Prince Christian of Denmark

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

Drinking water deemed unsafe to consume

Drinking water was often considered unsafe, leading many to avoid it in favor of other drinks, or to boil it slowly if no alternative was available.

Work

Common occupations in late 17th-century Denmark

Common jobs included day laborers who performed manual tasks like digging ditches and farm work, alongside craftsmen such as carpenters and stonemasons. Women commonly worked as washerwomen, domestic servants, and milkmaids, while children were often employed as servants or milkmaids.

Music

Popular tavern games

At home and in taverns, people enjoyed playing card games like lanter, l'hombre, and skervensel, using tokens and coins as currency for bets.

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

Slow travel on primitive roads

Travel was slow due to poor road conditions, with wagons typically moving at a speed of about 4 kilometers per hour. A full day's journey on these primitive dirt roads generally spanned approximately 33 kilometers, equivalent to 4 Danish miles of the time.

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.