Rower woman

The Stockholm rower women are mentioned in text from the 15th century, and in 1638 they formed a special group within the Swedish ferrymen guild.

In the 1690s, a visiting Italian was impressed by the strength and great speed of the rower women in Stockholm.

In 1763, Carl Michael Bellman attracted attention when he came to conflict with one of the rower women and managed to win the argument.

Following Fabriks och Handtwerksordning in 1846, which abolished all guild privileges and allowed anyone to start business in any sector of society, a private company acquired a license in 1848 for ferry traffic in Stockholm with boats propelled by hand-operated paddle wheels instead of oars, worked by employed women from Dalarna, who were dressed in their local folk costumes and taught to be nice and courteous to their customers.

However, according to the Stockholm history author Per Anders Fogelström, the activity may very well have continued up to World War I.

Humorous drawing of rower women in Stockholm in their typical "weather hoods", preparing to battle the employed ladies from Dalarna and their fancy paddle-wheeled boats, published in 1855.