Aleksandra von Leuchtenberg

What people wore

Everyday men's clothing and footwear

Ordinary men typically wore a skewed-collar shirt (kosovorotka) belted over trousers, with bast shoes (lapti) being standard everyday footwear.

Daily life

Lighting and window materials in peasant homes

Peasant huts were typically illuminated by a torch inserted into the crack of the stove or by simple wicks dipped in oil. Glass was expensive and often replaced by bull bladders in peasant homes, while wealthier villagers began using mica.

Work

Common jobs for Russian peasants

Many peasants worked as seasonal laborers, including 700,000 boatmen and longshoremen, 600,000 farmhands, 400,000 construction workers, and 400,000 cabmen. Others engaged in varied trades or factory work, often moving far from their native provinces for years to earn income.

Music

Village musicians and popular instruments

During festival gatherings, village musicians played instruments including the balalaika, violin, horn, and the dudka, a flute-like pipe used primarily by men.

At the table

Everyday Drinks of the Peasantry

Kvass, a drink made from rye flour and malt, was the most common everyday beverage for ordinary people. While tea culture was starting to spread, it remained a luxury for many rural families, who often only drank it during illness or on special occasions.

Getting around

Four-day coach journeys between capitals

Traveling between St. Petersburg and Moscow by stagecoach took four days of constant travel before the railway was completed.

What it cost

Daily food cost for a worker

In the mid-19th century, a worker's daily diet of 3 pounds of bread, a pound of meat, and simple porridge cost about 26.5 kopecks per day.