Kerstin Bernadotte

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

Everyday meals of poor Swedish families

For poor families, a common, inexpensive mid-day meal consisted of a large dish of boiled potatoes, often supplemented with salt herring bought from a local merchant. To save money, bread was baked at home and hung on a pole to dry, as families were discouraged from eating fresh bread.

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

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.