Aino Voolmaa – Eesti rahvarõivaste vardja

Aino Voolmaa (1920–2000) was an Estonian ethnographer whose productive years coincided with the Soviet era. She carved out a place in Estonian cultural history through her nearly four decades of work as an acclaimed authority on folk dress and popularizer of the tradition. Largely due to Voolmaa’s consistent, active efforts, preservation of historical authenticity was a key principle when it came to revival of folk costume. Voolmaa’s research articles and a book, Eesti rahvarõivad (Estonian Folk Costume, 1981) are still in use by both folk dress historians and aficionados. However, very little has been written about her life and work. Voolmaa graduated from upper secondary school in Tallinn in 1940 and entered the Tallinn University of Technology. In 1942, she opted to transfer to the University of Tartu, where she mainly concentrated on ethnography studies. In autumn 1947, Aino was hired by the Estonian National Museum, and she remained closely affiliated with this institution for the rest of her life. Voolmaa worked as a research employee for the museum, starting as a junior researcher and winding up as a research director. During her career as a researcher, Voolmaa made a mark as a successful folk dress scholar and popularizer, and her role as museum staff member was just as significant. Over the years, she took part in nearly all major facets of museum work involving acquisitions, preservation, investigation and various means of dissemination. She participated in various research projects and amassed thousands of pages of material in reference works (mainly in the field of clothing) in the course of field work conducted in many parishes in Estonia, which she relied on to write research articles. She also successfully presented her findings at conferences in Estonia and abroad and was a valued lecturer. Her body of work undoubtedly represents important source material for current researchers. Aino considered the museum a very important professional venue for her, and she became one of the main organizers of exhibitions on Estonian folk dress and art at the museum. Fittingly, her professional career culminated in a grand folk dress exhibition displayed in Tallinn (1982), Võru (1983) and Leningrad (1983–1984). The aforementioned three-volume Estonian Folk Costume, published in conjunction with the artist Melanie Kaarma in 1981, can be considered a summation of her life’s work; it remains an invaluable reference text for people choosing folk costume. As a popularizer of the wearing of folk costume, Voolmaa played an outsize role, and advocated making traditional clothing according to historical models appropriate to a certain place. With almost pedantic accuracy, she kept an eye on the making and wearing of traditional clothing and pointed out any mistakes. Characterized by an active mindset, Voolmaa fulfilled various social outreach duties both within and outside of the museum. She joined the Party in 1964, but it did not lead to any significant advancement on the career ladder. Her aspiration for a doctoral degree did not come to fruition but her influence as an ethnographer in Estonian society was quite extensive and enduring, particularly in the field of folk costume.