Prince Charles, Duke of Penthièvre

Work

Parisian water carrier's daily work

Water carriers in Paris typically transported water using two 20-liter buckets suspended from a wooden beam on their shoulders, earning 0f10 per standard delivery.

What people wore

Working men adopted trousers for freedom

Working-class men transitioned from traditional knee breeches to loose-fitting trousers, known as pantalon, to allow for greater freedom of movement during manual labor. This style, paired with a short jacket called a carmagnole and wooden clogs (sabots), became a symbolic badge of revolutionary identity.

Getting around

Travel durations and costs in France

A journey from Paris to Rouen by carriage took 18 hours, while traveling to Barèges required 11 days. During the era of stagecoaches, a dinner at a good inn typically cost two francs.

News and letters

Circuitous postal routes caused delays

A deputy complained in 1829 that letters sent between towns in the same district sometimes traveled long, circuitous routes instead of direct ones, making them as slow as international mail.

Music

Violin music at village festivals

The violin was a vital instrument for rural dances and village festivals, though local authorities sometimes tried to ban its use due to the disorder caused at these gatherings.

Daily life

Schooling in domestic spaces

While a royal ordinance in 1816 mandated that every commune maintain a school with free education for the poor, implementation was difficult and many children received instruction in settings that doubled as the teacher's living quarters, kitchen, or even bedroom. Teachers often managed their domestic chores, such as cooking at the fireplace, simultaneously while trying to instruct pupils in the same room.