Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria

What people wore

Custom sunshade headscarves

To protect against the sun, women sometimes inserted a strip of paper or cardboard into their headscarves to make the front edge extend further forward.

Getting around

Slow post coach travel between towns

Travel by post coach was slow, with a journey from Linz to Steyr taking ten hours in 1829 for a distance of about 90 kilometers. Passengers paid one gulden and twelve kreuzers for the trip.

At the table

Meat Consumption Among Workers

Ordinary workers typically ate meat only twice a week, usually on Saturdays and Sundays.

Music

The eight-minute court waltz mandate

By imperial order, a waltz played at a court ball was required to last exactly eight minutes.

Daily life

Open hearth cooking and no bathrooms

Cooking was done exclusively on an open hearth or fireplace, as kitchen stoves were not yet invented. Families lived without bathrooms, using the stable or the outdoors instead.

What it cost

Shrinking portions for ordinary people

In the early 19th century, basic staples like bread and meat became significantly more expensive, and a visual representation of the era showed food portions shrinking drastically over time. In 100 years, the amount of bread one could buy for a fixed price halved, while the amount of beef fell to less than a quarter.