Anders Zorn: Some Personal Recollections . Pt. 3

"Midsummer Dance" by Anders Zorn

"After tea we went across to the small house which Anders Zorn had built for his mother, and met the old lady, perfectly charming in her Dalecarlian peasant dress with white headcloth. She used to spend much of her time on sunny days sitting outside the door, smoking an old iron pipe, and she worshipped her son.

Midsummer's day throughout Sweden is a public holiday. Upon all the hilltops and in all the villages, maypoles are erected and the people spend the whole of the daylight night in dancing. At Mora, no dancing would begin, nor would the maypole be erected, until Zorn appeared. He was certainly the 'uncrowned king' of Dalarne; and his charities and good deeds throughout the district were uncountable. It is entirely due to his influence that the picturesque costumes of the peasantry have never been discarded, and it is to be hoped that his memory may be kept alive by their retention.

He had been failing in health for some weeks, but the illness of which he died was sudden. Dr. Helling was called, and found that it was too late. An operation was performed as a last chance - but he sank under it. He was sensible almost till the last, but at 1 a.m. unconsciousness supervened and his hands began to go through the motions of painting. He spoke of colours, and of Liten, his little dog, and quietly passed away. As an artist he is a loss to the world; but as a man his death will leave an unfillable void in the heart of every Dalecarlian."

(Excerpts from "Anders Zorn: Some Personal Recollections" in "The International Studio," 1897.)