Princess Januária, Countess of Aquila

What people wore

Everyday clothing for children and workers

Children often went completely naked in their early years, while enslaved women working in fields or as laborers frequently wore only a simple shirt. In some urban settings, young girls began wearing skirts around age 6 to 11, with differences in style reflecting social status.

Daily life

Simple and often dark colonial homes

Houses were typically dark, simple, and constructed from rammed earth, stone, or brick, with narrow layouts that limited airflow and natural light. To repel insects, some residents mixed cow dung with the clay used for walls.

Music

Common instruments in 19th-century homes

In the early 19th century, the viola and guitar were the most popular instruments for accompanying songs at home, while the piano only became more common in wealthy households from the 1830s onwards.

At the table

Dining on the floor

In many homes, especially outside the elite, families did not use tables; they sat on the floor around a mat, eating from bowls and gourds.

Getting around

Mule trains transported goods over months

Mule trains were the primary method for transporting goods between towns, with a trip between São Paulo and Vila Boa taking four months for the round trip.