75 Interesting Vintage Photographs That Capture Everyday Life in Sweden From the Early 20th Century

At the beginning of the 20th century, people were still moving from the countryside to the cities. The number of farmers grew smaller as the number of factory workers grew. More people wanted the right to vote in elections.

In 1907, all men over the age of 24 were given the right to vote. Only in 1919 did the Riksdag extend that right to women as well as men. At the end of the 19th century, workers joined together to form trade unions in order to try to improve conditions for workers and increase their wages. Sometimes they were successful. To protest against unfair working conditions, workers sometimes went on strike, refusing to work. In 1909 there was a general strike in which 300,000 workers stopped working. This was a significant event for the development of labour laws and democracy.

These interesting vintage photographs below were taken by Oskar Jarén, they show daily life in Sweden from between the 1910s and 1920s.

Little girl and three owls, 1925.

Three little girls with their cats.

Four men playing cards, ca. 1920s.

Grandmother sitting in front of her cottage.

Fetching water in the source, 1912.

Little girl in the cherry tree, 1912.

Two men with an accordion.

Two women and a girl in front their cottage in Sjöstugan, 1912.

The siblings Carola and Henning Aurell photographed at his home in Frinnaryds, 1913.

Gunnar Fransson and Alva. The two were not siblings or spouses.

Ulla Göransson churning butter in the old way, ca 1920.

Elin Larsson in the swing, 1914.

Carl Nöjd, cyclist, 1914.

Maja Fransson on the fence.

Group portrait, Nobynäs, ca. 1920s.

Carpenter, Frinnaryds station, 1913

Frinnaryds Nedby, 1912.

Man with spade.

Kerstin and her dog, ca. 1928.

Market visitors waiting for the train to Tranas. Frinnaryds station, 1913

Rails thread

Stone crusher in Stjärneborg, 1914.

Gardener in corn country, Stjärneborg, 1914.

Laundry in Klockare farm pasture in Frinnaryds village.

Southbound train at the newly built station house in Stjärneborg, 1914.

Rakelt, really Peraklet, was a cottage in Vrångsjö manor in Marbäck parish. Lay next to old highway Tranas - Eksjö visible in the foreground, 1913.

Solhem cafe and bakery in Frinnaryd in the 1920s.

Three ladies and a gentleman.

Four ladies in green grass from one of the manor houses of Vrångsjö or Hästeryd, ca. 1912.

Ellen and Ella Lisa, 1926.

Stone and Signe in 1926. Another sweet couple photographed by Oskar Jaren in natural surroundings. Stone Bergqvist (b. 1907) and Signe Smith (b. 1908) who married each other in 1927.

Gustavsson group in Stjerneborg, 1926.

The young ladies are Carol Aurell, Maja Andersson and Klara Torsson, the latter teacher at Frinnaryds church school, 1915.

Hanna Sund in 1914. She was one of Oskar Jaren favorite models.

Rowing on the river in Svartån, 1912.

The girl in the beautiful Sweden suit is not certain identified yet. But the photo was taken outside the State Building in Hästeryd, Frinnaryd 1915.

Saw horses and farmhand in 1913. This image from a temporary sawmill is probably from Fisherman home / Reverse during Frinnaryds vicarage. Oskar Jaren has namely taken several pictures from around the same time.

Lekströms, 1912. Potter Oskar Lekström with his wife and son.

Rakelt, Vrångsjö 1913. Rakelt or Peraklet was a cottage in Vrångsjö manor in Marbäck. The picture shows torparparet Gustav Engdahl (b. 1850) and Augusta Engdahl (b. 1848) and their daughter Esther Engdahl (b. 1888) and her daughter Marta Linnea Ingegerd (b. 1913).

 Gravel groove in Frinnaryd. The picture is taken at double the building on East Main Line in 1920 - 22. 

The elementary school, lower section in 1926.

The motives of Lake Ralången with Stjärne Castle in the background. The children in the foreground is probably the family Söderholm.

Frinnaryd station in 1913.

A family in Söderholms, 1926.

Organized group at the home of freeholder Frans Viktor Johansson stocka Bäcks Mellangård in Linderås, 1913.

Children in Frinnaryd.

Two in front and two behind the junipers. The women in the background is Carola Aurell and Maria Andersson. The young man on the left is called Henning Aurell and is the brother of Carol Aurell. The man on the right is not yet identified.

Three girls in the forest.

Two men on stone. To the left of the stone is Charles Smith (b. 1892), who was a profession painter and well known in Frinnaryd. The man on the right is not yet identified.

People in the image is Maria Andersson, Carola Aurell and Henning Aurell (right). The fourth of the cloverleaf yet unknown. Around 1915.

Woman with violin.

Klara Thorsson and Carola Aurell (school teacher) outside the school in Frinnaryd.

Two men on the tree.

Group portrait.

Fancy hats! Here Oskar Jarén using the self-timer / long exposure photographed himself (no. 3 from the left) along with the Gustafsson girls in the neighboring house, ca. 1920. These three girls were daughters of Karl Gustafsson in Karlsborg.

Woman with horse.

Goat standing on its hind legs.

Photo, from about 1915-20, was taken in the property Sanna Frinnaryds station community. There, Anders Johan Satisfaction (b. 1862, left in the photo) started a shoemaking around 1900. Pictured on the right is son Ernst Satisfaction (b. 1890), who was also a shoemaker.

Strengthening collar, 1915.

Photo from around 1925. Ebba Gustafsson (b. 1903) pats laundry and youngest sister Elin (b. 1918) stands next to it.

Skinnberedning at Frinnaryds tannery. In this photo from Frinnaryd tannery (started 1890), here are tanners KA Lundberg (1853 - 1935) and his son Eric (b. 1886).

The woman at the sewing machine is Emelie Castensson (born 1854), who married with a slipper-maker Johan Andersson. The couple lived here when the picture was taken in Vagnsvik, Frinnaryd.

Hilma Gustafsson heckle flax at the cabin end. She represents one of favorite environments. From there are many lovingly and painstakingly rendered images that describes key elements of the work on a farm like that a hundred years ago.

Two children outside the greenhouse.

Two men on the sofa.

Three happy women sitting on the grass.

Girl walking with her doll.

Kyrkvaktmästare August Käl and his wife from Liljeholmen

Woman sitting in the woods.

Family gathered on the bench.

The picture is taken in Härje City at Stjärneborg, Lommaryds parish, ca. 1915. The cottage was a so-called double cabin for two families.

Elegant young man - Painter, Karl Svensson, with the revolver.

Break on the grass. The woman on the left is the school teacher's daughter Carola Aurell.

In this photo, at the back of the sledge is Elin Larsson Tingersten (b. 1902) from Arla in Frinnaryd and her younger sister Svea (b. 1909). The girls were daughters of Crown hunters Larsson.

The potter's wheel Erik Söderholm (b. 1884) in Söderholms pottery, Frinnaryd, 1915.

(Photos by Oskar Jarén, via JÖNKÖPINGS LÄNS MUSEUM)