Type “Ivar Aasen” in the search field, and suddenly all sorts of funny things appear:
A braided shoe sole, poncho, horse trader’s purse, pocket knife, a picture of a British queen and many different headgear.
Nynorsk’s father was clearly a bit of a type.
And now he gets his whole life unfolded on the internet.
Now this guy is online. Here Ivar Aasen is secretly photographed at Karl Johan a few years before he died.
Photo: Norwegian Museum of Technology / NRK
Nightgown and underpants
– Now we are on our way into the holiest, says Stine Steinnes Hovdenakk. The conservator in Ørsta opens the archive cabinet down in the basement.
When Ivar Aasen died in 1896, everything he owned was sent back to his home village, and has since been neatly packed away in dark cupboards.
– We have around 7,000 objects in total, if you count everything from small stones and pencil stubs to large works, says Hovdenakk.
Thousands of Aasen artefacts are now searchable. Bottom right are his underpants.
Facsimile: Digital Museum
Among them is his nightgown and underpants that were sent from Kristiania to Ørsta.
– When he was on his first trip he wrote a packing list. Then he wrote that he had brought a pair of underpants. It is perhaps a bit small to be traveling across the country without access to a washing machine. But at least now we have it here.
Siri Beate Gjerde and Stine Steinnes Hovdenakk at the Nynorsk Culture Center show the coat and nightgown of Ivar Aasen.
Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / NRK
What do you think Aasen would have thought about going digital?
– In a way, I think he would have liked the work he has done to reach the people. But at the same time, he wasn’t too happy to get attention around his person. He made no public speeches.
These knitted underpants in wool have seen better days. And they have been stopped at least once, from what we can see.
Aasen had more such shirt pieces than he had underpants. In any case, of the property that was left after his death.
One of Aasen’s many almanacs. These included drafts for the diaries, among other things.
The boots appear to be well used. Aasen mentions the purchase of slippers twice in his diaries.
Among many letters with birthday greetings, we find this from Henrik Ibsen in 1893.
Between 1837 and 1839, Ivar Aasen collected plants and assembled them into a herbarium. He also published a book with Norwegian plant names.
Rude guy
Now are also 150-year-old notes and tired books carefully leafed through. Each page is photographed, so that you can read all the little notes Ivar Aasen left behind.
The digitization work has also revealed more personal notes in both books and diaries.
– He was also a bit rude. In his books, he had free space to play and was allowed to puzzle with his. There he writes slightly rude comments to, among others, Knud Knudsen, who was his opponent in the language match, says Hovdenakk.
– He wrote in the diary, “Knud Knudsen is as usual a hawk”, adds librarian Siri Beate Gjerde.
Ivar Aasen also seems to have been interested in plants and flowers. In several of his books he has pressed flowers, and he had his own herbarium.
Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / NRK
1.60 meters high
But what do we do with worn shoe soles and dirty underpants online?
Conservator Hovdenakk believes that everything should be included, and that the things together tell a story about the creator of the language as a person. For example, the nightgown:
– He was a rather short guy, he was 1.60 meters tall. This is what he used when he was going to sleep. Here we see that it is the fine, so he was a thrifty fellow who took care of his things.
Are they not afraid of getting fewer visitors when you can find everything online?
– No, what you can see online is only a taste. Seeing this in a digital museum is the first step, and then we think that it will entice more people to come here and see it live, says director of the Cultural Centre, Olav Øyehaug Opsvik.
Among the assets of Aasen are lots of theatres, fairgrounds and concert programmes. As well as this theater binoculars in leather with golden roses.
Photo: Ragnar H. Albertsen / Nynorsk Cultural Center
The leader of Norges Mållag, Peder Lofsnes Hauge, is very satisfied with the work that has been done.
– I would like to thank the Nynorsk Cultural Center. This is an important part of our cultural heritage, and we now have the opportunity to see and learn more about the person Ivar Aasen, what he worked with and how he thought.
He believes this can contribute to more people learning more about the life of Aasen and the origin of our written language.
– I’m looking forward to seeing more of this and browsing the archive.
Here is an invitation that shows that Aasen was still in good company. To the “Kongelige Slot” on 6 July 1874. “Men’s suit” is difficult to read, but it says nothing about underpants.
Photo: Øyvind Berge Sæbjørnsen / NRK
2024-02-06 20:57:57
#Ivar #Aasens #notebooks #underpants #online
