Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria

What people wore

Personal cleanliness through body linen

In 18th-century Vienna, ordinary men typically owned between six and ten shirts, while women owned between seven and eleven shifts, which were essential for maintaining hygiene and a respectable appearance.

Daily life

Separate kitchens and private livestock in households

Wealthy merchant households like the Spänglers in Salzburg maintained separate "common" and "good" kitchens to distinguish between daily cooking and the storage of expensive, prestigious tableware. They even kept chickens in their own courtyard to supplement food supplies bought at the city markets.

News and letters

Travel time between Vienna and Brussels

In the 18th century, a messenger typically needed slightly less than a week to travel the 1100 kilometers between Vienna and Brussels, though poor weather often delayed this to two weeks or more.

Music

Masquerade balls were a social highlight

During the carnival season, masquerade balls were highly popular, with noble guests often wearing costumes of lower social orders, such as cooks, servants, or exotic figures.

At the table

Beverages of the ordinary people

While the wealthy enjoyed wine, poorer women in Vienna often drank water mixed with vinegar to cool themselves during hot summers. By the 1730s, beer consumption was rising, and Viennese residents drank about three times as much wine as beer, though beer was increasingly becoming a staple drink.

Getting around

Massive imperial travel party of 1738

The imperial journey of Maria Theresa and Franz Stephan from Vienna to Florence in 1738–1739 took over a month, involving 453 people and up to 300 horses at individual stations.

Work

Long Working Days Following Sunlight

The working day followed the sun and church bells, often lasting from dawn until dark, though authorities attempted to enforce longer shifts and reduce the number of holidays. In extreme cases during this era, some workers were required to toil for up to sixteen hours a day.