This silk suit of light green color with a hint of blue was made at the end of the 19th century using a sewing machine. It belonged to the wife of the shipowner Ignatiy Ivanovich Akilov (1864–1934), who lived in the village of Unezhma, in the Onega Uyezd of the Arkhangelsk Governorate.
The shirt has a one-piece yoke and cotton lining. The satin collar has a rounded shape. Sewn-in straight sleeves end in cuffs with two buttons and a belt sewn along the waist. The sarafan, made from seven strips of fabric, was decorated with light gray silk braid on the straps and top and fringed along the hem. The look was completed with a silk scarf in the same shade of light green as the suit but with a hint of blue.
On big celebrations, young married and single women changed their clothes at least three times a day. In the morning, they wore elegant and expensive silk and cashmere sarafan sundresses. In the afternoon, they changed into linen sundresses. And in the evening, they would wear outfits from printed cotton or sateen.
Wealthier Pomor women could afford velvet or brocade sarafans. The most popular fabrics for this type of clothes were damask, taffeta, moire, silk and satin. On the Pomorye coast, people loved the fabric with the watered appearance such as flowy taffeta and moire, which had a special iridescent effect.
Influenced by the fashion of the city, young Pomor women started wearing not just sarafans, but also dresses, two-piece suits, skirts, and shirts on special occasions. The suit from the museum collection was brought by the shipowner as a gift for his wife from another trip to Norway.
The Pomorye trade was carried out between the local people and those who inhabited the coast of Northern Norway. It was established around 1740 and lasted until the 1917 revolution. As with many other regions, this trade between different nations began with barter trade. In those exchanges, the Pomors used bread from Russia, and the Norwegians — fish from Northern Norway.
Over time, they switched to regular trade. The ruble was used as the main currency in several cities in Northern Norway. Trade was important for both Russians and Norwegians. The people of Pomorye went to trade from the shores of the White Sea and reached foreign ports. They were skilled traders and sailors, who explored the territories adjacent to the White Sea.
