Éléonore de Dampierre

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.

What it cost

A metalworker's budget in 1948

In 1948, a Parisian metalworker supporting a wife and three children earned about 16,400 francs per fortnight, often becoming an involuntary vegetarian because meat was so expensive.

What people wore

Simulating stockings and essential headwear

When stockings became impossible to obtain, women dyed their legs with walnut oil or specialized kits and drew a thin black line on the back of the calf to simulate a seam. Some even wore handmade floral hair nets or turbans, as hats were essential for going out in public.

Music

Clandestine dances during the war

From 1940 to 1945, all collective dancing was officially prohibited by the Vichy regime, forcing youth to hold clandestine balls in barns, fields, and even stables. Despite the ban, these gatherings remained popular for dancing the waltz, rumba, tango, and march.

Daily life

Traditional food preservation methods

To keep food fresh in homes without modern appliances, families used "garde-manger," which were ventilated cupboards or fine-mesh cages suspended in cool rooms, cellars, or kitchens. Meat was sometimes preserved by covering it in oil or searing it in a pan.