Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz

What people wore

Painted Stocking Seams

Women who could not afford real stockings sometimes painted a line down the back of their legs with eyeliner to simulate a seam.

Getting around

Continuous London-Paris rail ferry service

Launched in 1936, the Night Ferry allowed passengers to travel between London and Paris by train without changing, as the rail cars were loaded onto a ferry boat to cross the English Channel.

At the table

Desperate sources of protein

Food shortages were so severe that some people resorted to eating animals like cats, donkeys, or dogs, which were passed off as rabbit or lamb.

Music

Instruments for dancing in France

People danced to the accordion, bagpipes, and the vielle, a traditional string instrument played by turning a wheel. Between the wars, the accordion became the dominant instrument for popular dances across France.

Daily life

School children's labor and chores

School children performed manual labor for the war effort, such as going to potato fields every Thursday to remove Colorado beetles from the plants. Students also helped clean the local school swimming pool by scrubbing the walls and floor barefoot with brushes.

What it cost

Cooking oil prices in 1938

In 1938, a liter of cooking oil with an official price of 3 pesetas could reach 100 pesetas on the black market.