Object in focus : comfort compromised? : the 'bachelor box' in Finland at the turn of the 20th century

Abstract

In Finnish periodicals of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, bachelors’ apartments were often described as cold, bleak, lonely, sad, small, dark and empty. Without a wife and a family, bachelors were essentially seen to be homeless. They were portrayed as lacking a home in terms of atmosphere and emotional meanings, but they were also seen to live without the more practical domestic comforts that were associated with a home such as meals or clean clothes. Here, I want to contrast these stereotypes with evidence from bachelors’ probates and personal writings in order to discuss the extent to which the domestic comforts of bachelors were indeed limited or compromised. I will examine the different kinds of strategies and practices bachelors employed to achieve different forms of domestic comfort, focusing specifically on a form of bachelor housing called the ‘bachelor box’. Domestic comfort functions as an analytical concept with which I refer to the fulfilling of domestic needs, such as eating, sleeping or cleanliness, as well as to feeling at ease and at home.