Rudolf Franz Erzherzog von Österreich

What people wore

Infant Swaddling and Dress

Infants were kept in a swaddling pillow for several months to ensure they would grow straight, a practice that prevented them from moving or kicking. As young children, boys were dressed in the same types of garments as girls.

Daily life

Open hearth cooking and no bathrooms

Cooking was done exclusively on an open hearth or fireplace, as kitchen stoves were not yet invented. Families lived without bathrooms, using the stable or the outdoors instead.

Work

Long hours and annual contracts

Working days often lasted up to 16 hours, with servants having few free days and living in poorly heated conditions, such as stables. A major annual cycle for servants ended and began on February 2nd, the feast of Candlemas (Mariä Lichtmess), which was the traditional day for changing employers.

Music

A musician's typical annual work schedule

A local musician named Stelzl kept a ledger showing he was hired to play for dances an average of 14 times per year.

At the table

Staple foods of the poor

For the poor, the diet consisted largely of flour-based foods, pulses, and vegetables, with potatoes becoming an increasingly important staple food. Meat was a luxury for common people, typically consumed only on Sundays and holidays.

Getting around

Slow post coach travel between towns

Travel by post coach was slow, with a journey from Linz to Steyr taking ten hours in 1829 for a distance of about 90 kilometers. Passengers paid one gulden and twelve kreuzers for the trip.

What it cost

Extreme food price volatility

Food prices in the Austrian Empire were highly volatile during this period, particularly around 1811 when a bushel of wheat cost 60 florins, compared to just 4 florins in 1812 and 1824. Such sharp fluctuations made it difficult for ordinary people to maintain a stable supply of basic grains like wheat and corn.