Anna was the only exception when I ordered photos from the Map and Photograph Department in Uppsala. She was wearing an Arjeplog costume; otherwise I only ordered pictures of people wearing Lule Sami dress. She’s attractive and exudes dignity. I asked a lot of people in Jokkmokk who she was. No one knew, until I showed the picture to Elsa. It turned out she was her aunt.

The picture of Anna was important to me, as she was a way of getting closer to the material. I sewed a frame for Anna. The pattern of the tin thread comes from a sliehppá (bib) that was for many years in the ownership of the Teilus family. The embroidery comes from the dress that Anna is wearing in the photograph. The buttons come from both Anna and Elsa. Some of the buttons are new. I made this frame because I wanted to take Anna home from the archive in Uppsala.

The strange thing about Anna was that she was already in my studio when I found out who she was. I’d got some buttons and a jar of hers from Elsa.