This week’s post deals with a curious object found in the probate inventory of a Swedish minister: an electricity machine. To what uses might such a machine have been put?

In this week’s post, we highlight some of the names found in Swedish 19th century probate inventories. Through names, we can study families’ aspirations and interests, all the while getting inspiration for what we might name our own descendants.

Probate inventories can offer unexpected insights into how people organised and used the space within their homes. One member of the wealthy Piper family maintained a ”Ghost Room” in his castle – but what was kept there, and how might the room have been used?