This is a The Young Gentleman (replica) of Raahe. The Old Gentleman is exhibited in Raahe museum.
Photo by Kirsti Vähäkangas.
"The Old Gentleman of Raahe" is a rare treasure. It is believed to be the oldest diving suit in the wold. The suit was donated to the museum by Captain Johan Leufstadius (1829-1906), master mariner, merchant and shipowner of the seaport of Raahe on the West Coast Region of Bothnia.
Captains papers state that the suit material is calf´s skin and that the suit dates from the 18th century. At that time Raahe - like several other ports on the Gulf of Bothnia - was a busy shipping and ship building center, where diving operations would certainly have been needed. The suit is undoubtedly Finnish. The foot parts are in fact traditional Finnish countryman's boots with the kind of upturned toes.
A clue to the suit's antecendents refers to a Swedish Admiralty sketch dating from 1727, which is kept in the Swedish States Archives. The sketch represents the diving suit made of metal plates and it has a certain resemblance to the Old Gentleman of Raahe, and it is possible that it was used as a model.
New Gentleman
The restorer of Raahe Museum, Mr Touko Turunen, tailored a perfect copy of the old suit in 1988. New Gentleman of Raahe has been used as a diving suit several times. It is possible to see a video film form one of dives done using the new dinving suit.