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Philippe-Auguste de Sainte-Foy

Paris, 20 Jul 1721 – Paris, 5 Feb 1795

6 facts1 source

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 20 Jul 1721

    Born in Paris

  2. 5 Feb 1795

    Dies in Paris, aged 73

During his lifetime

He lived through 8 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Paris.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1720s · Philippe-Auguste is born in Paris

In the news1720–1721

The Great Plague of Marseilles

The Great Plague of Marseilles, the last major plague epidemic in France, devastated the region between 1720 and 1721.

Getting around

Regulated river transport fares

For river travel, fares were strictly regulated and often posted on metal plates attached to the masts of the boats to prevent overcharging.

At the table

Daily bread rations for a family

A weaver's family in Rouen consumed a daily bread ration of 1,222 grams for the husband, 983 grams for the wife, and 659 grams per child.

The Great Northern War. Russia, Denmark and Saxony fought Sweden for the Baltic; Peter the Great won and built St Petersburg on the conquered coast.In Europe · 1700–1721

The Great Northern War. Russia, Denmark and Saxony fought Sweden for the Baltic; Peter the Great won and built St Petersburg on the conquered coast.

Imonoz · CC BY-SA 4.0

What people wore

Hoops Worn by Servants

While hoop petticoats were iconic for the elite, even some working-class servant women wore them when going to market by 1729.

Music

Teaching Dance via Written Notation

Dance masters used specialized choreographic notation created by Raoul Auger Feuillet to distribute and teach new dance steps between Paris and the provinces. By 1721, collections contained dozens of dances composed by masters like Pécour and Balon for the French court.

Daily life

Daily struggles for light and water

Domestic lighting relied on oil lamps, tallow candles, or wax candles, which were expensive and labor-intensive to manage. Families often had to fetch water manually from communal fountains, as running water in homes was not available.