IN THE summer of 1880, the Finnish artist Arvid Liljelund (1844-1899) travelled to the small Swedish-speaking district of Korsnäs on Finland’s Ostrobothnian coast. The population there comprised farmers, fishermen and seafarers. What drew Liljelund to the area was the festive folk costumes that people were still known to wear, and the summer of 1880 became one of his most distinguished creative periods.
One of the special features of Korsnäs costume was the colourful sweaters that men wore to Sunday church services and other festive occasions. The oldest recorded mention
