AIC 53rd Annual Meeting

The Prize Papers Project focuses on studying and digitizing the Prize Papers, a unique archive documenting global daily life during European colonial expansion. The project is a collaboration between The National Archives, UK (TNA) and the University of Oldenburg, Germany. Among these documents was found a collection of unopened packages from the Faroe Islands dating from 1807. A major scheme was developed uniting researchers, conservators, scientists, and professionals from around the globe to safely assess, record, image, open, and analyse this collection. The project was led by TNA’s conservation and research teams in close partnership with The Faroe Islands National Museum and University of Oldenburg. 

Prize-taking resulted in an extensive archive, including documents from over 35,000 captured ships. Among these ships was the Anna Marie, a Danish merchant vessel from Tórshavn to Copenhagen, seized on September 1807. The Anna Marie, one of two ships owned by the Danish king, carried mail representing about a quarter of the communication between the Faroes and Denmark that year. Among the various letters, five unopened parcels containing knitted goods and grains were found. The most remarkable was a hand-knitted red woollen sweater with a navy and white pattern, the only known example and precisely dated knitted sweater from the Faroe Islands for this period. This discovery is of major significance for Faroese society as the sweater was accompanied by a letter detailing its origin, sender, recipient, and context. Few collections offer such rich insights into early 19th-century Faroese everyday life. 

Opening these culturally significant items involved many people and irreversible decisions. Lead by the conservation team, there was a consensus to open the parcels due to their potential significance, whilst leaving one package sealed for future reference and analysis. The parcels were photographed, filmed, and photogrammetry images were taken aiming to capture every detail that would be lost once opened. The unwrapping and content reveal were then conducted in the presence of the Faroese and Oldenburg teams, researchers, and media, marking a historic moment, and providing the Faroese with the unique opportunity to uncover this new sweater design. 

The significance of this discovery was greatly enhanced by the collaboration with the Faroe Islands team. Their immediate recognition of the unique pattern and expertise in reading the letters underscored the importance of this partnership. 

The items were rehoused with each object, wrapper, cord, and letter grouped to maintain their materiality. The wool and grains are undergoing extensive analyses. Colourants have been identified, and DNA profiling, using reference materials from colleagues around the world, is being performed to determine the origin of wool. The results, expected by May 2025, will provide insights into wool trade and resources in 19th-century Faroese society. 

The value of this collection lies in its completeness, never has a knitted pattern from the Faroe Islands been dated so precisely and found in such pristine condition. The rarity of these objects and the opportunity to collaborate with a diverse spectrum of partners is what makes this project so unique in its perspective.