Astrid of Sweden

Getting around

Slow Steamboats and Public Distrust

Steamboats like the Egil were surprisingly slow for towing timber, averaging only two knots, meaning a trip could take up to 30 days. People often distrusted wood-fired steamboats, fearing they would catch fire or scare away fish.

At the table

Affordable meat and staple snacks

Knackwurst sausages were a treat for some workers, available at markets for 25 öre for three. While meat was often scarce, other items like crispbread were staples across all social classes.

What people wore

Walking barefoot to preserve shoes

To save their shoes, people often walked barefoot from spring until late autumn, carrying their shoes and putting them on only when nearing the church.

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

Daily household costs and diet

Kerosene for lighting could cost up to 10 öre per day for those doing sewing work, and children often relied on crusts of bread softened in coffee for breakfast.