Sophie of Merenberg

What people wore

Infrequent Laundry and Linen Dowries

Laundry was such a difficult, infrequent task that it was often performed only twice a year, leading many Swiss to invest in large dowries of shirts to last a lifetime.

Getting around

Postal coach travel times reduction

In 1850, a postal stagecoach journey between Bern and Schwarzenburg took three hours, a time reduced to two hours and ten minutes by 1888.

At the table

Pre-work alcohol consumption for 20 centimes

Alcohol consumption was prevalent, as industrial workers were known to visit taverns early in the morning before work for a hit of liquor costing 20 centimes.

Music

Small village dance bands in the 1800s

In the mid-to-late 19th century, small bands of 5 to 6 musicians often performed for dances using instruments like clarinets, violins, trumpets, cornets, horns, trombones, and double basses. Musicians sometimes carried their instruments on foot between villages to play at festivals and carnival days.

Daily life

Cooking over an open fire

Cooking often took place over an open fire, which filled small, cramped kitchens with smoke because there was no chimney. Families frequently prepared polenta and used dried chestnuts as a staple food during winter months.

What it cost

Meat prices for consumers

A pound of cow meat cost 35 rappen, while at the butcher, beef or mutton cost 44 centimes per pound.