Prince Frederik of the Netherlands

Daily life

Living in a single room

Many ordinary households relied on a single room for cooking, eating, sleeping, and working, with beds often tucked into wall cupboards to save space. Fuel for cooking and heating was expensive, so families sometimes cooked multiple meals at once to economize.

At the table

Potatoes as the working class staple

Potatoes became the primary food staple for the working class, often eaten at least twice a day with vinegar or mustard instead of fat.

What people wore

The multi-purpose apron

An apron, known as a 'schölk', was a versatile daily tool used not only to protect clothes but also to carry eggs, fruit, or harvest, wipe tables, and even dry children's tears. Women would roll up the bottom edge to create a convenient pouch for these everyday tasks.

Getting around

Costs and innovations in water transport

A skilled craftsman, earning about one guilder per day, could travel at most 20 kilometers by barge for his daily wage. Some faster barges, known as 'flying boats' or 'iron barges', were introduced in the 1820s and 1840s to compete with road transport.

What it cost

Worker wages around 1850

Around 1850, a laborer earned an average of 1 guilder per day, though rural wages were often lower, with some rural laborers earning only about 2 guilders a week.