Albert, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein

What people wore

Steel Crinolines Reduced Skirt Weight

The steel-framed cage crinoline, introduced in 1856, allowed women to achieve voluminous skirt shapes without the heavy burden of multiple petticoats.

Getting around

Walking as primary travel mode

Walking was the most common way to travel short distances, with people typically covering about 3 miles per hour, though rarely exceeding 20 miles in a single day.

At the table

Affordable staple foods for families

Onions were a common, affordable staple, often costing about a halfpenny for a bunch of at least a dozen. Watercress was also a popular, cheap working-class staple available for a halfpenny for four bunches.

Music

Street Performers and Murder Ballads

Street musicians often survived by singing sensational ballads about local murders, such as the killing of Jael Denny in Essex. A popular sentimental song like Bayley's Isle of Beauty could be performed to earn a quick meal from passersby.

Daily life

Winter Bed Warming and Iced Windows

With no central heating, families used warming pans filled with hot coals to heat beds during winter. It was not uncommon for ice to form on the inside of window panes on cold mornings.

What it cost

Victorian Costs of Everyday Items

A pair of workingman's boots cost one pound, while a ton of coal or three umbrellas were priced at the same amount. For comparison, a pound of soap cost four pence, and a pint of beer cost three pence.