Hedvig Catharina von Fersen

Hedvig Catharina von Fersen, née De la Gardie was a Swedish noble. She was the daughter of the General and riksråd count Magnus Julius De la Gardie and the political salonist Hedvig Catharina Lilje, and sister of scientist Eva Ekeblad.

Festive men's leather breeches

For festive occasions, men in some areas wore leather breeches tied below the knee with colorful, tasseled ribbons and knee-high boots with red heels.

Ribbons for unmarried women’s hair

In 1749, unmarried women in Virestad often wore their hair uncovered, decorated with various braided ribbons made of red cloth, black velvet, or silver glitter.

Folk instruments and church singing style

Common folk instruments in this period included the nyckelharpa, hurdy-gurdy, and drums, while country church congregational singing was often described by clergy as shrill and heterophonous.

Rural wedding festivities lasted days

In rural Swedish wedding customs during this era, celebrations often spanned from Sunday to Wednesday, with dancing starting after the first evening meal. Couples typically danced two dances at a time, such as a minuet and a polska, or two polskas.

Special saddles for women riders

Women commonly used special saddles (tvärsadlar) for travel, which allowed them to sit with both legs on the same side of the horse, rather than riding astride.

Travel by horseback and packhorse trails

In the early to mid-1700s, riding on horseback or walking were the standard ways to travel long distances, while goods were often transported using packhorses (klövjehästar) on trails because many roads were too poor for wheeled vehicles.

Cooking with the large iron pot

The large iron or bronze cooking pot remained the primary tool for preparing food in most households throughout this period. In many rural homes, these pots were among the most expensive individual items owned.

Self-sufficient rural households without schools

Schools did not exist in the countryside, and households were responsible for producing everything needed for daily life, including tools and clothing. Medical care was also absent in rural areas, leading families to rely on traditional home remedies found in household books.

Grain-based diet and survival mixtures

Ordinary Swedish families relied on a grain-based diet, consuming bread, porridge, and gruel as their primary energy sources. To extend limited grain supplies during spring, common people frequently mixed their flour with alternative ingredients like chaff, bark, or various plants.

Salted food and diluted beer consumption

Food was often heavily salted for preservation, particularly meat and fish, which provided essential protein alongside dairy. People commonly drank large quantities of beer, often diluted with water, as a standard daily beverage.

Cost of a cow and rye

A cow cost 30 daler kopparmynt in 1725, while a barrel of rye cost 18 daler kopparmynt in 1735.

Housemaid's monthly wage in 1725

In 1725, a housemaid earned 40 daler kopparmynt per month.

Reduction of work-free holidays

By the mid-18th century, the number of work-free holidays had been reduced significantly, requiring the annually employed to work more days to support their families.

Spinning as supplemental income

Spinning was a common but low-paid way to earn extra income, and it was often performed at home during winter months when darkness and cold limited other types of agricultural labor.

Postal costs were based on distance traveled

Between 1693 and 1747, Sweden used a general postage tariff based on distance, which generally made correspondence with central parts of Sweden and western Europe cheaper than with eastern Europe.

Political news traveled through smuggling and manuscripts

Political news often traveled via illegal, anonymous printed pamphlets produced abroad and smuggled into Sweden, or through clandestine, handwritten manuscripts that were easier to produce and circulated to bypass censorship.