Aleksandra Karlovna Shernval

What people wore

Peasant dress in Torres Vedras

Peasants in Torres Vedras typically wore jackets thrown over the shoulder, red waistcoats, and short blue breeches with loose drawers reaching the calf. Both sexes often went barefoot, though brown tanned boots were sometimes used.

Getting around

Seven days from Oporto to Lisbon

In the early 19th century, traveling from Oporto to Lisbon—a distance of 52 leagues—by mule-drawn litter took about seven days.

At the table

The staple diet of common people

Bread, wine, and sardines were the standard meal for common people, with poor families sometimes rubbing a single sardine against bread to give it flavor.

Music

The popular fandango dance

The fandango was a highly popular dance across all social classes, often performed by couples facing each other and playing castanets.

Daily life

Rural living and animal cohabitation

In rural homes, families sometimes lived in a single room where they slept and ate alongside their domestic animals.