{A mysterious mystery}

Last weekend I went to Ohio to visit my paternal grandparents.
I was looking at family photographs.
I was curious about the back of a photo of my great-grandmother Marit Reitan, from Norway, so I took it out of the frame and discovered..
a mysterious mystery!

Her photograph doubles as a postcard.
It was taken in 1917 at
Hudson Photo Studio
123 Washington St.,
Hoboken, NJ

Also on the back are quite a few shorthand characters.
I've asked around and apparently the 3 characters in the lower left hand corner are Gregg Shorthand,
while the rest on the right side are Pitman Shorthand.
As my great-grandmother was from Europe, is is possible that some of the markings may have more than one sound!
Figuring out what this says is proving very difficult!!

 

{Deco doll}

1960's velvet dress: Gift

Necklace: Gift from a friend in Norway

{Bunad}

A bunad is a traditional Norwegian costume, with looks and designs varying throughout the different regions of Norway.
I looked up the design and sewed a bunad from the Finnmark region.. because that's where Hammerfest is and that is where my great-great-great-great grandfather came from!
At the time I had a phobia of sewing machines so this is all sewn by hand.
I wore this to the 2009 Vista Viking Festival.. GREAT fun!
I really need a sewing machine.. planning to find one on craigslist.