Archduchess Maria Carolina of Austria

What people wore

Personal cleanliness through body linen

In 18th-century Vienna, ordinary men typically owned between six and ten shirts, while women owned between seven and eleven shifts, which were essential for maintaining hygiene and a respectable appearance.

Getting around

Slow boat transport on the Inn River

In 1745, a boat trip on the Inn River between Kufstein and Hall took eight days, requiring 50 to 60 horses for towing.

At the table

Beverages of the ordinary people

While the wealthy enjoyed wine, poorer women in Vienna often drank water mixed with vinegar to cool themselves during hot summers. By the 1730s, beer consumption was rising, and Viennese residents drank about three times as much wine as beer, though beer was increasingly becoming a staple drink.

Music

Violins replaced bagpipes in rural dances

Following the 17th century, the violin replaced the bagpipe and hurdy-gurdy as the primary instrument for village dance music in the region, influenced by courtly examples.

Daily life

Crowded homes and shared urban infrastructure

Most residents lived in rented rooms or shared apartments where cooking, sewing, child care, and sleeping often occurred in the same few rooms. Homes relied on tiled stoves for heat and fuel, and daily movement was shaped by access to neighborhood wells and fountains.

What it cost

Vienna wages and meat prices 1749

By 1749, the daily wage for a worker in Vienna remained 15 Kreuzer, but the price of beef had risen to 8.93 Kreuzer per kilogram.