Astrid of Sweden

Astrid of Sweden was Queen of the Belgians as the first wife of King Leopold III.

Men's hats worn to scare predators

Herding girls wore men's hats to scare away bears and wolves, making the animals believe a man was approaching.

Tar used to protect bare feet

Some men used tar on the soles of their feet at the start of summer, allowing them to walk barefoot across rough terrain like stones and pine needles after the tar dried.

Folk music performances at Skansen museum

At Skansen, an open-air museum opened in 1891, people could hear live performances of traditional Swedish instruments like the fiddle, nyckelharpa, and herdsman’s horn in a simulated peasant environment.

Widespread popularity of the fiddle

Although new instruments like the accordion and brass ensembles grew in popularity, the fiddle remained a widely played instrument, often found in almost every farmhouse by the turn of the century.

Slow Steamboats and Public Distrust

Steamboats like the Egil were surprisingly slow for towing timber, averaging only two knots, meaning a trip could take up to 30 days. People often distrusted wood-fired steamboats, fearing they would catch fire or scare away fish.

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.

Cramped urban living conditions

Poor families often lived in a single room, sharing it with boarders to cover rent, while water had to be carried up stairs and toilets were located outdoors.

Daily household costs and diet

Kerosene for lighting could cost up to 10 öre per day for those doing sewing work, and children often relied on crusts of bread softened in coffee for breakfast.

Affordable meat and staple snacks

Knackwurst sausages were a treat for some workers, available at markets for 25 öre for three. While meat was often scarce, other items like crispbread were staples across all social classes.

Everyday meals of poor Swedish families

For poor families, a common, inexpensive mid-day meal consisted of a large dish of boiled potatoes, often supplemented with salt herring bought from a local merchant. To save money, bread was baked at home and hung on a pole to dry, as families were discouraged from eating fresh bread.

Earnings of a laborer in 1907

In 1907, a common laborer in Stockholm earned 3.20 kronor per day, which would result in an annual income of 948 kronor if he avoided chronic unemployment.

Prices of food and shoes, 1913

Around 1913, a pair of shoes cost 10 kronor and a pound of butter cost 1.20 kronor, while a pound of meat cost 60 öre.

Common jobs in Sweden, 1900-1924

The majority of Swedes worked in agriculture as peasants, crofters, farmhands, or contract-workers, though industrial, forestry, and small-scale manufacturing jobs were also significant.

Early starts for livestock workers

Milkmaids and grooms often began their work at 3:30 to 4:00 a.m. and some grooms had only one day off every third or fourth Sunday.