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Sonia Bernadotte

1909–2004

Born
12 Oct 1909, Copenhagen
Country of birth
Denmark
Died
21 May 2004, Copenhagen
facts
7
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · Copenhagen

    Birth, Copenhagen

  2. Died · Copenhagen

    Death, Copenhagen

What was it like?

The world around Copenhagen, 1909: 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.

Sonia was born around the same time as Ronald Reagan, Mother Teresa, and Akira Kurosawa.

Born around the same time

  • Ronald Reagan

    1911 · president of the United States from 1981 to 1989 and actor (1911–2004)

  • Mother Teresa

    1910 · Albanian-Indian Catholic nun and missionary (1910–1997)

  • Akira Kurosawa

    1910 · Japanese filmmaker (1910–1998)

  • Giuseppe Meazza

    1910 · Italian association football player and manager (1910-1979)

  • Frida Kahlo

    1907 · Mexican painter (1907–1954)

  • Naguib Mahfouz

    1911 · Egyptian writer (1911–2006)

Fashion

Changing urban silhouettes and suits

Around 1900, women's fashion shifted toward a corseted, S-shaped silhouette with a narrow waist, but by 1914, the style became less restrictive, featuring higher waistlines and shorter sleeves. By 1906, urban women in Copenhagen were also wearing tailored walking suits (spadseredragt) made of white wool with pearl buttons.

Extensive wardrobes for special occasions

In some regions, such as Amager, women had highly specific outfits for different occasions, and it was said that an Amager woman needed at least 11 different aprons to be appropriately dressed for every event. A man might own three different suits, which was still considered more than in many other parts of Denmark.

Music

Professionalization of village fiddlers

By the early 1900s, traditional fiddlers who once played for country parties often transitioned into professional musicians in city orchestras, reflecting the shift away from earlier village instruments like bagpipes and hurdy-gurdies.

Around 1918–1939

Home music in interwar rural Denmark

In rural bourgeois-like homes during the interwar period, families entertained guests with piano performances featuring classical-romantic repertoire or dance music during dinners and coffee gatherings.

Getting around

Crossing frozen waters on foot

When the Great Belt was frozen in winter, mail and passengers were sometimes transported across the ice in large boats drawn by men.

Efficient train ferry transfer times

Roll-on roll-off train ferries significantly cut transfer times, reducing the loading and unloading of carriages at each port from about 3 hours to 30 minutes or less.

Daily life

Living in 1-2 room apartments

In Copenhagen, many working-class families lived in 1- or 2-room apartments where they slept, ate, and played in the same room. Toilets were often shared facilities located in the courtyard.

School shifts and child labor

To manage limited space and high demand, city schools divided students into two shifts, one from 8 am to 1 pm and the other from 1 pm to 6 pm. Outside of these hours, children often worked to earn money for their families.

Food
Around 1905–1905

Thick milk and post-dinner traditions

A common and sometimes surprising Danish dish was thick milk, made by letting rich milk sour for days until it turned into a jelly-like consistency, then served with crumbled rye bread and sugar. Another popular tradition was for children to salute their parents after dinner by saying Tak for mad, meaning thanks for the meal.

Around 1918–1918

Strict meat and coffee rationing during war

During World War I in November 1918, meat rationing was extremely strict, limiting individuals to just 120 grams of pork and beef combined per week. In the same month, coffee was also rationed to only 50 grams per person per month.

Prices and wages

Basic food prices, 1900-1920

The price of 1 kg of rye bread for a skilled worker was 0.14 kroner in 1900 and rose to 0.23 kroner by 1920. Over the same period, 1/4 kg of butter increased from 0.50 kroner to 1.70 kroner.

Skilled worker wages and hours, 1900-1920

In 1900, a skilled worker in Denmark earned 0.40 kroner per hour and worked a 60-hour week. By 1920, the hourly wage increased to 2.23 kroner, while the working week was reduced to 48 hours.

Work

Harsh life for domestic servants

Domestic servants, often including young girls, frequently worked 12 to 14 hours a day and were legally bound to their masters until 1921. Many lived in harsh conditions, such as unheated attic rooms where water would freeze in washbasins during winter.

A 12-hour workday and long commutes

In 1904, a typical workday for a Danish laborer was 12 hours long, with 1.5 hours of breaks, totaling up to 14 hours away from home due to long commutes. Workers often walked to their jobs because transport options were limited.

News and letters

Postcards for Daily Communication

Around 1900, postcards became a popular way to send updates and confirm appointments because they were cheaper than letters and there were multiple daily postal deliveries. This allowed people to propose and confirm arrangements on the same day.

Motorization of Mail Transport

Starting in 1908, the Danish postal service began replacing slow horse-drawn carriages with motor vehicles to speed up mail transport between train stations and steam-ferry berths. In 1910-11, these early mail vans covered over 63,000 kilometers, though they required frequent maintenance.

During their lifetime

  1. 1915

    Women gain right to vote (1915)

    A new constitution granted women and servants of both sexes the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

  2. 1921

    First hot dog stands appear (1921)

    The first six hot dog stands appeared in the streets of Copenhagen.

  3. 1928

    First traffic light installed (1928)

    The first traffic light in Denmark was installed at the intersection of Frederiksborggade and Nørre Farimagsgade.

  4. 1938

    Statutory holiday introduced (1938)

    The Holiday Act established that workers were entitled to two weeks of statutory holiday per year.

  5. 1953

    First supermarket opens in 1953

    In 1953, the first supermarket in Denmark opened in the Copenhagen suburb of Islev, changing how people shopped by allowing them to select pre-packaged items with a basket.

  6. 1955

    First motorway opens in 1955

    Denmark's first motorway, Hørsholmvejen, opened in 1955, marking a significant change in national infrastructure.

Family

Parents

Spouses

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.