Archduchess Ludovika Elisabeth of Austria

What people wore

Daily Versus Feast Day Clothing

For daily chores, workers wore simple garments like rough linen blouses, while on feast days they wore finer linen, often distinguished by the quality of the material.

Getting around

Mail coach travel discomfort

Travel by mail coach was uncomfortable, with passengers complaining of seats as hard as stone, and typically involved covering only about 37 kilometers per day.

At the table

Potatoes become a staple food

During the second half of the eighteenth century, the potato became a vital staple food for lower social classes in the Habsburg monarchy because it was cheap, easy to grow, and yielded more than cereals.

Music

Regional preferences for dance instruments

Towards the end of the 18th century, different instruments became favored for dance music depending on the setting, with harps and violins common in urban taverns, while zithers and hammered dulcimers were more typical in rural alpine regions.

Daily life

Lighting costs were a major household expense

Families relied on candles or oil lamps for light, with expensive beeswax candles providing a cleaner flame than cheaper, smoky tallow versions made from animal fat. Small lighting costs were so significant that they led to the common idiom that a task might not be worth the candle.

Work

Common Jobs and Combined Occupations

Common jobs included weaving, day-laboring on farms, and specialized manual trades like bricklaying, with many people juggling multiple roles such as blacksmith and trader.