Constitution Day waistcoat

Narrator
May 17th, Norway’s national day, may be a time for celebration now, but that was not always the case…  

At one time, celebrations were not allowed in public, and protest garments like this subtly disguised peoples political views… 

In the early 19th century, Norway got its own constitution after 400 years in union with Denmark. But, a few months later, entered a new union with Sweden under King Carl Johan. 

After the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, the idea of ​​"liberty, equality and fraternity" had spread to the rest of Europe. 

This turned the old regime upside down!  

Where the upper class had ruled, now it was the people who were rising up… 

The 17th May celebrations began to spread to several Norwegian towns and became a day of riots.  

This didn’t go down well with the king, and in 1828 public celebrations became illegal! 

At that time, it was common for men to wear trousers, a jacket and a waistcoat. 

Waistcoats would often be used to express yourself personally or politically, or to commemorate an event. There are several such political waistcoats preserved in Europe from this time, and this waistcoat is one of these. 

We see "17. mai" throughout the fabric.