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Princess Elvira of Bourbon

Petit-Saconnex, 28 Jul 1871 – Paris, 9 Dec 1929

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

A life in time

  1. 28 Jul 1871

    Born in Petit-Saconnex

  2. 1900–1904

    3 children are born

  3. 9 Dec 1929

    Dies in Paris, aged 58

During her lifetime

She lived through 6 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Petit-Saconnex.

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

The 1870s · Princess is born in Petit-Saconnex

In the news1873

Gründerkrise economic crash began

In 1873, Germany experienced the Gründerkrise, a severe economic crisis that caused significant financial instability following a period of post-unification industrial boom.

Getting around

High cost of postal coach travel

In 1873, traveling by postal horse-drawn vehicle over Alpine passes was expensive, costing between 10 and 15 rappen per kilometer.

At the table

High food costs for working families

Working-class families spent 62 percent of their total budget on food, primarily on bread, coffee, or chicory substitutes.

Italy is unified. Garibaldi, Cavour and Victor Emmanuel joined the Italian states into one kingdom, with Rome its capital from 1871.In Europe · 1859–1871

Italy is unified. Garibaldi, Cavour and Victor Emmanuel joined the Italian states into one kingdom, with Rome its capital from 1871.

Baldassare Verazzi (1819-1886) · public domain

What people wore

Infrequent Laundry and Linen Dowries

Laundry was such a difficult, infrequent task that it was often performed only twice a year, leading many Swiss to invest in large dowries of shirts to last a lifetime.

Music

The Popular Home Zither

The zither was a popular instrument for home music-making across all social classes because it was inexpensive and relatively easy to learn to play.

Daily life

Water sourced from local wells

Most people obtained their water from local wells, as household water connections were not common until the final third of the 19th century. Centralized water supplies in larger cities like Bern and Zurich did not arrive until 1868.