Wikipedia.
In 1906, a lighthouse desparately needed to be built on Kråkenes, a rocky, knife-like promontory jutting from the northwestern tip of the island of Vågsøy in Vestland County, Norway.
Enter Anders Folkestadås (1865-1914), a foreman in the Norwegian lighthouse service.
As if building a lighthouse on a gigantic, lonely and dangerously waveswept rock wasn’t enough hard work, Folkestadås took with him his heavy plate glass camera gear; the wooden box of a camera, the glass slides, the cloth to hide under when taking photos, a heavy tripod to keep the whole contraption still and the toxic chemicals required to prepare and develop the images from the exposed slides.
The pictures Folkestadås’s took serve us up a brief and fragmentary vison of an obscure and niche world. The life, work and death of Vestland’s lighthouse people at the turn of the century.
Folkestadås was involved in the construction of several lighthouses along the coast of Norway. As well as leading the construction of Kråkenes lighthouse in Sogn og Fjorane, later in 1910 he worked at, and photographed Sklinna lighthouse in Nord-Trøndelag.
A couple of the photos included here were shot by Anders’ son, Elling Andersson Folkestadås (1895-1947).
The wooden lighthouse that Anders Folkestadås built was destroyed by fire after an Allied air raid in 1945. The current lighthouse now houses a restaurant and has rooms available for overnight stays.
The old glass of Anders Folkestadås has held up well. A century has passed. They are crystal clear.
Images: Fylkesarkivet i Vestland archives, Norway; Wikipedia; Google maps.
These are the children of Haldor Arneson and Maria Gjersdatter. Haldor was ill when this picture was taken, hence the open farmhouse window. Anders Folkestadås, 1906.
These girls from Kråkeneset are all in their best clothes for their photograph at the newly built lighthouse.
Front row, from the left: Simiana Jakobsdatter (b. 1882), Marie Jakobsdatter (b. 1890), Ana Jakobsdatter (b. 1892), Inger Arneseth (b. 1890) and Kristine Andersdatter (b. 1890). Back row, from the left: Samuline Haldorsdatter (b. 1887), Anne Olefine Andersdatter (b. 1880), (perhaps the cook at the lighthouse), Samuline Andersdatter (1883-1962) and one unknown.
The sign reads “Jørgensens Etablissement. Kjøb og Salg. Fiskeprodukter – Handelsvarer”,
Jørgensen’s Establishment. Purchase and Sale. Fish products – Merchandise.
Anton Reites on the left has pinned a sprig of Rowan to his jacket. Rowan was believed to have protective powers and considered a holy tree in Norwegian (and European) folklore.
Per Jacobsen Helset (1861-1938), Anna Reite (b. 1898), Severine (b. 1895), Ane Marte Pedersdatter Kalvotsvik (1857-1937) and Jacob Persen (1884-1972). Per was married to Ane Marte.
In front Aagate Samsondatter (1881-1910) and her husband Lars Jacobsen (1872-1934) with their children Olina (c.1906) and Jakob (c.1904). Standing behind them is Jakob Arneson (1848-1936).
Anna worked as a cook on Måholmen lighthouse in Nord-Trøndelag.
Anders Folkestadås, 1910.
Martinus (1875-1962) and Hansine (1871-1945) Folkestad with their children Johanne (b. 1905) and Åslaug (1908-1918). Martinus worked as a foreman in the Norwegian lighthouse service.
Anders Folkestadås, 1910.
Construction of this lighthouse began in May 1875 and in October 1877 the light was lit for the first time.
The family was so called because of Mons Arneson, “Old Mons”, the grandfather of Anders Arneson. Anders Folkestadås, 1906.
