Richard Flemyng St. Leger

What people wore

Peasant Footwear and Versatile Fur Coats

Peasants frequently wore bast shoes made from tree bark, but wealthier individuals wore leather boots for important occasions. In winter, both rich and poor favored sheepskin coats, which were often worn year-round and served multiple roles, including as bedding.

Getting around

Railways revolutionized long-distance travel speed

The railway between St. Petersburg and Moscow, opened in 1851, reduced travel time between the two cities from four days by carriage to 22 hours by train.

At the table

Staple foods of the Russian peasantry

The peasant diet relied heavily on cabbage soup (shchi), often made from fermented grey cabbage, along with rye bread, potatoes, and porridge. Meat was rare and typically reserved only for major religious holidays like Christmas and Easter.

Music

Improvised percussion for fast dances

During fast dances called pliaska, performers sometimes used improvised percussion instruments like wooden spoons, a metal pot, or even a scythe.

Daily life

Weekly Steam Baths and Water Access

The home had no plumbing or running water; families relied on pails of water and prioritized a weekly steam bath, often held in the stove itself or a dedicated bath-house. If a steam bath was unavailable, peasants would crawl into the heated oven to bathe.

What it cost

The rising cost of bread

As bread prices doubled to 3 kopecks per pound, a worker consuming three pounds daily faced an effective annual tax of 16 rubles just to cover the rising cost of bread.