The record-union., 1893-12-30

and Chests. and Marvels of Text
Painted Beds-A Peasant Folk of
Fine Presence and Noble Tread
Vale
Especial Correspondence of REcoRD-UNIoN,
Copyright, 1881
LONDON, December Is, 1893
The interiors of Norwegian peasant
homes never present that warm, CHEEKY,
snug, restfuI and almost somnolent at
mosphere of the Cumberland statesman's
home, but it is still place ofsimple COM
fort and plenty, and is often. most char
acteristic and picturesque. If the ceilings
be low, there is always plenty of room.
have come upon many a bonder's kitchen
from twenty to thirty feet square, and
houses in whose great hving-rooms the
whole family, and l mean by this three or
four families of each gard or farmhouse,
with goodly part of the neighborhood,
could all be fed at a wedding or funeral
supper, or engage in dancing, of which
they are very fond, at one time without
serious inconvenience to the assemblage.
These old kitchens are very ancient.
Some are from 800 to 400 years old, and
were the original and sole dwelling places
OF the founders of the family. Some have
the remains of the central cone-shaped
holes in the roof through which air and
light once exclusively came, as Is still
found in some Of the Scottish crOtter nuts
OF Lewis and Skye. The corner chimney
and open fireplace which now are seen are
comparatively modern, though still often
from one 10 two hundred years OLD. Tiny
windows are now found IN these ancient
kitchens; but the floor is usually OF
beaten earth nearly as hard as stone. a
few rude wooden shelves, the heavy iron
pots and kettles, strong pine table and
stool or tWo complete the scant and cum
brous furniture.
The living-room is more pretentious
apartment. Huge pine rafters stretch
from wall TO wall and their natural red
dish tint is deepened by age to the rich
hue of rosewood. Often the windows
have deep easements, with little diamond
shaped panes. and III the summer time
they are bright and winsome with plants
and flowers. This room always has Its
wide, high fireplace, and occasionally
two of them Oh opposite sides OF the
room. In one corner, near the fireplace,
is a cupboard, wide, deep and extending
from floor to ceiling, and If not flaming
with paint il viii be covered with pro-
fusion of carving, often in imitation of
various articles OF tableware.
In the angle where the stairs ascend to
the second story, another curious closet
or cupboard is let in to the projection.
This viii contain the family store OF
books and whatnot for the long winter
nights amusement. 4 huge pine table
stands in the center of the room, and its
legs will be fairly bounced with carvings.
sually a smaller pine table IS placed at
the side Of the room with the best chair
or stool behind 1t against the wall. This
is the seat Of honor, but no guest must
ever occupy it without invitation from
the bonder or his wife.
There are number of shelves always
laid on pegs or perched on grOtesqUe
carved brackets; and the stools and chairs
are a curious collection of home hand
work. l have seen In many peasants
houses more than a score of chairs
carved out OF solid cross sections OF huge
pine trees. The seat Is followed deep
and wide: the back is worked out thin
and round with fine oval top in which
is cut a curved hole for the hand, in order
to easily move the chair from place TO
place; wide well-fashioned and carved
arm-rests are at each side; and the bot
tom of this curious piece of furniture is
always worked out as true, thin and per-
feet as an inverted chopping bowl or
cauldron kettle.
Usually the heads of the household
sleep in this comfortable living room,
and the bed viii always he found in the
long recess behind the angle Of the stairs.
In many instances the beds are simply
banks built against the wall; and IN
most of these the chief portion OF the
bed clothing observable will be skins OF
sheep, or of the reindeer, beautifully
dressed and the hide itself cured as soit
as loosely vowed wool. In not few of
the more pretentious peasant homes the
beds in these recesSes are sufficiently
wonderful for exhibition at worlds fairs.
They are big enough for giants to rest in,
and are from four TO five feet above the
floor. Steps lead up to them, and the
single corner post and the side rail which
shows, in addition to being carved or
painted in the most fantastic manner,
will be covered, along with the sides of the
ascending steps, with painted texts and
notices, while gaily painted rude
panel let down from the ceiling above
ters the names of the bonder and his wife
and the date of their marriage.
In the larger guards there viii be best
room, usually the length Of the living
room, but narrower, and If this is not
possessed, the chamber above the large
hving-room bears the same relation to the
Norwegian peasant home. 1t is in either
crse a sort of show room, where the pos
sessions of the female members of the
family are on exhibition, and a sort of
huge family closet. Its furniture is al
ways as rude and simple and of as primi-
tive construction as that in other portions
OF the house, but it is more gaudily
painted. Curious old pine bureaus and
chiffoniers are here, marvellous in design
and coloring, red, yellow and blue pre-
dominating. These contain the family
underwear and all the general drapery.
One always has painted upon it the
maiden name Of the housewife and the
date of her marriage, forming sort of
permanent marriage certificates and un-
doubtedly in this, packed carefully away
III aromatic leaves and bits of ancient
Iinery, will be found that most glorious
bauble to eyes and heart of all Norwegian
women, the huge bridal crown of hand
wrought silver or gilt. l have been
shown some which were said to be over
coo years old, and no doubt there are
hundreds of these huge and gaudy relics
in Norway which have descended in un-
broken line from mother to daughter
since the days of Olaf the Saint and Ha-
kon the Good.
If this room be the chamber, all around
the wall will be ranged a curious cOllec-