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Princess Irina Pavlovna Paley

Paris, 21 Dec 1903 – Paris, 15 Nov 1990

9 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 21 Dec 1903

    Born in Paris

  2. 15 Nov 1990

    Dies in Paris, aged 86

Family

See the tree

Parents

Partner

During her lifetime

She lived through 10 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Paris.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1900s · Princess is born in Paris

In the news1900

Paris Metro opens in 1900

The first Paris metro line opened on July 14, 1900, allowing travel across the city in half an hour for 20 to 25 centimes.

Getting around

Dim train lighting required portable candles

Trains were so dimly lit that passengers wanting to read had to bring their own portable candlesticks.

At the table

Cheap and Fast Street Food

Fried potatoes were a popular and affordable street food, often described as a hunger stopper for workers on the go. Vendors also sold soup, with the seller providing the bowl to customers eating on the street.

The Model T. Ford’s assembly line made a car ordinary families could buy: fifteen million were built.Around the world · 1908–1927

The Model T. Ford’s assembly line made a car ordinary families could buy: fifteen million were built.

ModelTMitch · public domain

What people wore

Quimper workers kept festal clothes apart

In Quimper (Brittany), rural workers could keep their everyday work clothes separate from festival clothing, sometimes commissioned for weddings. This made clothing a visible marker of identity and social position.

Music

Instruments of the Paris Bal Musette

In the early 20th century, the cabrette, a small bagpipe, was the signature instrument of Parisian bal musette, but it was gradually joined or replaced by the accordion introduced by Italian immigrants.

Daily life

Lighting, water, and cooking at home

In 1900, many families still used oil lamps for lighting and drew water from communal pumps or wells, while city apartments often featured small charcoal furnaces for cooking at a low cost.