Agnes Le Louchier

Agnes-Françoise Le Louchier (1660-1717), was the royal mistress of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria from 1694 until 1717. She also served as the spy of Bavaria at the French court.

Men's everyday clothing in the 17th century

Men wore shirts, greges (breeches reaching to the knees), stockings, a doublet, a coat, and a hat. Villagers often wore the same clothes daily, while the more well-to-do changed for Sundays and feast days.

Women's daily and festive attire

Women were corseted and wore a chemise under a short skirt, often with an apron; their clothing was dominated by black, gray, and red colors. On feast days, they would wear a fine cloth dress.

Peasants dancing on the Sabbath

Despite church disapproval of Sabbath dancing, peasants frequently enjoyed dancing to the sound of a pipe and tabor on their day of rest.

Portable violin for dance lessons

Dancing masters used a pochette, a small boat-shaped violin, which could be easily carried in a pocket to provide home lessons.

Canal travel by horse-drawn barge

Horse-drawn barges on canals were a primary means of passenger transport in Flanders, moving between cities like Bruges and Ostend. Travelers often had to transfer between different boats at canal locks along the way.

Preparing for the dangers of travel

Because travel was grueling and often insecure, many people wrote a formal will and commended themselves to saints before departing on a journey outside their home region.

Basic schooling provided by village masters

Schooling was not mandatory and often paid for by the village community; children were taught by local masters just enough reading, writing, and arithmetic.

Cooking centered on the hearth

Cooking was typically done over a hearth, which also provided heat, though some poor urban dwellers without space or fuel relied on purchasing ready-made food from street shops.

Meat was a rare luxury

Meat was extremely rare for ordinary families, with many peasants eating it fewer than three times a year. In contrast, they frequently relied on thick pottages made from seasonal vegetables, legumes, and bread.

The cost of wine for weddings

During popular wedding celebrations, good Tonnerre wine could be purchased for ten sous per pinte. Ordinary people rarely drank wine, often consuming water or sour piquettes made from leftover grape marc or fruits instead.

Daily wages for construction workers

In 1654, a mason in Orléans earned 64 liards per day, while a carpenter earned 80 liards per day.

Food prices in the 17th century

A pig cost 24 livres, while a bushel of red wheat was priced at 47 sous in the 17th century.

Fixed daily wages for laborers

In 1567, a royal edict set daily wages at ten sous tournois for skilled workers and five sous tournois for laborers.

Shoemakers as neighborhood news reporters

Shoemakers were the neighborhood gazetteers who gossiped and shared news from their open-fronted stalls until closing time.

Fast local delivery in Paris

With the 1653 system, mail was collected three times a day, with delivery guaranteed within one to four hours after pickup.

Local mail service cost one sou

In 1653, the Petite Poste was established in Paris, allowing letters to be delivered within the city for the cost of one sou.