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What people wore

Tar used to protect bare feet

Some men used tar on the soles of their feet at the start of summer, allowing them to walk barefoot across rough terrain like stones and pine needles after the tar dried.

Getting around

High Cost of Rural Carriage Travel

Travelers needing hired horses and carriages for a round trip between Slätt and Sundsvall in the 1920s paid 31.36 kronor, which was a significant cost given a carpenter earned about 5 kronor per day. Pre-booking horses weeks in advance was often required for these rural journeys.

At the table

The seven-cookie coffee ritual

Hosting guests often involved a coffee ritual where it was customary to serve seven different types of homemade cookies or cakes. This social practice served as an important community ritual and a marker of status.

Music

Folk music performances at Skansen museum

At Skansen, an open-air museum opened in 1891, people could hear live performances of traditional Swedish instruments like the fiddle, nyckelharpa, and herdsman’s horn in a simulated peasant environment.

Daily life

Difficult school journeys for children

Children walking to school could face routes up to 5 km long, sometimes requiring them to carve paths through snow, and many were needed at home for chores.

What it cost

Swedish worker income and purchasing power 1925–1929

In 1925, an industrial worker in Sweden earned an annual income ranging from 2,050 to 2,375 kronor in some sectors, while those in protected domestic industries could earn up to 3,895 kronor. By 1929, the purchasing power of an industrial worker's annual income had risen 30 to 40 percent compared to pre-war levels.