Sophia Magdalena of Denmark

At the table

Clarifying coffee with fish skin

Coffee was boiled in copper kettles and sometimes clarified with a piece of dried flounder skin, as coffee filters did not exist.

What people wore

Men's hat styles changed

Men switched from tall conical hats to low, broad-brimmed black felt hats during the 1700s.

Getting around

Slow travel and exhausted horses

Traveling by carriage was slow due to poor road conditions, and horses used for relays were often exhausted animals taken directly from farm work. Travelers frequently had to endure long journeys, such as the 6 to 7 days it took the mail coach to travel from Copenhagen to Hamburg.

What it cost

Rising cost of rye relative to wages

Between 1770 and 1784, the price of rye was 31 percent higher relative to the wages of day-workers compared to the period of 1735 to 1744.

Music

Minuet Popularity Among Ordinary People

In the 1740s, peasants danced the minuet at fine occasions, and authorities even caught guests dancing it at a suburban Copenhagen inn in 1736.

Daily life

Long school days and restricted access

Formal schooling for boys in Danish towns involved long days, typically running from 6:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., except on Wednesdays when it ended at 8:00 a.m. Girls were generally barred from these schools, though some were taught by female teachers who were restricted to instructing girls regardless of age.