Roger de Dampierre

Getting around

Walking was a common mode of travel

Ordinary people frequently traveled long distances on foot, with a common unit of measurement being the league, which roughly corresponded to one hour of walking.

At the table

The Ordinary Worker Lunch: Ordinaire

A typical working-class lunch, known as an ordinaire, consisted of boiled beef, broth, vegetables, cheese, bread, and wine for about one franc. Many workers saved money by eating only the broth and vegetables at lunch and taking the beef home for dinner.

What people wore

Alsatian folk dress used on political parades

In Alsace, traditional Tracht was tied to religious occasions like weddings and first communions, but it later became common at political rallies; when Kaiser Wilhelm II visited Strasbourg in 1877, women were greeted in Tracht. The text also describes how the costume’s symbolism shifted with politics over the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Music

Rural brass bands were popular musical associations

In the late 19th century, rural French brass bands often consisted of about 25 members, with many musicians starting as young as 8 or 9 years old.

Daily life

Mandatory primary education reform

Following the Ferry laws of the 1880s, primary education became free, compulsory, and secular for children aged 7 to 13.