Georg August zu Erbach-Schönberg

What people wore

Black was the color of the wealthy class

Around 1700, black clothing became the standard for noble and higher social classes in Swiss cities because black fabrics were the most expensive and precious materials available at the time.

Daily life

Wooden spoon customs

Families ate with individual wooden spoons that were licked clean after lunch and stored in a small wall drawer, similar to modern toothbrush storage. The idiom handing off one's spoon originates from this custom of passing on one's spoon after death.

Work

Tauner and Smallholding Peasants

Tauner were smallholding peasants who relied on manual labor, such as using a hoe, as they often lacked draft animals. To survive, they supplemented their meager farm income with textile home work or by working as day laborers.

Music

Swiss soldiers played the fife

The fife, a high-pitched wind instrument, was commonly played by Swiss soldiers alongside drums for military duties and ceremonies.

At the table

Wine and beer were daily staples

In 17th-century Switzerland, wine and beer were staples because water was often considered unsafe to drink, leading to their consumption at every meal in cities.

Getting around

Three-day journey from Altdorf to Milan

In 1697, the courier service operated by Bernese entrepreneur Beat Fischer von Reichenbach required three days to travel between Altdorf and Milan.

What it cost

Worker wages in late 17th-century Zurich

Between 1681 and 1690, a master carpenter earned 17 shillings per day, while a mason's assistant earned 13 shillings and 6 pence per day.