Berthe de Rohan

What people wore

Hay-stuffed skirt enhancers

Women prioritized the number of their skirts, which were kept voluminous by a hay-stuffed pouch attached under their bodices.

Getting around

Shift from carriages to trains

Travel by carriage was often considered expensive, slow, and uncomfortable, while the railway offered a more accessible and faster alternative. Trips that previously required two days, such as Prague to Karlovy Vary, became possible in just 6 hours by train.

Music

Intimate musical performances

Beyond formal feasts, people enjoyed music in intimate settings, sometimes accompanied by just a single musician such as a hurdy-gurdy player or a blind harpist. Musicians were often paid not only in cash but also in food, drink, or grain.

Daily life

Homemade lighting and fire safety precautions

In the 19th century, the cheapest source of light was a simple wooden piece known as a torchlight, which burned for about ten minutes and had to be constantly replaced. To prevent fire in wooden homes, children kept the light over a vessel filled with water so the burning end would drop safely into it.