Sophia Albertina of Sweden

Getting around

Traveling by Horse and Foot

In the mid-18th century, people typically traveled by horse or on foot, and women often rode in special side-saddles because the roads were often little more than paths. Goods were also frequently transported on horseback using pack saddles as long as the ground was free of snow.

Daily life

Multipurpose kitchen furniture

A bench in the kitchen served as a work table during the day and as a sleeping place for kitchen maids at night.

What people wore

Men's evolving fashion in rural Sweden

In the mid-18th century, ordinary men typically wore sturdy, grey woollen wadmal coats fastened with hooks instead of buttons, often lacking pockets. By the late 1700s, younger men increasingly adopted fashionable blue coats adorned with silver-plated buttons, velvet-ribboned hats, and silk accessories.

Music

Traveling musicians performed at manor house festivities

At manor house festivities, musicians often traveled 30 to 60 kilometers from cities to play for dancing, staying overnight at the estate.

At the table

Stretching Flour with Bark and Chaff

Due to frequent grain shortages, people often mixed bark or chaff into their bread flour to make their supplies last longer. This practice was particularly common toward the end of spring when traditional grain reserves began to run out.