Caroline of Orange-Nassau

Princess Carolina of Orange-Nassau was a Dutch regent. She was the daughter of William IV, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, and Anne, Princess Royal. She was regent of the Netherlands from 1765 until 1766 during the minority of her brother, William V.

Hidden pockets for everyday essentials

Ordinary women wore a linen or cotton pocket, 15 by 30 cm, tied around the waist under their skirts, to hold essentials like money or a handkerchief. To access it, they used slits in their multiple petticoats.

Men's informal Japanese-inspired jackets

Men frequently wore a 'Japonse rok', an indoor jacket inspired by Japanese kimonos, even when going out to the bakery or the market.

Popular Songbooks for Urban Youth

During the mid-eighteenth century, songbooks such as Apollo's Kermesse-gift (1740) and Apollo's St. Nicholas-gift (1741) were popular among urban youth to celebrate annual feasts.

Amsterdam Dance Music Collections

Between 1700 and 1780, Amsterdam publishers released numerous collections of simple, often single-voiced instrumental dance music that were widely played by ear in taverns and dance halls.

Regulated Costs and Daily Travel Access

Costs were carefully regulated, with passengers on the Delft-Leiden route paying six stuivers per person, while specialized travelers like fish girls on the Maassluis route paid one stuiver per trip. These systems allowed for easy same-day return trips, which had previously been unreachable for those unable to afford a horse or private carriage.

Reliable Travel by Horse-Drawn Canal Barge

The primary mode of intercity travel was the horse-drawn canal barge, or trekschuit, which ran on a precise schedule and was praised for its comfort, reliability, and affordability. Passengers could travel between cities like Delft and Rotterdam in about one hour and 45 minutes, while the journey from Rotterdam to Amsterdam took 13 hours.

Child labor and schooling at twelve

Children left school at age twelve to work twelve-hour days in factories or workshops, often starting their mornings with rye bread and thin coffee. They typically earned a trifling wage, such as sixpence, which was handed over to their mothers on Saturday evenings.

Cupboard beds and brass warmers

In smaller homes, bedrooms were often built into the walls like cupboards that were closed during the day and accessed at night by a short step-ladder. Brass bed-warmers, polished to look like gold, were used to heat cold linen sheets in the winter.

Beer porridge for breakfast

Breakfast commonly included beer porridge, prepared by boiling beer with old bread, butter, and sugar.

Potatoes became a staple food

By the end of the eighteenth century, the potato had transitioned from being animal feed to becoming a staple food for ordinary households.

Cost of daily necessities

The price of a kilo of rye bread was 2 stuivers, while meat cost between 6 and 16 stuivers per pound depending on the quality. A simple pair of leather shoes cost between 5 and 10 guilders.

Prices of luxury or new items

Newer items like potatoes were initially expensive luxuries, costing between 10 stuivers and 1 guilder per pound, while coffee was priced at 2 to 3 guilders per pound.

Textile workers protest wage deductions

In 1747, textile workers called schrobbelaars protested after employers began deducting one guilder (1 gulden) per week from their pay as a mandatory workplace cleaning fee, regardless of hours worked.

Long and grueling daily working hours

Children and adults in urban industries often endured grueling twelve-hour workdays, starting as early as 5 or 6 a.m. and continuing until 7 p.m.