Meet Malene

Meet Malene
At 14 years old, Malene Larsdatter moves to Stavanger from Fister in Hjelmeland. Her upbringing has been secure and good on the farm where her parents and three siblings still live. The priest who confirms her in 1859 describes her as a girl with very good abilities and knowledge. Everything seems set for her to do well in life. However, life in Stavanger will not be so easy for Malene.

Like many other young people from Ryfylke and Jæren, Malene chooses to seek her fortune in Stavanger. Being a maid is the most common job for young girls, and Malene gets her first job in service with the sailmaker Christian Hendrecksen and his family at Vinkelgata 6 oin Storhaug. Here, a total of 12 people live.

Fifteen years later, Malene is admitted for the second time to the Asylum, one of the city's most feared institutions, where the poor, prostitutes, beggars, and sick are all crowded together. Malene belongs to the ward for the mentally ill.

According to her record, she is actually in working for a watchman. Although the record is sparse with information, it can be inferred that something of a sexual nature has occurred between Malene and the watchman. This is said to have triggered her problems.

According to the record, it is so-called "melancholic fits" (depression) that lead to her admission. Two months later, she is described as violent and unclean. After being admitted for three months, she hollers and screams so much that planks are nailed in front of her window.

Malene’s story is not unique. The records from the Asylum testify to several maids being admitted with apparent mental problems after having been involved with a man. They are troubled by religious contemplations and thoughts of guilt and shame. The authors of the records do not hide that they believe the admitted women are to blame for their miserable situations.

In the 1800s, society sees it as women's duty to uphold sexual morality. At the same time, upper-class men can have premarital sex with women from lower classes and with prostitutes.

Women who become pregnant outside of marriage face social sanctions and must wear a shame bonnet, a headgear that tells the world she has broken the norms of sexual conduct. Single mothers are on the fringes of society, and if they marry, they must wear bridal crowns made of straw, paper, or cloth hats, depending on local tradition. Some are well cared for by their families, while others, facing poverty and hunger, end up taking the lives of their newborns.