The Valley Grove Tapestries were displayed in the beautiful Commons Gallery at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum last month. I was eager to see them in that setting, and the other weavings in the collection they added to the space, so I offered to organize a Scandinavian Weavers Study Group field trip, where I would talk about the tapestry project, and arrange a special behind-the-scenes tour in the afternoon. Six of the eight weavers who participated had never been to the museum! Only Peg Hansen and I were veteran visitors.
The morning started with a gallery talk about the church tapestries and the additional weavings from the Vesterheim collection that filled out the beautiful space. In the new Snøhetta-designed building, a giant banner hung at the entrance to the gallery, at the top of the stairs. A portion of the tapestry with the 1862 church was super-enlarged in a startlingly clear photograph. One person said, “I thought it was a weaving, but it couldn’t be because of the lettering at the top.” I examined the photo carefully to see if I could find any weaving mistakes. I am a great fan of unweaving and correcting any mistakes. And here’s a good reason — you never know when you might find your weaving blown up in a scale to see every tapestry stitch!
After lunch at the fabulous Blazing Star, we gathered for a special behind-the-scenes tour. Collection Manager Jennifer Kovarik chose several tapestries from storage and displayed them on tables in the Lila Nelson Weaving Classroom, and I gave an impromptu talk. I know the collection well, so it was like seeing old friends. Appropriately, there were pieces of Lila’s.
Another tapestry on display was by Norwegian-American Anna Margrethe “Molla” Bjurstedt Mallory (1884-1959).
Molla Mallory’s main claim to fame was as a tennis player; she represented Norway in the 1912 Summer Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden, and won the Bronze Medal. She moved to the United States in 1914. She won 8 U.S. Women’s National Championships! In her final appearance at a U.S. Open, in 1929, she lost to Helen Wills, but a reporter described her semi-final game against Betty Nuthall enthusiastically. “…when it comes to sheer fighting heart I’ll take Molla Mallory. For savage attack in the face of odds, for flaming spirit which will not admit defeat, this little tigress of the tennis courts has no superior in any game that’s known.” (Walter Trumbull, the North American Newspaper Alliance, as printed in the Montana Standard, August 23, 1929. “Tennis queen, that back in 1921 made Suzanne Lenglen quit cold, has inspired day.”)
At some point during her tennis career, Molla Mallory learned to weave from Berthea Aske Bergh, who considered herself the first teacher of Norwegian tapestry in the U.S. This tapestry owned by Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum is woven skillfully, with a beautiful color palette. It was acquired by Vesterheim from Mallory’s estate. But was it woven by Mallory, or woven in honor of the Norwegian-born tennis star? My guess is that it was woven by someone else, mostly because I found no other mention of other pieces woven by her, nor that she enjoyed weaving as a hobby.
The Mallory tapestry is a combination of a common historical borders or motifs. The top border was often woven in the borders of historical tapestries, and the center floral image resembles some older tapestry cushion covers. The bottom border is one-half of the traditional 8-petalled flower that you might recognize from weaving and knitting patterns.
Mallory’s tapestry instructor, Berthea Aske Bergh, was a strong promoter of Norwegian handcraft in the U.S., and even had a meeting with King Haakon in the summer of 1929 to plan a venue for “norse art” in New York City. In late 1929, Bergh started “The Weavers,” a tea room and showroom intended to promote Norwegian handcraft. Molla Mallory was named the chairman of the center. Unfortunately, the handcraft center opened in the same month as the stock market crash, and the tea room likely closed soon after.
Molla Mallory retired from tennis and had a string of hard luck. She and her husband moved from a Park Avenue home when he lost his fortune and was badly injured in a taxi accident. A 1932 article reported, “A Champion Still Plays the Game: But MOLLA MALLORY is Now Volleying against a New Opponent.” The grim opponent was “Mr. Depression,” as in the Great Depression. She worked in the dress department of a Fifth Avenue department store. Another article was even less upbeat, “Former Tennis Queen, Now Broke, to Run Dress Shop.” Mallory seems bitter as she describes being fired as a salesperson at a department store. “I guess I wasn’t so much of a drawing card as they hoped I’d be. You’re so soon forgotten…The crowd is fickle. They liked me at first. But I was champion too long. They were glad when I was beaten.”
Later in the 1930s a Mallory textile and tennis connection popped up when she designed a tennis dress
Bjurstad Mallory was enshrined into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1958, and died in 1959.
More on Molla Mallory:
Rennert, Rick. “The greatest women’s champion you never heard of — Molla Bjurstedt Mallory.” US Open website, 2021. https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2021-09-11/the_greatest_womens_champion_you_never_heard_of_molla_bjurstedt_mallory.html)
International Tennis Hall of Fame. Molla Bjurstad Mallory.
I would think she did enjoy weaving as a hobby if she had a weaving instructor and was the chair of a textile organization headed by that same instructor.
The name and date are odd if she isn’t the weaver imo. Wouldn’t someone letter it more neatly if it wasn’t their “signature” but some homage to her? Would there not be another signature for clarity’s sake if she didn’t weave it herself?
The B also seems like something she would add herself, in articles about her it’s generally missing and her name is unusual but she seemed to include it or her full name in autographs/signatures.
The piece looks like a sampler to me—as you pointed out there are a few styles in it—which to me looks like someone practicing vs creating their own tapestry from “scratch”.
I’m not sure what other records there would be of her weaving if she, like most weavers, didn’t show her work and it wasn’t a source of income. Would reporters be asking about her hobbies when interviewing her about tennis?
Rachel, your points are astute! Thanks for your careful reading.