Unknown Stories
Costumes Representing Ethnicity in the Theatre Museum in Finland
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/nts.v35i2.149656Keywords:
stage costume, representation, ethnicity, racialized characters, Sámi representations, Lapp character costume, museum collection, Theatre Museum in FinlandAbstract
Performance costumes have long been a distinctive way to visualize explicit and implicit cultural and social hierarchies, as well as to identify characters on stage. Stereotypical characters representing different ethnicities were familiar in Finland by the end of the nineteenth century, established with the help of instantly recognizable costumes and make-up, often premised by an internalized racism inherent to historical practices of costume design. This article focuses on the representation of ethnicity and especially racialized characters on the Finnish stage through the study of extant costumes and, in particular, a case study of two surviving “Lapp character” costumes in the artefact collection of the Theatre Museum in Finland in Helsinki, which houses objects considered worthy of preservation and representative of Finnish theatre history. By focusing on a previously unexplored type of costume, it is possible to propose new ways by which to enhance the visibility of marginalized perspectives in the museum collection.
References
Anderson, Benedict 2007. Kuvitellut yhteisöt. Nationalismin alkuperän ja leviämisen tarkastelua. Translated by Joel Kuortti. Tampere: Vastapaino.
Areena. 2011. “Pohjoista eksotiikkaa sävelin (4.12.).” Areena YLE podcast, 4.12.2011. https://areena.yle.fi/podcastit/1-1371728 (12.6.2023).
Arnold, Janet. 1973. A Handbook of Costume, London: Macmillan.
Arnold, Janet. 1972. Patterns of Fashion: Englishwomen’s Dresses and their Construction 1660–1860. London: Macmillan.
Arnold, Janet. 1977. Patterns of Fashion 2: Englishwomen’s Dresses and their Construction 1860–1940. London: Macmillan.
Arnold, Janet. 1985. Patterns of Fashion 3: The cut and construction of clothes for men and women 1560–1620. London: Macmillan.
Barbieri, Donatella. 2012. “Encounters in the Archive: Reflections on costume.” V & A Online Journal Issue 4. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/research-journal/issue-no.-4-summer-2012/encounters-in-the-archive-reflections-on-costume/ (5.9.2018).
Barbieri, Donatella. 2013. “Performativity and the historical body: Detecting performance through the archived costume.” Studies in Theatre and Performance, 33:3, Abingdon: Routledge, 281–301.
Barbieri, Donatella and Sofia Pantouvaki. 2016. “Towards a Philosophy of Costume.” Studies in Costume and Performance 1:1, 3–7.
Bate, Toni and Liz Garland. 2014. “Precious?” Journal of Writing in Creative Practice 7:3, Intellect, 403–413.
Bennet, Tony. 1995. The Birth of the Museum. History, theory, politics. London and New York: Routledge.
Bergman, Anna, Nils Harning and Ove Norberg. 2008. Teaterns kläder: 100 år av dräkter på Dramaten. Malmö: Arena.
Bonds, Alexandra B. 2021. “Cross-Cultural Costume research: Beijing Opera Costumes.” In Sofia Pantouvaki and Peter McNeil (eds.). Performance Costume. New Perspectives and Methods. London: Bloomsbury. 51–8.
Colombo, Francesca and Christian Silva. 2003. Il costume teatrale tra realismo e finzione : i costumi storici del Teatro alla Scala dagli anni ‘30 agli anni ‘60. Milan: Teatro alla Scala.
Dotlačilová, Petra. 2020. Costume in the Time of Reforms. Louis-René Boquet Designing Eighteenth-Century Ballet and Opera. Doctoral Thesis in Theatre Studies, Department in Culture and Aesthetics. Stockholm University, Sweden.
Fewster, Derek. 2006. Visions of Past Glory: Nationalism and the Construction of Early Finnish History. Helsinki: Suomalaisen Kirjallisuuden Seura.
Hall, Stuart. 2002. Identiteetti. Tampere: Vastapaino.
de la Haye, Amy and Elizabeth Wilson (eds.). 1999. Defining dress: Dress as object, meaning and identity. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Helve Tua. 2020. “Puvun muisti, pukusuunnittelijan muisti.” In Tua Helve, Outi Lahtinen and Marja Silde (eds.). Muisti, arkisto ja esitys. Helsinki: Teatterintutkimuksen seura, 16–43.
Ilona Theatre Database http://ilona.tinfo.fi/ (15.1.2024).
Isaac, Veronica. 2015. “Costumes.” In Helen M. Greenwald (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Opera. New York: Oxford University Press, 553–80.
Isaksson, Pekka. 2001. Kumma kuvajainen. Rasismi rotututkimuksessa, rotuteorioiden saamelaiset ja suomalainen fyysinen antropologia. Jyväskylä: Kustannus-Puntsi.
Jaatinen, Leena. 1998. “Ovela kettu-oopperan eläinroolihahmojen puvut: miten illuusio eläimestä on luotu.” MA thesis. The University of Helsinki.
Jaatinen, Leena. 2000. “Kömpelö kehrääjä, linjakas kettu – illuusion toteuttamiskeinot teatteripuvussa.” In Ritva Koskennurmi-Sivonen and Anna-Mari Raunio (eds.). Vaatekirja. Helsinki: University of Helsinki, 309–30.
Järvinen, Hanna. 2020a. “Ballets Russes and Blackface.” Dance Research Journal 52(3), 76–96.
Järvinen, Hanna. 2020b. “Historical materiality of performance: On the costumes of The Rite of Spring (1913).” Studies in Costume & Performance 5:2, 153–73.
Järvinen, Hanna. 2020c. “Materiaalin muisti. Kevätuhrin (1913) puvustuksen kertomaa.” In Tua Helve, Outi Lahtinen and Marja Silde (eds.). Muisti, arkisto ja esitys. Helsinki: Teatterintutkimuksen seura, 340–86.
Kaimio, Maarit. 1980. “Draama.” In Henrik Lilius, Saara Lilja, Holger Thesleff, Päivi Setälä, Jaakko Suolahti, and Eija Kämäräinen (eds.). Antiikin kulttuurihistoria. Porvoo: WSOY. 152–8.
Kačer, Tomáš. 2021. “The ‘stage indian’ in early American theatre culture.” Ostrava Journal of English Philology 13:2, 5–15.
Kananen, Heli Kaarina 2010. Kontrolloitu sopeutuminen. Ortodoksinen siirtoväki sotien jälkeisessä Ylä-Savossa (1946-1959). (Controlled Intregation: Displaced Orthodox Finns in Potwar Upper Savo (1946–1959)). Doctoral thesis. University of Jyväskylä.
Koivunen, Leila. 2021. “Kulttuurista omimista lainavaatteissa? Museot, vieraiden kulttuurien asut ja esittämisen traditiot.” In Anna Rastas and Leila Koivunen (eds.). Marginaaleista museoihin. Tampere: Vastapaino, 115–36.
Korppi-Tommola, Riikka. 2010. “Orvokki Siponen ja Klaus Salin – tanssijakiinnitykset Kansanteatterissa 1930-luvulla.” In Mikko-Olavi Seppälä and Katri Tanskanen (eds.). Suomen teatteri ja draama. Helsinki: Like Kustannus Oy. 194–206.
Kunst, Marijke. 2018. “Being true to the catalogue.” In Wayne Modest and Robin Lelijveld (eds.). Words matter. An unfinished guide to word choices in the cultural section. Tropenmuseu, Afrikamuseum, Museum Volkenkunde, Wereldmuseum. 29–34. https://issuu.com/tropenmuseum/docs/wordsmatter_english (15.1.2024).
Laakkonen, Johanna. 2010. “Tanssia Kansallisteatterin näyttämöllä.” In Mikko-Olavi Seppälä and Katri Tanskanen (eds.). Suomen teatteri ja draama. Helsinki: Like Kustannus Oy.139–52.
Laakkonen, Johanna. 2021. “Tammikuussa esitetään Joutsenlampi.” In Johanna Laakkonen, Joanna Weckman, Aino Kukkonen, Raisa Rauhamaa, Riikka Korppi-Tommola, Tiina Suhonen, Eero Hämeenniemi, Harri Kuusisaari, Jukka O Miettinen, and Heta Reitala (eds.). Se alkoi joutsenesta. Sata vuotta arkea ja unelmia Kansallisbaletissa. Helsinki: Karisto / Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. 11–31.
Lehtola, Veli-Pekka. 2005. “Saamelaisten historiaa.” In Pekka Isaksson and Jouko Jokisalo (eds.). Historian lisälehtiä. Suvaitsevaisuuden ongelma ja vähemmistöt kansallisessa historiassa. Helsinki: Like. 303–320.
Mida, Ingrid and Alexandra Kim. 2015. The Dress Detective, London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Mida, Ingrid. 2016. “A Gala Performance tutu.” Dress: The Journal of Costume Society in America 42:1, 35–47.
Miles, Robert and Malcom Brown. 2003. Racism. Second edition. London and New York: Rutledge.
Mitchell, Margaret. 2021. “Real or Virtual? Studying Historical Costume Drawings and Sketches.” In Sofia Pantouvaki and Peter McNeil (eds.). Performance Costume. New Perspectives and Methods. London: Bloomsbury, 7–22.
Munsala national dress skirt fabric sample. Vuorelma Suomen Perinnetekstiilit Oy: Munsala hamekangas. https://vuorelma.net/kauppa/pukujen-tarvikkeet/kankaat-pukujen-tarvikkeet/munsala-hamekangas/ (31.5.2023).
Paavolainen, Pentti. 2014. Nuori Bergbom. Kaarlo Bergbomin elämä ja työ I. 1843–1872. Helsinki: Taideyliopiston Teatterikorkeakoulu.
Palmer, Alexandra. 2001. Couture & Commerce: The Transatlantic Fashion Trade in the 1950s. Vancouver: UBC Press.
Pieski, Outi and Eeva-Kristiina Harlin. 2020. Ládjogahpir. Máttaráhkuid gábagahpir. The Foremothers’ hat of pride. Latvia: Davvi Girji.
Rastas, Anna, Leila Koivunen and Kalle Kallio. 2021. “Vastuullinen museotyö.” In Anna Rastas and Leila Koivunen (eds.). Marginaaleista museoihin. Tampere: Vastapaino, 21–56.
Rogers, Amanda. 2014. “Asian Mutations: Yellowface from More Light to the Royal Shakespeare Company’s The Orphan of Zhao.” Contemporary Theatre Review 24:4, 452–66.
Roach-Higgins, Mary Ellen and Joanne B. Eicher. 1992. “Dress and Identity.” Clothing and Textiles Research Journal 10:1, 1–8.
Scholze, Susan. 2014a. “The Costumes Supplier Leopold Verch and its Trade Relationship towards the Helsinki Theatres.” Project documentation. The Theatre Museum in Helsinki, Finland.
Scholze, Susan. 2014b. “The Verch Costumes at the Theatre Museum Collection in Helsinki.” Project documentation. The Theatre Museum in Helsinki, Finland.
Suutela, Hanna. 2005. Impyet. Näyttelijättäret Suomalaisen Teatterin palveluksessa. Helsinki: Like.
Särkelä, Sanna. 2021. “Museokokoelmat, kieli ja tieto.” In Anna Rastas and Leila Koivunen (eds.). Marginaaleista museoihin. Tampere: Vastapaino, 59–66.
Taylor, Lou. 2002. The Study of Dress History. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Taylor, Lou. 2005. Establishing Dress History. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Teatterimuseo. 2019. Teatterimuseon kokoelmapolitiikka 2019–2023. www.teatterimuseo.fi/documents/kokoelmapolitiikka_20062019.pdf (17.3.2023).
Topelius, Zacharias. 1901. “Kypron prinsessa. 4-näytöksinen satunäytelmä.” In Zacharias Topelius. Draamalliset teokset. Zacharias Topeliuksen näytelmiä. Translated by Eino Leino. Porvoo: WSOY.
Turner, Hannah. 2020. Cataloguing Culture: Legacies of Colonialism in Museum Documentation. Vancouver-Toronto: University of British Columbia Press.
Valkeapää, Leena Elina. 2023. Kansallispuvun kulttuurihistoria. Tampere: Vastapaino.
Warren Karen J. 1993. “A Philosophical Perspective of the Ethics and Resolution of Cultural Property Issues.” In Phyllis Maud Messenger (ed.). The Ethics of Collecting Cultural Property: Whose Culture? Whose Property? Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1–25.
Weckman, Joanna. 2005. “Pukusuunnittelun pioneereja.” In Pia Houni, Pentti Paavolainen, Heta Reitala and Hanna Suutela (eds.). Esitys katsoo meitä. Helsinki: Yliopistopaino, 209–41.
Weckman, Joanna 2013. “Loppuraportti Pukukonsultointiprojekti 2013.” Project documentation. The Theatre Museum in Helsinki, Finland.
Weckman, Joanna. 2015. Unelmien kuteita – epookkipukujen historiaa Suomessa. Helsinki: The Theatre Museum Publication Series. https://www.teatterimuseo.fi/documents/Unelmien_kuteita.pdf (12.6.2023).
Weckman, Joanna 2018. “Toisen näköinen – roolihahmon etnisyyden rakentaminenmaskeerauksen avulla sotien välisen ajan Suomen näyttämöille.” In Anna Thuring, Anu Koskinen and Tuija Kokkonen (eds.). Esitys ja toiseus. Helsinki: Teatterintutkimuksen seura, 104–32.
Weckman, Joanna 2021. “Creating a ‘Lapp’ character – Sámi dress utilised as costume in early Finnish theatre.” Ethnologia Fennica 48:2, 41–71.
Archives
Archive of Finnish National Theatre.
Collections of The Theatre Museum. www.teatterimuseo.fi/en/Collections (17.3.2023).
National Library of Finland: digital newspaper archives. www.digi.kansalliskirjasto.fi (15.1.2024).
Theatre Museum archive: Lucia Nifontova personal archive. Archive: photographs and play manuscripts. Artefact collection: costumes.
The Theatre Museum: artefact collections. https://www.teatterimuseo.fi/en/Artefact-Collections (17.3.2023).
Joanna Weckman’s personal archive:
Brander , Sanna. E-mail to Joanna Weckman. 4.4.2023.
Weckman, Joanna. Documentation of the costume consulting project in Theatre Museum textile warehouse in 2013, file: TeaMu kuvat_pukukonsultointiprojekti_2013.
Weckman, Joanna. List of the search in IDA Theatre Museum database 16.9.2020, file: TeaMu museon etniset puvut 16.9.2020.
Weckman, Joanna. Documentation in the Theatre Museum textile warehouse 6.4.2022, file: TeaMu pukukokoelma käynti 6.4.2022 kuvat.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
The copyright belongs to the authors and Nordic Theatre Studies. Users can use, reuse and build upon the material published in the journal but only for non-commercial purposes. Users are allowed to link to the files, download the files, distribute the files on a local network (preferably by links), upload the files to local repositories if their institutions require them to do so, but not republish the files without proper agreements with the journal and the author.
