Anne Sophie Reventlow

What people wore

Everyday clothing colors and materials

Peasant men wore non-dyed, greyish homespun clothes for everyday work, while women typically wore black or dark blue daily garments. Both genders commonly wore clogs for both everyday and festive activities.

Daily life

Limited schooling for ordinary children

In Copenhagen's Nyboder district, children often received no schooling and were instead sent to work, although boys enrolled in naval-related schools starting at age six eventually received higher quality education.

Work

Demanding nature of everyday work tasks

Compulsory labor for estate owners could be overwhelming, with some farmers complaining they had no free days. On baking days, women often began work at 2 or 3 a.m. to finish before the standard working day commenced.

Music

Village dance instruments

Village dances were often accompanied by traditional drone instruments such as the hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, and violin-like instruments like the gige or fejle.

At the table

Excessive beer consumption across all classes

Beer was consumed in excess across all social classes, as tea, coffee, and chocolate were not yet common beverages.

Getting around

Travel by farm wagons

Ordinary people mostly traveled between towns using small horse-drawn farm wagons, as there were no railways or steamships for public transport in this period. Passengers could hire a farmer and his wagon if they did not own a vehicle themselves.

What it cost

Cost of clothing fabric

Coarse woolen fabric for everyday work clothes, known as vadmel, cost between 16 and 24 skilling per alen at the end of the century.