Brúðarbúningurinn: Leiðsögn sýningarhöfundar 🦋
National Museum of Iceland, Suðurgata 41, 101 Reykjavík Directions
Sun Oct 11 2026 14:00
The National Museum of Iceland offers an exciting programme of events every Sunday throughout the winter and spring months. On the first Sunday of each month, there is a programme for children and families. On other Sundays, museum specialists offer guided tours of the museum’s exhibitions, while on the last Sunday of each month, the specialist-led tour is conducted in a foreign language.
On Sunday, September 11th at 14:00, there will be a guided tour of the exhibition A Voyage in History – The Bridal Costume.
During the tour, Freyja Hlíðkvist Ó. Sesseljudóttir, one of the exhibition’s curators, will explore various aspects of the exhibition, discussing the traditional faldbúningur costume, the bridal costume itself, and its remarkable history.
At the heart of the exhibition is one of the most elaborate women’s costumes in Icelandic history. For many years, it was believed to have been lost in a shipwreck off the coast of Iceland in 1809. It later emerged that this was not the case, and in 1963 the costume was unexpectedly discovered in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The discovery marked a turning point in the study of historical Icelandic dress. The costume is now on loan from the V&A.
The bridal costume belonged to women of the Stephensen family, which at the time became one of the most powerful and wealthy families in Iceland. The family matriarch, Sigríður Magnúsdóttir, wore parts of it when she married Ólafur Stefánsson, later Governor of Iceland (stiftamtmaður), in 1761. Their elder daughter, Þórunn, received parts of the costume as part of her dowry in 1780 when she married Bishop Hannes Finnsson. The costume subsequently passed into the possession of Ragnheiður, Þórunn’s younger sister. The costume was considered so fine that whenever foreign visitors came to the family home, it was brought out and shown to them. Some of these visitors found the clothing rather unusual.
Please note this event is in Icelandic.
The tour is included with museum admission. Please note that your admission ticket also serves as an annual pass, giving you unlimited access to the museum's exhibitions and events for one year from the date of purchase. Admission to all exhibitions and events is free for children and young people under 18 years of age.