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Princess Isabelle d’Orléans

1900–1983

Born
27 Nov 1900, 8th arrondissement of Paris
Country of birth
France
Died
1983, Louveciennes
facts
12
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

A life in time

  1. Born · 8th arrondissement of Paris

    Birth, 8th arrondissement of Paris

  2. Died · Louveciennes

    Death, Louveciennes

What was it like?

The world around 8th arrondissement of Paris, 1900: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Princess was born the same year as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Jacques Prévert, and Luis Buñuel.

Born the same year

  • Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

    French writer and aviator (1900–1944)

  • Jacques Prévert

    French poet and screenwriter (1900-1977)

  • Luis Buñuel

    Spanish-Mexican filmmaker (1900–1983)

  • Spencer Tracy

    American actor (1900–1967)

  • Eyvind Johnson

    Swedish writer (1900–1976)

  • Teóphilo Bettencourt Pereira

    Brazilian footballer (1900-1988)

Fashion

Alsatian folk dress used on political parades

In Alsace, traditional Tracht was tied to religious occasions like weddings and first communions, but it later became common at political rallies; when Kaiser Wilhelm II visited Strasbourg in 1877, women were greeted in Tracht. The text also describes how the costume’s symbolism shifted with politics over the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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.

Music

Instruments of the Paris Bal Musette

In the early 20th century, the cabrette, a small bagpipe, was the signature instrument of Parisian bal musette, but it was gradually joined or replaced by the accordion introduced by Italian immigrants.

Around 1875–1899

Large regional music competitions drew thousands

Musical societies frequently performed at regional competitions, such as one in 1891 in Aurillac that brought together over 1,000 performers to parade and compete.

Getting around
Around 1891–1891

Steam trains replaced horse carriages

By 1891, a steam train began connecting Annemasse to the Giffre valley in three hours, replacing an old horse-drawn carriage that required seven hours to cover the same distance.

Dim train lighting required portable candles

Trains were so dimly lit that passengers wanting to read had to bring their own portable candlesticks.

Daily life
Around 1880–1899

Mandatory primary education reform

Following the Ferry laws of the 1880s, primary education became free, compulsory, and secular for children aged 7 to 13.

Compulsory schooling and literacy

By 1900, free and compulsory primary education created a new generation of literate children who often acted as cultural mediators for their illiterate parents and grandparents.

Food

Cheap and Fast Street Food

Fried potatoes were a popular and affordable street food, often described as a hunger stopper for workers on the go. Vendors also sold soup, with the seller providing the bowl to customers eating on the street.

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.

Prices and wages

Parisian Food Prices in 1900

In Paris in 1900, bread cost 38 centimes per kilogram, while beef was priced at 1.80 francs per kilogram and a liter of milk cost 30 centimes.

Around 1910–1925

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.

Work

Common Jobs in France, 1900–1924

Common jobs included industrial roles for men and women, such as mechanics, carpenters, and laborers, while the service sector featured many domestic workers, concierges, and shop assistants. Clothing and textile trades, including tailoring and dressmaking, were major employers for women.

Hazards and Wage Inequalities

Industrial dangers were severe; for example, workers handling lead or arsenic were warned to wash their hands before eating their lunch to avoid poisoning. Additionally, women often earned only half the wages of men, even when performing identical tasks.

News and letters
Around 1879–1899

Pneumatic tube mail delivery in Paris

In Paris, ordinary people could send messages via an underground pneumatic tube network using pre-stamped blue forms called petits bleus, which typically arrived in under an hour.

Parisian pneumatic mail system delivered in minutes

Paris residents could send urgent messages across the city in under an hour using a pneumatic tube system, known as 'petits bleus' for their blue color.

During their lifetime

  1. 1900

    Paris Metro opens in 1900

    The first Paris metro line opened on July 14, 1900, allowing travel across the city in half an hour for 20 to 25 centimes.

  2. 1921

    Public radio broadcasting starts in 1921

    Public radio broadcasting officially began in France in 1921, with regular programs transmitted from an antenna atop the Eiffel Tower.

  3. 1944

    Women gain voting rights in 1944

    In October 1944, a government ordinance finally granted women the right to vote in France.

  4. 1950

    Creation of the minimum wage

    In 1950, the government established the minimum wage (SMIG) to improve workers' purchasing power.

  5. 1956

    Third week of paid vacation

    In 1956, French workers were granted a third week of paid vacation, significantly increasing their leisure time.

  6. 1967

    Legalization of the contraceptive pill

    The 1967 Neuwirth Law legalized the contraceptive pill, allowing women greater control over family planning.

Family

Parents

Spouses

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.