Shetland Museum & Archives Receives Research Grant

A taatit rug made for or by Ursula Mouat from Baltasound, who married James Nisbet of Uyeasound in 1850.
A taatit rug made for or by Ursula Mouat from Baltasound, who married James Nisbet of Uyeasound in 1850.

Shetland Museum and Archives has received a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund to research its taatit rug collection. The £26,800 grant will enable the Museum to thoroughly record and photograph each of the 40 rugs in its collection, as well as those in Shetland’s community museums.

The grant money will be used to research rug history in the Archives, professionally test coloured yarns for natural dyes, and compare taatit rug design, construction, and use with similar types of rugs in Norway. In addition, Museum curatorial staff will work with the Shetland Family History Society to research ‘marriage’ taatit rugs – those made for a newlywed couple, but which little is known of the family or who the rug makers might have been. The results of the research will form a small permanent display in the Museum galleries and will be published as a book.

Of the 76 applications for this latest round of the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund, Shetland Museum and Archives was one of only seven successful applicants. Curator Carol Christiansen was delighted to accept the grant, saying ‘We are very pleased to have been given the grant by the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund. It will enable us to dig deep into the history of taatit rugs and learn more about how they were made and used. Taatit rugs don’t seem to exist in other parts of Britain but are similar to household rugs in the Nordic countries.

‘The Norwegians know that their form of pile rug was used by fishermen in open boats as tarpaulins, mattresses, or blankets but we do not know whether taatit rugs were used in the same way. This funding will help us to understand the significance of taatit rugs in Shetland culture and how strong the links were to rug traditions in Norway.”

Dr Christiansen is keen to include as many rugs as possible in this research project, so that comparisons can be made in dating and construction techniques with rugs in the collection. If anyone has information about taatit rugs, or the history of a particular rug, they can contact Dr Christiansen at the Museum in Hay’s Dock, or by calling 01595 695057.

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for people and communities throughout the UK both now and in the future. We do this by funding the charitable work of organisations with the ideas and ability to achieve positive change.

The Foundation is one of the largest independent grant-makers in the UK. We make grants of £30 - £35 million annually towards a wide range of work within the arts, education and learning, the environment and social change. We also operate a £26 million Finance Fund which invests in organisations that aim to deliver both a financial return and a social benefit.

See more at: http://esmeefairbairn.org.uk/for-current-grant-holders/logos-and-comms#sthash.dgkwcR0H.dpuf

Related Posts

Shining a light on Ann Harriet Pottinger this International Women's Day

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2024 we shine a light on Ann Harriet Pottinger, née Hunter, one of many unsung, hard-working ...

Read more

New book of Shetland Fine Lace Knitting launched

A new publication, ‘Shetland Fine Lace Knitting – Recreating patterns from the past’ by Shetland Museum’s textiles curator, ...

Read more

A Fragment of Viking-Norse Life

One of the results of years of peat-cutting in Shetland is that occasionally interesting objects are revealed. So it was the case in ...

Read more

Gunnister Man Coins

Over 70 years after his discovery in a Northmavine peat bog, Gunnister Man continues to intrigue. Last week Shetland Museum curator, ...

Read more

Highlights from two centuries of Shetland fine knitted lace on display

A new awe-inspiring display of Shetland fine knitted lace spanning two centuries is now available to view at the Shetland Museum and ...

Read more

Tears of joy and appreciation for peerie hansels

Shetland students on the mainland will be receiving a ‘Peerie Hansel fae Hame’ this week as part of the Shetland Amenity Trust’s ...

Read more

Inspired by Shetland's Historical Textiles

We are delighted to see the launch of this beautiful Fair Isle Shetland jumper as part of clothing company TOAST new autumn ...

Read more

The Seductiveness of Fine Knitted Lace Blouses

It’s a sad fact that after working with hundreds of examples of Shetland fine knitted lace over the years, it takes something very ...

Read more

A Rose by Any Other Name

According to Shakespeare “that which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet” but can the same be said for knitted ...

Read more

Oh So Fine and Simple : the Crepe Shawls

Lace shawls with the largest number of complex designs get the most admiration, but there is another class of Shetland lace that is ...

Read more

The Burnous

One of the most dramatic pieces of lace knitting in our collection is an oddly-shaped red and white striped flat textile (TEX 7780). ...

Read more

From this Day Forward – Wedding Exhibition

Shetland Museum and Archives is proud to present our latest exhibition, ‘From This Day Forward’ a celebration of Shetland Weddings ...

Read more

What's in a name?

An important part of the Lace Assessment Project is to catalogue each object to a level where its description will distinguish it from ...

Read more

The Fine Detail of Fine Knitted Lace

Our project team for the Lace Assessment Project is myself as Project Leader, Tracey Hawkins, our trusted and dynamic Collections ...

Read more