Decorative Plate

Decorative Plate Norwegian-American Maker, Earl Edseth; decorated by Olga Edseth, c.1946 Wood (recycled fruit crate end), paint Gift of Olga Edseth MHAHS 1983.048.0001

This piece was Olga Edseth’s first venture into Norwegian folk painting, an interest deeply rooted in the traditions of her Norwegian immigrant mother and grandparents. Edseth’s husband Earl turned this plate on a wood lathe from the end of an orange crate. Edseth then rosemaled the surface, drawing inspiration from a design on a postcard her mother acquired on a trip to Oslo, Norway. Edseth attained notoriety over her sixty years of rosemaling by applying self-taught painting talents throughout the Mount Horeb area. The Sons of Norway later presented Edseth with an International Heritage Award.