SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film presents "Guldnakke," Trine Søndergaard’s acclaimed photographic series of contemporary women wearing traditional Danish bonnets from the 19th century. A guldnakke, which translates as "golden neck," is an intricately embroidered women’s hat, fashionable among the wives of wealthy farmers and worn as a symbol of status among the peasant class. Until the mid-1800s, textiles made of gold thread or gold beads were created solely for the royalty, nobility and the church, and therefore these bonnets hold a special meaning in the social history of Denmark.
Created by women of extraordinary needlework skill, the guldnakke is an early example of female entrepreneurship. Søndergaard works consciously with large-format images to enhance the visual effect of the intricate embroidery and opulent materials of the bonnet. The striking contrast between the 21st-century clothing of the subjects and their anachronistic bonnets suggests a conflation of time. SCAD FASH presents nine photographs from the series alongside a vintage guldnakke from the university’s permanent collection and four on loan from the Furesø Museer, Farum, Denmark.
