and overseas, arranged exhibitions and lectures and wrote newspaper articles.  In this way rural textile traditions were transferred and applied to the homes of the bourgeoisie and city-life: patterns that formerly had been used for bed covers or cushions were applied for curtains or upholstery; lace that formerly had been used for collars now decorated napkins and table cloths; patterns that were traditionally woven in for example dukagång were now embroidered on cushions and other decorative items in the homes of the bourgeoisie, etc. Friends of Handicraft strived to preserve (and in some cases improve) old patterns and techniques, but also to provide opportunities and jobs for women of different social classes. This work has contributed to the preservation of the cultural heritage of the country, but also served as a source of inspiration and vigour for Swedish textile art in the 20th century and beyond.

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