Rosemaling is form of Norwegian folk art painting, utilizing stylized scrolls and flowers to create patterns both symmetrical and asymmetrical. Often done on painted wood (bowls, plates, chairs, cabinets, trunks), Rosemaling was originally created to bring life and color into the home during otherwise cold, bleak, and dark winters of Scandinavia. A variety of styles developed according to different regions in Norway where the art was practiced. 

​

During the 19th century, many Norwegians emigrated to the American midwest and brought with them heirloom pieces decorated in Rosemaling. The folk art then sat dormant in both Norway and the United States for a century, until its niche revival in the early 1900s. Since then, it has become popular in and among circles of Norwegian-Americans, mainly being taught at Sons of Norway lodges and Scandinavian cultural centers across the US.