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Nils Wachtmeister

1891–1960

Born
22 Feb 1891, Stockholm
Country of birth
Union between Sweden and Norway, today Sweden
Died
9 Mar 1960, Bärbo parish
facts
6
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth22 Feb 1891, StockholmProbable1 source
  • Death9 Mar 1960, Bärbo parishProbable1 source
  • UnionMärta de Geer af LeufstaConfirmed1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Stockholm

    Birth, Stockholm

  2. Child born: Gunnila Bernadotte

    Birth, Stockholm

  3. Died · Bärbo parish

    Death, Bärbo parish

What was it like?

The world around Stockholm, 1891: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Nils was born the same year as Nelly Sachs, Sergei Prokofiev, and Zora Neale Hurston.

Born the same year

  • Nelly Sachs

    Jewish German poet and playwright (1891-1970)

  • Sergei Prokofiev

    Russian and Soviet pianist, composer and conductor (1891–1953)

  • Zora Neale Hurston

    African American folklorist, novelist, short story writer, and Civic Rights advocate (1891–1960)

  • Cole Porter

    American composer and songwriter (1891–1964)

  • Rubens Sales

    Brazilian association football player (1891-1934)

  • Antonio Gramsci

    Italian Marxist philosopher, writer, and politician (1891–1937)

Fashion

Aprons and Skirt Layering as Status Symbols

Until the mid-19th century, it was considered immoral for a woman to appear outside the farm without an apron, which served both as a decorative festive garment and as protection during daily labor. Women sometimes wore multiple skirts layered over each other to signal status or to provide warmth during winter.

Going Barefoot to Preserve Leather Footwear

Due to a shortage of leather, it was common for both men and women to go barefoot to save their shoes, often carrying them in their hands until just before reaching church. Some farmers even applied layers of tar to the soles of their feet in the summer to walk across rough terrain like pine needles and stones.

Music

Herding Calls in Mountain Pastures

Women working in mountain pastures used a distinct vocal technique called kula or other dialectal names to communicate with cattle over distances up to 5 kilometers. This powerful, high-pitched call was used for hours during their 3-4 month stays in the pastures.

Popular Instruments for Common People

By the late 1800s, factory-made chord-zithers and guitars became affordable for common people and were cherished for accompanying spiritual songs in religious movements. Meanwhile, the fiddle remained the most common instrument, often found on every farm.

Getting around
Around 1889–1889

Train and steamer journey durations

A train journey from Gothenburg to Helsingborg took between 6 1/4 and 11 1/4 hours, while the steamer trip could take 14 to 20 hours. Steamboat passengers were often offered simple refreshments like coffee and biscuits, and stewards expected a tip of 1/2 to 1 crown for a 24-hour voyage.

Around 1895–1895

Horse-drawn travel costs and stations

By the end of 1895, Sweden had 1,518 roadside stations for horse-drawn travel, with an average distance of 25 kilometers between them. A conveyance with one horse typically cost about 16 öre per kilometer.

Daily life

Mandatory schooling for children

A school law mandated that children attend school between the ages of seven and fourteen, moving society toward a norm where children were expected to study rather than work at home. Education emphasized reading, writing, arithmetic, and increasingly, practical skills like domestic economy and gymnastics.

School kitchens provided meals for pupils

In some towns, school kitchens provided meals for children who would not otherwise get a proper meal at home, with poorer children sometimes contributing about a penny toward the cost. These kitchens helped educate school girls in domestic economy while ensuring pupils were fed.

Food

Hard rye bread stored on ceiling poles

Families often stored hard rye bread on poles hung from the kitchen ceiling, sometimes baking it only four times a year. In Jonsered, children dipped their dry bread into tall cups of coffee to soften it before eating.

Shared meals and market sausage prices

Peasant families ate soured milk called fillebunke from a large shared trough using individual wooden spoons. On the market, factory workers could buy three sausages for 25 öre to share as a meal.

Prices and wages

Shoes as a luxury for workers

In Stockholm, a pair of shoes was a significant expense for a worker, as a household budget might show that after covering basic food and rent, only 94 öre per week remained for clothing and footwear.

Weekly wages and food costs

A worker in Stockholm might earn 15 to 16 kronor per week, while a weekly food basket containing items like 2 kilograms of pork, 5 kilograms of bread, and 15 liters of potatoes cost 12.06 kronor.

Work

Agriculture dominated the working population

In 1870, the vast majority of Swedes worked in agriculture, with farming and forestry being the most common livelihoods for ordinary people.

Gender wage gap in farming

Male farmhands earned an average yearly wage of 317 kronor, while maids earned significantly less, with an average of 187 kronor.

News and letters

Cart mail across the border

Mail between Swedish border towns and Norway was sometimes sent by cart to the nearest foreign railway or harbor because it was the fastest route.

Telegram and postal service cooperation

In the late 19th century, telegraph stations employed messengers to deliver telegrams, but if no phone service existed, these messages were often handed over to the postal service for final delivery.

During their lifetime

  1. 1909

    Suffrage reform enacted in 1909

    In 1909, Sweden enacted a major suffrage reform that expanded voting rights.

  2. 1918

    Spanish Flu pandemic strikes in 1918

    The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic caused 34,378 deaths in Sweden within one year, the country's highest mortality rate since 1880.

  3. 1921

    Women gain voting rights in 1921

    Women gained the right to vote in national elections in 1921.

  4. 1932

    Social Democrats take power in 1932

    The Social Democratic Party took power in 1932, beginning 44 years of dominance and implementing extensive welfare plans.

  5. 1947

    Pension and child allowance laws, 1947

    Laws establishing a national basic pension and national child allowance were passed in 1947.

Family

Spouses

Children

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.