| Abstract (German): |
Historically, researchers in Latvia have mainly focused on traditional dress worn by Latvian peasants up to the mid-19th century. Gathering evidence of traditional clothing was part of ethnographic expeditions during the national emancipation (late 19th to early 20th century) as well as in the interwar period (the 1920s-30s) and under the Soviet occupation (the 1940s-90s). The accumulated ethnographic material has laid the foundations of the Latvian National History Museum's collection and forms a broad-ranging set of physical and written primary sources, which is valuable material for research in our days too. Analysis of embroidered belts also provides an insight into ideological shifts during each of the periods mentioned. In the late 19th century, expeditions of the Riga Latvian Society toured countryside regions to gather exhibits for the Latvian Ethnographic Exhibition (1896). Embroidered belts were not collected back then, as they were still worn and were seen as too contemporary. During the period of national emancipation, historical testimonies of national identity, such as Latvian peasants' attire, ornament and traditional crafts, were strictly separated from modern traits of clothing, its making or wearing outside the Latvian peasant's farmstead. This distinction can be disputed because of the diversity of men's clothing described in several works of fiction at the turn of the 20th century. In their literary works, brothers Reinis (1839-1920) and Matīss (1848-1926) Kaudzīte, Jēkabs Janševskis (1865-1931), Augusts Deglavs (1862-1922) and Kārlis Kraujiņš (1879-1975) describe beaded belts to create vivid images of men and reveal the socio-economic changes of the epoch. Information from literature coincides with other written sources showing that beaded belts were worn not only in winters with fur coats and long coats but also during warmer weather with short coats or simply with a shirt. They were equally common in clothing traditions of both urban and rural areas. Evidence about the use of embroidered belts in the territory of Latvia chronologically coincides with the flourishing and Europe-wide popularity of Berlin wool work, reaching its peak in the mid-19th century and continuing up to the turn of the century. Both the local and foreign press of the time published similar needlework samples. Advertisements offered materials suitable for "modern needlework" and training courses. Embroidered belts feature a broad range of industrial materials and 19th century Romanticist aesthetics, including realistic natural elements - flowers, leaves, animals, etc. Chemically dyed wool yarns, small glass beads and easily countable canvas fabric combined with fine leatherwork and artists' samples of embroidery design create a piece of clothing that is in line with the period's fashion and design trends. In the early 20th century, materials of the Monument Board's ethnographic expeditions reveal the earliest purposefully gathered material containing testimonies of embroidered belts too. Records tell us not just about the place and time but also about the owners, makers, customs of wearing and other circumstances. Collecting material and written evidence from over 20 museums and ethnographic collections in Latvia has allowed us to establish the territorial and chronological framework for embroidered belts. One can conclude that belts were worn almost everywhere in Latvia, except Latgale, from about the 1830s till the early 20th century. Ādolfs Karnups, head of the Ethnographic Department of the State History Museum, was the first to mention embroidered belts in the theoretical studies of Latvia's clothing history in 1939. In 1966, ethnographer Mirdza Slava expanded the typology of belts, classifying men's belts according to the material used and distinguishing the belts embroidered with glass beads on fabric (so-called beaded belts). The research material of embroidered belts demonstrates that the history of clothing in Latvia crosses national and social boundaries that had been the main focus of research into local clothing for more than 150 years. Analysis of local and Western theoretical frameworks reveals the interaction and influences of various cultures and regions, creating a diverse and mutually connected tradition of clothing. Evidence of embroidered belts indicate their spread not only horizontally among one social or national group but also vertically, from the wealthy parts of society to peasants' and urban workers' clothing. Conversely, the phenomenon of the folk dress has developed from Latvian peasants' clothing into an exclusive, festive attire and the Latvian national symbol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |