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Sophie de Vilmorin

1931–2009

Born
22 Jan 1931, 16th arrondissement of Paris
Country of birth
France
Died
4 Dec 2009, 15th arrondissement of Paris
facts
6
sources
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Facts and their sources

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A life in time

  1. Born · 16th arrondissement of Paris

    Birth, 16th arrondissement of Paris

  2. Died · 15th arrondissement of Paris

    Death, 15th arrondissement of Paris

What was it like?

The world around 16th arrondissement of Paris, 1931: 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.

Sophie was born the same year as Mikhail Gorbachev, James Dean, and Robert Duvall.

Born the same year

  • Mikhail Gorbachev

    leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 (1931–2022)

  • James Dean

    American actor (1931–1955)

  • Robert Duvall

    American actor and director (1931–2026)

  • Mário Zagallo

    Brazilian footballer (1931–2024)

  • Boris Yeltsin

    Soviet and Russian politician, 1st President of Russia (1931–2007)

  • Toni Morrison

    African American novelist, essayist, and academic (1931–2019)

Fashion
Around 1920–1924

Casual attire for French servants

In contrast to the rigid uniform requirements seen in Britain, French domestic servants in the 1920s often wore their own clothes covered by a simple apron. Many servants felt sartorially integrated into the crowd of ordinary female workers rather than distinguished by a specific house uniform.

Around 1940–1944

One pair of shoes every four years

Under strict rationing during the 1940s, a woman was entitled to only one pair of flat shoes that had to last four years. To cope with this, many turned to resourceful alternatives like making shoes with wooden soles.

Music

Instruments for dancing in France

People danced to the accordion, bagpipes, and the vielle, a traditional string instrument played by turning a wheel. Between the wars, the accordion became the dominant instrument for popular dances across France.

Traditional and modern dances

Traditional dances like the bourrée and rigadoon were passed down through generations, while new international styles like the tango, fox trot, and Charleston became widespread favorites during the interwar period. At family gatherings, elders often performed traditional dances while young people watched.

Getting around

Railcar improvements cut travel times

Between 1928 and 1939, modernized railcars reduced the journey between St Brieuc and Paimpol from 2 hours 50 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes.

Limited bus service frequencies

In the 1930s, bus services in French provinces were often sparse, frequently offering only one or two daily journeys in each direction.

Daily life
Around 1925–1928

Limited water access in Graulhet

Before 1928, the town of Graulhet could only provide three liters of water per day for each inhabitant. Households often relied on public fountains and carried water home in buckets or enameled jugs.

Traditional food preservation methods

To keep food fresh in homes without modern appliances, families used "garde-manger," which were ventilated cupboards or fine-mesh cages suspended in cool rooms, cellars, or kitchens. Meat was sometimes preserved by covering it in oil or searing it in a pan.

Prices and wages
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
Around 1930–1930

Immigrant labor in French mines

By 1930, immigrants made up 42 percent of the labor force in the French mining industry.

The grueling life of baker apprentices

Apprentice bakers in the 1930s often lived and slept in the bakery, starting work as early as midnight or 2:00 A.M. and working up to 15 hours a day.

News and letters
Around 1940–1943

Smuggling letters during occupation

During the occupation, sympathetic post office staff enabled about 100 letters a month to be smuggled from occupied France to London via the Vichy zone.

Around 1900–1924

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. 1944

    Women gain voting rights in 1944

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

  2. 1950

    Creation of the minimum wage

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

  3. 1956

    Third week of paid vacation

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

  4. 1967

    Legalization of the contraceptive pill

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

  5. 1975

    Legalization of abortion

    The 1975 Veil Law legalized abortion in France under specific circumstances, marking a major shift in women's rights.

  6. 1982

    Reduction of work week to 39 hours

    In 1982, the work week was reduced to 39 hours and employees received a fifth week of paid vacation.

Family

Parents

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.