Prince Charles, Duke of Penthièvre

Work

Daily wages in the 1830s

Common male laborers in Lille earned around 30 sous per day, while women often earned between 12 and 40 sous depending on their skill level.

What people wore

Formal dress for life events

For church services, weddings, and funerals, ordinary people wore their best clothes, with women covering their heads and both sexes wearing formal black attire for mourning.

Getting around

Slow and expensive travel across France

Between 1800 and 1824, land travel was slow and expensive; a journey across France could take 20 to 30 days on foot or by slow carriage. Transporting a ton of goods from Paris to Marseille cost around 250 francs, roughly the annual wage of an unskilled laborer.

News and letters

Fast messaging via optical telegraph

The optical telegraph used relay stations 14 miles apart to transmit messages, taking 90 minutes from Paris to Strasbourg and three hours to Toulon.

Music

Parisian singing societies and long gatherings

In Paris, goguettes—popular singing societies—were central to daily life, with approximately twenty songs typically sung during meetings that lasted four to five hours.

Daily life

The daily struggle for water

Because water was not piped into most homes, families relied on water carriers to bring it from rivers or public fountains, or they had to fetch it themselves from wells. Drinking water was often not potable, so people frequently filtered rainwater or bought bottled mineral water if they were wealthy.