João Francisco de Bragança

Music

Social Gatherings and Entertainment

Private social gatherings often featured music, dancing, and card games, with attendees enjoying tea, chocolate, and sweets. Orchestras or individual musicians were hired, and guests sometimes participated alongside professionals; dancing was so central that admission to events with balls could cost twice as much as those without.

Daily life

Value of household repairs versus food

A household once paid 2,400 réis for the repair of a water barrel, which was exactly the same amount spent to purchase two chickens in the same period.

What it cost

Bread prices and weights in the 1700s

When the price of wheat reached 40 réis per arrátel, the price of a loaf of bread was set at 10 réis. During times of scarcity, if the wheat price rose to 500 réis, the weight of the bread loaf was reduced to about 0.3 kg, known as pão de vintém.

What people wore

Fishermen kept gala outfits for generations

Fishermen wore simple linen breeches during work, but dressed in blue cloth suits for Sundays and kept their finest gala outfits for rare feast days. These precious gala sets were often passed down through generations, from parents to children and even grandchildren.

Getting around

Travel in luxury via mule-drawn litters

Wealthy individuals traveled between cities in litters, which were carriage-like boxes pulled by mules, at a cost of 80,000 to 90,000 réis for a journey between Lisbon and Porto.

At the table

Cod as a staple for the poor

Dried and salted cod, known as bacalhau, was a staple protein for ordinary people because it was affordable and easy to store.