Eric de Dampierre

What people wore

The decline of the worker's blouse

By the early 1900s, the traditional working man's blouse had largely disappeared in Paris, replaced by disparate outfits of jackets, vests, and trousers worn with caps. Workers often saved their best suits for Sundays and holidays, featuring accessories like bowler hats, cravats, and patent leather shoes.

Getting around

Train vendors moved between carriages via footboards

Traveling by train was often an adventure, with vendors known as swallows selling goods like perfume and cognac while moving between compartments via exterior footboards.

At the table

Tax-free home distillation privileges

Between 1875 and 1914, French peasants had a legal privilege to distill part of their own wine, cider, or fruit harvest into spirits without paying any taxes or needing declarations.

Music

Children Singing in Wartime Shelters

During wartime, children in a shelter spontaneously sang together to overcome fear, with over 300 voices joining in songs like Au Clair de la lune. These songs were part of a shared national repertoire learned in families and schools.

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.

What it cost

Rising Bread Prices 1910–1925

The price of a kilogram of bread in Paris rose from 0.39 francs in 1910 to 1.58 francs by 1925.