Description

What is unusual about this curtain is the discrete color element in the form of thin, large squares surrounding groups of “mosquito scale windows” in the pattern. It makes the curtain very modern, yet very traditional. Mosquito screen curtains are usually plain white. Another unusual feature is that it is as narrow, only 65 centimeters, as a modern panel curtain, which also makes it still feel very current in width. So-called panel curtains can be hung completely smooth, so that the pattern appears, but without the curtains obscuring the view. All in all, “Thea” is a suitable curtain for both the small windows in the cottage and the large ones in the city. The narrow width also means that the curtain can easily be pinned to a curtain board, preferably draped, as the neat selvedges do not even need to be hemmed.

Thea Olsson (1902-1993) was the only daughter of the Gästgivarns mining estate in Wall, which is one of the best-preserved mining estates in the Torsåker region of Gästrikland. When she died, she left behind a lot of valuable movable property, which was auctioned off because she had no family, but a large number of “useless” items remained on the farm, including this curtain, which she probably wove herself.

Thea Olsson and her mother Ida were known to be good at needlework. This curtain pattern is a non-period pattern, which probably left the loom sometime between 1920 and 1940.