Log Chairs

Carved from a single piece of log, the traditional Norwegian log chair (kubbestol) has a round shape that fits easily into a corner, making it ideal for small peasant cottages. As with immigrant trunks, the chairs often possess colorful rosemaled decoration.

This log chair is believed to have arrived in America in 1844 on board the Salvator from Porsgrunn, Norway. It made its way to Walworth County, Wisconsin with the family of Anders Jensen Skibsnæs, known as Anders Jonson in America. Mrs. Carl Johnson, the wife of Anders' grandson, gave the chair to the University of Wisconsin's Memorial Union in the 1940s. What happened to the chair in the interim is a mystery.

The current surface painting is likely not original. Note the different paint colors showing through where the outer paint has fallen off. In addition, the seat back interior bears a mark “E. S.” and the date “1929.” Why was the chair repainted in 1929 and what was the original decoration? Regardless of the details, this object was a significant family heirloom representing a material link to Norway, and its 1929 decoration sustained a distinctive ethnic tradition.

Philip Odden of Barronett, Wisconsin carved this log chair in a traditional form. Odden, an accomplished carver, left the surface plain so that it could showcase extensive rosemaled decoration by Karen Jenson of Milan, Minnesota.