Desideria Lequio di Assaba

What people wore

Longevity of everyday clothes

Clothes were worn longer than today; it was standard practice to wear patched garments to keep them clean and intact.

Getting around

Cars became mass transport in mid-century Switzerland

In the 1950s and 1960s, the automobile became a mass transport mode, significantly expanding the travel radius of ordinary people compared to the mid-century period when most needs were met locally.

What it cost

Unskilled worker wages in 1961

By 1961, the average hourly earnings for an unskilled worker in Switzerland had risen to 3.53 francs. During this period, food expenditure accounted for 29 percent of total spending in worker families.

Music

Instruments used in the home

People played diverse traditional instruments at home, such as the Toggenburg house organ, hackbrett (hammered dulcimer), violin, accordion, and halszither (a type of cittern).

At the table

Shift in Milk Consumption

Between 1950 and 1960, Switzerland shifted from raw milk consumption toward specialized products like yogurt, cream, and pasteurized milk.

Work

The factory women known as Eleveners

Women in watch factories were nicknamed the Eleveners because they left work at 11 am to rush home, shop, and cook a fresh meal for their families by noon.