Anne Marie de Visscher

Getting around

The traditional horse-drawn barge

Known as the barge, a horse-drawn tow canal boat was a common and punctual way to travel between towns like Bruges and Ostend until the late 19th century.

At the table

Educating working-class diets

By the late 1880s, home economics education began emphasizing variety in menus and the visual appeal of dishes to reform working-class dietary habits.

What people wore

Changing sleeves for daily variety

At the end of the 19th century, bourgeois women changed their clothing multiple times a day, and chambermaids would sew or un-sew dress sleeves to vary their appearance throughout the day. This practice led to the expression c'est une autre paire de manches, meaning something quite different.

Music

Children sang carols on Christmas Eve

In some towns, poor children sang Flemish carols like "Blyden nacht" on Christmas Eve, hoping to be rewarded with bread, fruit, or nuts.

Daily life

Lighting and Heating in Belgian Homes

Homes were lit by candles, oil lamps, or gas lamps, as electricity was not generally available until the early 20th century. People relied on coal stoves for both cooking and warmth, often gathering around the fire for family life.