Infanta Maria Francisca of Portugal

Music

Nuns as skilled musicians

Nuns in monasteries were skilled musicians who played instruments like the organ, harpsichord, and harp, and they sometimes commissioned and performed complex concertato music.

Daily life

Typical urban housing and layout

Urban houses often had a functional layout where the kitchen was placed on the top floor, partly for safety against fire, while ground floors were used for shops or workshops. Living quarters were often cramped, with high buildings blocking sunlight and providing poor insulation against the weather.

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.