Nomadic Lapp Reindeer Camp and a Finnish Interior, Hand Colored Lithograph, 1842

This original antique lithograph, hand colored, comes from the Galleria Universale di Tutti i Popoli del Mondo (Venice, Giuseppe Antonelli, 1842). The upper image shows a nomad camp. A large white conical tent sends up smoke, a man crawls out of its low doorway, and a man in a pale blue tunic and yellow boots holds out a cup to a seated man in lavender. A figure in a long red robe and tall pointed yellow cap stands at a wooden frame at the left, another in red kneels at the right, a reindeer with great antlers lies on the ground at the right, and a dark dog walks in the foreground. Behind them a herd of reindeer winds over the slope beyond a rail fence. The lower image shows a house interior with furs hanging on the wall and a fire burning in an open hearth. A bearded man in a hat and pale blue coat, a knife and red pouch at his belt, lays an arm around a young woman in a red coat over a richly embroidered yellow dress and yellow headdress, while an older woman in a white headscarf and yellow shawl sits beside them.

The lettering reads "Tom IV" at the top left, "LAPPONIA" at the center and "Tav. 92" at the top right. The upper caption reads "Lapponi nomadi dei Renni" (nomadic Lapps of the reindeer), and the lower caption reads "Finlandesi" (Finns).

The Sami people, then called Lapps, live across the far north of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, and reindeer herding was the center of nomadic life. In 1842 Finland was a grand duchy under the Russian crown.

It makes a fine piece for a Nordic themed room or a collection on Arctic travel.

This is an original antique print, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed.