TheLittleRedHorse Museum

​The meaning and origin of the Dalahast are widely debated and frankly, relatively unknown.  In an article titled, “The History of the Swedish Dala Horse” the author, Lindsay Shapka, the origin of the Dalahast is discussed.  Shapka states how the horse began as a very simple toy for children to play with, “Men working in the forest in the Dalarna region during long, cold evenings began carving small wooden horses to bring home for their children to play with.” (Shapka).   These early iterations were very simple carvings with no intricate design or decoration. The vibrant souvenirs were born in a simple time to occupy the children of Central Sweden during the very long and cold winters.   The early version of the Dalahast is a far contrast from the Dalahast of today.  In K. Shabi’s article, “Meaning: Red Carved Wooden Dalecarlian Dala Horse from Dalarna, Sweden”, Shabi says, “Many of us have seen the red Dalecarlian horse unaware that the Dala horse is one of the most famous examples of Scandinavian and specifically Swedish folk art.” (Shabi).  Shabi also discuss the simplicity of the first generation Dalahast, “(Dalahast) began as unpainted wooden toys whittled and carved cheaply with a knife for children to play with.” (Shabi).  While the origin of the Dalahast is known, the meaning and symbolism for them is not. Perhaps just a toy or maybe more, Shabi discusses, “The meaning and story behind the Swedish Dalecarlian horse is widely debated and largely unknown, with some even citing Norse mythology to explain Sweden's fascination with carving little wooden horses.” (Shabi).  While the meaning of the little, wooden horses may not be known, we do know the meaning of its name.   In Swedish “hast” means horse and dala, “is partly an abbreviation or nickname derived from the word "Dalecarlian," referring to the language/dialect spoken in the Swedish province of Dalarna, the place where these red carved horses originated back as early as the sixteenth century.” (Shabi).  We now know about the origins of the carved horse and its name but what about its vivid decroration.

As more and more men in the Dalarna region carve these horses for the children they began to catch the eye and interest of tourist and travelers passing through the region.  As the interest from travelers grew so did a demand to buy the horses as souvenirs so the villagers began to sell the horses.  “As they started to become more popular, and visitors to the towns in the region wanted to buy them, villagers started to paint them in bright colours and patterns inspired by what was painted on furniture and walls in the region at the time.  Entire families started working on carving and painting these Dala horses (Dalahast in Swedish), and they soon became one of the official symbols of Sweden.” (Shapka).  The villagers initially painted the horses red which was directly influenced by their red houses that are symbols in their own right of Scandinavia, but then an artist named Stika Erik Hannsson entered the picture.  Hannsson decided to begin painting the red horse with a simple, but intricate, version of the Kurbit Style which was already prominent across Sweden. As Shabi explains, “Almost as symbolic of Swedish folk art as Dala horses themselves, the kurbits style of decorative painting is also associated with the Dalarna province and was used to decorate furniture and other things popular in a traditional Swedish household in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Traditionally Dala horses were generally left unpainted or painted solid red, but in the 1830s Swedish artist Stikå Erik Hansson became known for painting his own unique Dala horses with a two-color simplified form of kurbits decoration. Hansson's Dala horse pattern has since become the tradition for Dala horse making in Sweden.” (Shabi).  The Dalahast was now adorned in its vibrant, hand painted exterior but had not reached its world-wide stardom.  

The World Expo in Paris in 1937 was, at first glance, probably not the best place for the Swedes to display their cultural symbol because the expo was actually a forum for nations to be able to showcase their new technology and advancements in science and medicine. An article written by Try The World discusses the unlikely forum for the Dalahast to begin its journey to international fame, “The Paris Exposition of 1937 was an unlikely place for the Dala horse to gain global fame. Like other world fairs that preceded it, the Paris Exposition celebrated advancements in science and technology. Visitors saw art inspired by innovation—like Raoul Dufy’s La Fée Electricité (“The Electricity Fairy”), a grandiose retelling of the history of electricity—or, more somberly, Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, displayed in the fair’s Spanish pavilion, which gave voice to the political crises of the time.” (Try The World).  As the rest of the nations were displaying their contributions to science and medicine the Swedes took a well, more Swedish approach to fair, opting to display culturally significant items that would tell other nations the story of Swedish culture and history. “The Swedish took a more classic approach. The Swedish pavilion included cutting edge design, but it also included traditional crafts, some of which dated as far back as the 17th century. One of these was a painted wooden toy: the Dala horse.” (Try The World).  The classical approach that the Swedish displayed made people fall in love with Swedish culture and more importantly, with the Dalahast. People were enthralled with the intricate design of the seemingly simple horse and they adored the long-standing history behind its creation.  The World Expo in 1937 was a great introduction to the world for the Dalahast but it was not until The World’s Fair in New York in 1939 that the Dalahast became cemented as the international icon of Sweden.

The World’s Fair in New York in 1939 was where the Dalahast was accepted as the international iconic symbol of Sweden.  The two men in charge of the Swedish exhibit were exhibition artist Anders Beckman and Bibi Lindstrom who was the architect of the pavilion.  Beckman wanted the exhibit to have a giant Dalahast out front of the exhibit so that it would greet attendees and be easily visible to all of the patrons from anywhere at the venue. In the book The New York World Fair 1939 by Stanley Appelbaum, Appelbaum discusses, “While Beckman and Lindstrom were deciding how to display their culture’s pieces, Beckman dreamed of a giant Dala horse that would welcome everyone to the Swedish Pavilion.” (Appelbaum 123).  After deliberating and negotiating with the King, who thought the idea of a giant Dalahast was a bad idea, Beckman and Lindstrom finally won him over and they decided on making the Dalahast at the entrance of the pavilion a whopping 2.8 meters tall.  In addition to giant horse, the Swedish pavilion also decided to sell normal sized Dalahast (5 inches) in their souvenir shop and they ended up shipping just over 7000 of them to the show so that the patrons from all over the world would be able to take home this piece of Sweden.  After the World’s Fair in 1939 the Dalahast was now adored by the masses from across the globe and to Swedes, it became the symbol of their culture. In an article written by The Swedish Wooden Horse Company titled “The History of the Dala Horse” they discuss the immediate popularity of the Dalahast, “During the year after the exhibition 20,000 Dala horses were shipped over to New York and so the Swedish Dala horse became a symbol for Sweden.” (The Swedish Wooden Horse Company).  Nowadays, millions of people own or collect Dalahasts and that does not mean that they are a cheap souvenir, Dalahast are often not cheap as they are still made in the traditional handmade methods used in the 16th century, as Shabi describes, “Tourists may be surprised at the expensive price of these little red wooden horses, but these handmade souvenirs are hand carved from pine wood and painted in the traditional Kurbits style by at least nine trained craftsmen in Dalarna workshops. Real Dalecarlian horses are stamped with a certification of authenticity, so don't be fooled and buy the cheap knock-offs sold in some souvenir shops.” (Shabi).  It is the Swedes’ attention to detail and their dedication to traditional techniques that keeps the demand for Dalahasts a much sought-after souvenir.