Princess Henriette Dorothea of Oettingen-Oettingen

What people wore

Eleven caps for one woman

In Scheessel, a woman possessed about eleven different caps for various occasions, with five reserved exclusively for mourning. These caps were stored in colorful painted hatboxes.

Daily life

Difficult and contaminated water access

Getting drinkable water was labor-intensive, often involving fetching it from ditches or rivers that were also used for sewage disposal. Nearby wells were frequently contaminated by sewage as well.

News and letters

Chaotic cargo on post wagons

Post wagons often carried a chaotic mix of goods, including barrels, crates, and even unpackaged game like deer or pigs.

Music

Church and celebrations used town pipers

In early modern German towns, town pipers’ wind instruments were used at church services and also for special occasions such as weddings or house concerts.

At the table

Avoiding Contaminated Water

Water was rarely drunk, as people relied on beer or watered-down vinegar for safer hydration. Often, drinking water was avoided entirely due to the high risk of contamination from nearby cesspools.

Getting around

Travel speeds for foot passengers

Most travelers were foot passengers who could expect to cover about 100 kilometers in a week, accounting for rest days and potential travel obstacles like bad weather or floods.

Work

Common Jobs in Rural Villages

Most common occupations were in agriculture, including fullholders, smallholders, and landless laborers like cottars (Seldner) and day laborers who often combined farming with small-scale craft or wage work. Female labor was essential and included tasks like spinning, sewing, agricultural labor, and working as live-in maidservants.