1820 Charlotta Harring – Antique Raspberry

A delicate historical floral print featuring raspberry-red blossoms, fine trailing foliage and softly patterned vertical stripes against a warm ivory background.

This digitally reconstructed textile design is based on the printed cotton fabric of a surviving woman's sleeveless fur-lined waistcoat (pälssi) preserved in the collections of the National Museum of Finland.

The combination of elegant floral bouquets and narrow decorative stripes gives the fabric a charming early 19th-century character.

Perfect for:

• Traditional Finnish folk costume aprons
• Historical waistcoats and sleeveless jackets
• Early 19th-century clothing reproductions
• Historical sewing and textile projects
• Decorative accessories inspired by traditional dress

Design & Historical Context

The original textile survives as the outer fabric of a short, sleeveless woman's fur garment from Pyhäjärvi, Finnish Karelia.

The garment is made from sheepskin, with hare-fur trimming and an outer covering of commercially produced printed cotton. It measures approximately 51 cm in length.

The floral textile is believed to be of possible German or French origin, dating to the early 19th century. Similar printed patterns have been found dating to around 1820, although the exact production date and origin of this particular fabric remain unconfirmed.

The surviving garment illustrates how commercially produced printed cotton textiles could be incorporated into traditional Finnish clothing, combining fashionable European patterns with practical regional garments.

This reconstruction brings the historical floral design back to life, making it suitable for both traditional costume projects and new interpretations of early 19th-century fashion.

Original artifact: Woman's sleeveless fur waistcoat (pälssi)
Collection: National Museum of Finland – Ethnographic Collections
Object number: KA396
Place of use: Pyhäjärvi, Finnish Karelia

Original artifact – National Museum of Finland, KA396

Christina Charlotta Harring (1799–1850)

Born in St. Petersburg to a family of German-Baltic heritage, Christina Charlotta Harring moved to Finland around 1821, where she worked as a private governess in the household of Carl Erik Mannerheim, a prominent Finnish statesman and great-grandfather of Finland's future president, Marshal C. G. E. Mannerheim.

There she met her future husband, Alexander Blomqvist, whom she married in 1826. Their daughter, Elisabeth Blomqvist (1827–1901), became a pioneer of women's education in Finland.

Charlotta herself was involved in education and the establishment of the Blomqvist Girls' School in Helsinki in 1850.

Historical source: Helena Westermarck, Elisabeth Blomqvist – Hennes liv och gärning (1916), pp. 28–30.