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stluciabuns · 6 months

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The Historical Accuracy of Kirsten's Dirndl

Despite its adorableness, I have seen many people complain about Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl outfit.

I would kill a man to have bought this for $22.

She wears this outfit for most of Meet Kirsten, being that she is an impoverished immigrant child who does not own any other clothes, and also for continuity reasons.

Frequently, I have seen it claimed that this outfit is not historically accurate and should not have been included as part of her collection. Conversely, I have also seen many German folk costumes marketed as being made for Kirsten. Both of these pain me a great deal (actually they just annoy me).

Nonetheless, I have decided to further procrastinate doing actual, meaningful work and instead set out on a new mission: figure out what the fuck is up with Kirsten's Dirndl.

In this post, I will lay out the research I have done, the evidence supporting the historical accuracy of this outfit, the challenges to its existence, and ultimately aim to answer the question of whether this outfit is one Kirsten plausibly could have worn on her journey from Sweden to America in 1854.

Let's begin.

First, the name. Pleasant Company/American Girl referred to this outfit as "Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl and Kerchief."

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a Swedish dirndl. "Dirndl" is a German term, and refers to folk costumes worn by people in German-speaking areas of Europe (the Alps, Bavaria, Austria, and so on).

Kirsten is Swedish, and before Meet Kirsten has never left Sweden before. It is very unlikely she would have acquired, and regularly worn, a German dirndl. See this gorgeous example of a dirndl c. 1840:

Outfit, c. 1840. Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Münchner Stadtmuseum.

This ensemble is beautiful, but tragically, it is not what Kirsten is wearing.

What, then, is Kirsten wearing? What kind of traditional dress does Swedish culture have?

As it turns out, the proper term for what she is wearing is a folkdräkt. This is a Swedish term meaning "folk costume." Here is an illustration depicting multiple examples of Swedish folk costumes. In proper terms, these would be called "Svenska folkdräkter."

Nordisk familjebok (1908), vol. 8, Folkdräkt. Retrieved from runeberg.org.

These outfits are not quite identical to anything we see in Kirsten's collection, but you can observe various elements that have carried over -- the vertical stripes, black woolen skirts with ornate trim, and white dresses and red sashes (hello St. Lucia)!

Let us dive deeper. What do extant Svenska folkdräkter, specially those made c. 1850, look like? Is there anything like Kirsten's outfit among surviving examples?

Johan Sodermark, "Kvinna i dräkt."

In my few hours of research, this example image is the closest thing I have found to Kirsten's dirndl.

This lovely portrait is a watercolor from 1850 painted by Johan Sodermark. It is very creatively titled "Kvinna i dräkt" -- literally, "Woman in costume." The pattern of this woman's apron is incredibly similar to that of the skirt of the Kirsten doll's outfit -- a dark red base with blue and yellow stripes woven throughout.

Here is a closeup from the American Swedish Institute.

Although it is not shown in the doll-sized version of the outfit, the illustrations in Meet Kirsten by Renée Graef show us she also wears a light-colored, striped apron, which is almost surely the one that comes with her meet outfit.

Illustrations from Meet Kirsten, drawn by Renée Graef.

Notice the fabric of the bodice in the third illustration, though: Kirsten's top is made of red plaid fabric, while Sodermark's girl has an outfit full of stripes. Kirsten, bless her heart, spends an entire book outfit-repeating a potential pattern-mixing fail: plaid and two kinds of stripes and a floral scarf. Did Pleasant Rowland just hate her? Is Kirsten on another, elevated fashion plane far beyond my comprehension? Is there a historical basis for this combination of patterns?

I have no answer to the first two questions, but thankfully can speak on the third.

Komplett Vilskedräkt, Västergötlands museum. Some pieces c. 1865.

The top is plaid and laces up, which is not necessarily the most common way of fastening (in most examples, the bodice pins up), but it is a sensible choice considering both Kirsten's age (9) and the fact that Pleasant Company was making toys for little hands.

The model for the outer shell (the lace up top) belonged to Karl Edberg from Hällestad; it is not dated, but at least one piece of this set (the bag, which is not shown) is c. 1865. Additionally, the blouse here is very similar to the one that comes with Kirsten's winter outfit -- look at that keyhole neckline!

So, Kirsten's Dirndl outfit is actually very accurate as far as the clothing itself goes...the name remains the trouble.

I have no idea why they called it a dirndl. Folkdräkt is definitely challenging to pronounce, but why wouldn't PC just translate it as "folk dress" or "Swedish outfit" and call it a day? Why the insistence on referencing a culture that isn't relevant to the doll or her dress at all?

Perhaps this is a mystery to tackle for another day...

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housewifediary · 13 days

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my favorite American Girl Historical dolls in historic order; I have heard rumors they will be re-releasing Kirsten which if rumors are true I'll definitely sell this one for the new version. I am wondering if she'll be exactly the same as the 35th release or something new. They really should have kept all the 35th anniversary dolls on the line to be available forever. ♥︎ that all being said Samantha is my favorite.

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americangirlstar · 2 years

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Meet Kirsten (1986)

illustrations by Renee Graef

#american girl #american girl dolls #american girls #beforever #kirsten larson #1854 #meet kirsten #renee graef #illustrations #mine

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nomaishuttle · 6 months

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what's the kirsten video?

its by babbitykate, it just released yesterday! its a 6 hour long video covering the entire history of kirsten from american girls (going over all her books and catalogue releases) i rly liked it :] she also has abt a 45 minute video covering the the history dolls from american girl in general

youtube

#i think she did a good job of talking abt some of the issues with kirstens story irt their portrayal of native americans #im not an authority on that tho so just Beware since kirsten is. a settler from 1854 and the books are from the 80s yk.#but yeah aside from that i rly liked the video #i listened to it at work yesterday it was perfect length #OH and im prettyyy sure shes planning on doing one of these for all of them ! im rly excited for samantha and kit bc they were my favs when #i was little

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where-our-stories-start · 1 year

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Through the window, Kirsten could see a maple tree. I'm home, she thought. My cousins live right next door. We'll be friends.

Kirsten Larson - 1854

#kirsten larson #meet kirsten #american girl #american girl dolls #historical american girls #kirsten larson fancast #vida sjørslev

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mydollsaregay · 1 year

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Does anyone have a higher-res version of this saves somewhere? I really want the “kirsten, 1854″ logo for a project I’m working on, but if i cut it out of this pic, it’ll be fuzzy T-T

edit: all set!

#agblr #american girl #american girl dolls #kirsten larson #ag whyyyy would you just post this on an insta reel.#its such a cute little icon

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aimmyarrowshigh · 9 days

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My Spotify algorithm is deeply confused but it was all worth it.

#american girl #fanmix #*g #*americangirl #*fanmix #Spotify

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theiloveyousong · 4 months

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me watching tto trying not to think about kirsten larson 1854

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in-the-dollpalace · 1 year

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After reblogging my last post and sharing my opinion on 80s and 90s historical dolls, it got me thinking; how long after each historical girls story is set did the doll come out? so I crunched the numbers and here it is:

Kaya (1764)- 2002, 238 years

Felicity (1774)- 1991, 217 years

Caroline (1812)- 2012, 200 years

Josefina (1824)- 1997, 173 years

Marie Grace and Cecile (1853)- 2011, 158 years

Kirsten (1854)- 1986, 132 years

Addy (1864)- 1993, 129 years

Samantha (1904)- 1986, 82 years

Rebecca (1914)- 2009, 95 years

Claudie (1922)- 2022, 100 years

Kit (1934)- 2000, 66 years

Nanea (1941)- 2017, 76 years

Molly (1944)- 1986, 42 years

Maryellen (1954)- 2015, 61 years

Melody (1964)- 2016, 52 years

Julie (1974)- 2007, 33 years

Courtney (1986)- 2020, 34 years

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mia-st-clair-deserved-to-kill · 7 months

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#historical #Ag only shows love to their 20th century girls like come on man

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ateliermandaline · 2 years

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Check out this listing I just added to my Poshmark closet: Hallmark Keepsake 2003 American Girl Kirsten 1854 Christmas Ornament Figurine.

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americangirlstar · 1 year

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#american girl #american girl dolls #american girls #beforever #mine

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agkatestudios · 2 years

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A weird but really useful life hack I came up with!

Okay you know Kirsten’s winter outfit? Like the one with the black and white sweater and matching hat?

Well this happens when I try to put it on

A bunch of yarn loops (since the sweater is knitted) get stuck on her fingers and it takes like 10 minutes to put one sleeve on

Here’s a life hack! Rubber band a sock onto her hand

Like this:

Then slip on the sweater

It slides on super easily since the yarn loops can’t get stuck on her fingers anymore!

Then just slip the sock off! Boom it takes like 10 seconds now!

#american girl doll #american girl dolls #american girl #ag dolls #american girl brand #pleasant company #kirsten larson #American girl historical doll #1854 #ag doll clothes #ag tumblr #life hacks #doll life hacks

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pancreasnostalgia · 2 years

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“Saint Lucia invites you to breakfast!”

Or should I say supper, since it’s 6pm.

The amount of time I spent posing this and the number of takes I did is truly embarrassing. Her dress is probably stained now and I ended up using the base of her stand as a plate. The bun was too heavy for her to hold.

Check out my Saint Lucia meal this Friday, December 17th, @pancreasrecipes .

#american girl #kirsten larson #ag dolls #st lucia #saint lucia #1850s #1854

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pancreasrecipes · 2 years

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Potato Soup, from Kirsten’s Cookbook. My mom said that this brought back memories of when my grandma used to make the dish, and that side of the family has Swedish ancestry.

I made the full serving because it will be good for leftovers, otherwise I would have probably cut the recipe down to a third.

#american girl #kirsten larson #kirsten’s cookbook #1854 #1850s #cooking #recipe #dinner

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megthomas24601 · 2 years

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As indicated by the Magnetic Mini Worlds and paper dolls, Singing Bird can be considered the best friend of Kirsten; however, no doll was ever and likely will not be produced, given controversies in the ways that Indigenous people are portrayed in Kirsten's original Central Series.

Is there a source for this claim?

I only got Kirsten four years ago, and am not familiar with this.

#Kirsten Larson #Singing Bird #American Girl #American Girl Doll #American Girl Books #Kirsten #1854 #Kirsten Larson Doll #Kirsten Larson Books #AG #AG Doll #Mattel #Pleasant Company #indigineous people #Kirsten Books

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