Fästfolk

The story behind the pattern "Fästfolk"

Engagement is a declaration that a couple intends to marry or enter a registered partnership. From the moment one partner proposes and the other says yes, the couple is engaged until the wedding or registration is completed. Traditionally, engagement rings are exchanged to mark this agreement, and engagements can also be celebrated as a family occasion.

A betrothed woman is called a fiancée, and a betrothed man a fiancé; together they were formerly called "fästfolk." To become engaged or betrothed has been part of human history for generations.

For example, Carl Larsson gave his beloved Karin many affectionate and earthy nicknames, such as "Blue Jay," "monkey," "owl," and "little gnat." Karin responded just as lovingly: "Dear big clumsy one!", "Dear restless soul!", "My own, terribly handsome, beloved boy!" Their correspondence, full of trust and respect, conveys a love that seemed to deepen over time.

In Per I. Gedin's collection of letters, we follow their lifelong relationship – from their meeting in the artists' colony Grez-sur-Loing to their final years in Sundborn in Dalarna. Karin, who herself designed textiles and furniture, wrote in an undated letter from 1883: "Thank God I had the idea of becoming engaged to you."

Being apart and longing for each other seems to have been part of the intensity of Carl and Karin's marriage. They lived in different homes at times and wrote several letters a week when separated. A letter from Carl in December 1885 reveals his deep longing: "You little rascal! How can you delay your letter so disgracefully! You must understand that I am almost going mad with longing for you…"