Else Halling (3 July 1899 – 14 February 1987) was a Norwegian textile artist. She is known for her reconstructions of old Norwegian

tapestry Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...

, and taught

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal th ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

Drammen Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken (county), Viken, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and village ...

and

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. She decorated public institutions such as the

Royal Palace This is a list of royal palaces, sorted by continent. Africa * Abdin Palace, Cairo * Al-Gawhara Palace, Cairo * Koubbeh Palace, Cairo * Tahra Palace, Cairo * Menelik Palace * Jubilee Palace * Guenete Leul Palace * Imperial Palace- Massa ...

in Oslo, the

Akershus Castle Akershus Fortress ( no, Akershus Festning, ) or Akershus Castle ( no, Akershus slott ) is a medieval castle in the Norwegian capital Oslo that was built to protect and provide a royal residence for the city. Since the Middle Ages the fortress h ...

, the

Stortinget The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years base ...

building, and the

Oslo City Hall Oslo City Hall ( no, Oslo rådhus) is a municipal building in Oslo, the capital of Norway. It houses the city council, the city's administration and various other municipal organisations. The building as it stands today was constructed between ...

Personal life

Jonsborg Tapistry display Oslo Town Hall 06

Jonsborg Tapistry Saw mill Oslo Town Hall

Halling was born in

Øvre Eiker Øvre Eiker is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund. The old municipali ...

to a priest, Johannes Swensen, and Marie Halling. She was a granddaughter of priest and labour movement pioneer,

Honoratus Halling Honoratus Halling (14 November 1819 – 9 April 1886) was a Norwegian priest, magazine editor and non-fiction writer. He was born at Odalen (now Nord-Odal) in Hedmark, Norway. He was the son of parish priest Peter Herman Halling (1777–182 ...

, and niece of educator, Sigurd Halling. She died in

in 1987.

Career

Halling was educated at the

Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry The National College of Art and Design ( no, Statens håndverks- og kunstindustriskole) was established in 1818. In 1996 the National College of Art and Design became part of Oslo National Academy of the Arts The Oslo National Academy of the A ...

Kristiania Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, and eventually made further studies in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, France and Austria. From 1925 to 1928 she was running a private weaving school in

. She was teacher in

from 1931 to 1934, and was running her own weaving school in

from 1936 to 1940. Cooperating with the

Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design The Norwegian Museum of Decorative Arts and Design ( no, Kunstindustrimuseet) is a museum in Oslo, Norway. Its collection includes clothing, textile, furniture, silver, glass, ceramics, and handicrafts. Since 2003, the museum has been administra ...

, she made reconstructions of old Norwegian tapestry, utilising old

dyeing Dyeing is the application of dyes or pigments on textile materials such as fibers, yarns, and fabrics with the goal of achieving color with desired color fastness. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular ...

techniques and

spælsau __NOTOC__ The Spælsau (Old Norwegian Short Tail Landrace, Gamalnorsk spæl Norwegian) is a breed of sheep from Norway. Many consider Spælsau to be the original breed of sheep in Norway, and it is one of the Northern European short-tailed sheep b ...

yarn. From 1941 to 1963 she taught tapestry weaving at the ''Statens Kvinnelige Industriskole''. She was artistical leader of the studio ''Norsk billedvev'' from 1951 to 1968, through which she delivered decorations to a number of public institutions, including the

, the

building, and the

. Among her carpets are ''St. Hallvard'' (designed by

Else Poulsson Else Poulsson (24 March 1909 – 10 February 2002) was a Norwegian painter and textile artist. Biography Poulsson was born in Rjukan in Telemark, Norway. She was the daughter of Jens Jørgensen Poulsson and Vivi Lange, and was a sister of Colo ...

), ''Bataljer på Lilletorvet'' (designed by Kåre Jonsborg), ''Sagbruket'' (Jonsborg) and ''Kjølhalingsplassen'' (Jonsborg), all at the Oslo City Hall. Her tapestry ''Kongeteppet'' at the Royal Palace in Oslo was designed by

Alf Rolfsen Alf Rolfsen (28 January 1895 – 10 November 1979) was a Norwegian painter and muralist. Personal life Rolfsen was born in Oslo, Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of writer Nordahl Rolfsen (1848-1928) and Hedevig Martha Hastrup B ...

, and the three carpets ''Solens gang'' at Stortinget were designed by

Karen Holtsmark Karen Kristine Holtsmark (11 November 1907 – 7 March 1998) was a Norwegian painter. Biography Holtsmark was born at Ås in Akershus, Norway. She was a daughter of Gabriel Gabrielsen Holtsmark (1867–1954) and his wife Margrete Weisse (1871� ...

. The tapestry ''Heroica'' at the

Parliament of Finland The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...

was designed by

Håkon Stenstadvold Håkon Stenstadvold (2 August 1912 – 7 October 1977) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator, journalist, art critic and politician for the Conservative Party of Norway, Conservative Party. Personal life He was born in Sarpsborg as a son of Christe ...

. She was awarded the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

in gold, and was decorated Knight, First Class of the

Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav II ...

in 1967.

Personal life

Career

References

Further reading