Caroline Lacroix

Blanche Zélia Joséphine Delacroix, better known as Caroline Lacroix, was the most prominent and notorious of the mistresses of King Leopold II of Belgium.

Festive accessories and courtship customs

For Sunday dances, young peasant women would adorn themselves with numerous strings, pins, flowers, and necklaces made of beads and coins. Additionally, young men often stole the long, colorful girdles worn by women, wearing them themselves to show they were interested in the girls.

Peasant women's daily and festive attire

Peasant women often wore white smock-frocks embroidered with black, red, and orange, sometimes shot with threads of gold and silver for special occasions. They also wore red gowns and yellow or red headkerchiefs while working in the fields.

Călușeri and Bătuta dance performances

In the late 19th century, men's Călușeri and Bătuta dances were performed at balls, festivals, and even at New Year's celebrations, often featuring dancers in traditional national costumes.

Impromptu village musical competitions

During village parties, guests engaged in impromptu musical performances and competitive shouting matches, where men and women split into groups to trade satirical verses.

Hardships of road travel

For most ordinary people, long-distance travel via carriage remained prohibitively expensive and arduous, often relying on roads that became nearly impassable mud tracks during autumn and spring. In poor conditions, carriage speeds could drop to as low as 4 km/h, making journeys between towns exceptionally slow.

Warning the public of trains

Early railway operations were so unfamiliar that a rider on horseback was sometimes sent ahead of the train blowing a horn to warn people and animals to stay clear of the tracks.

Schooling became compulsory for kids

An 1864 act endowed Romania with free and compulsory elementary education, and later described as compelling families to send children to primary school. Education methods could be harsh and parents often avoided schooling when the benefit was unclear.

Lighting relied on oil lamps

For an ordinary peasant house, the main lighting at night was a small clay oil lamp (opaiț) with a weak, flickering flame; after a few hours from sunset, the home was effectively dark. Candles were reserved for richer meals.

Mamaliga was the primary daily staple food

For ordinary families, mamaliga, a simple cornmeal porridge, was the daily staple, often eaten with onions, garlic, or dairy products instead of bread. Bread was typically considered a luxury reserved for special occasions and major holidays.

Meat was reserved for special holidays

Even in households that raised animals, meat like ox or buffalo pastrami was rarely eaten, usually reserved only for major Christian holidays. Eggs, butter, and poultry were frequently sold to bring money into the home rather than being consumed by the family.

Food prices in 1878

In 1878, a kilogram of white bread cost 47 bani and a kilogram of black bread cost 20 bani. A liter of cow's milk was priced at 62 bani, and a kilogram of cheese cost 1.67 lei.

Long daily working hours

The workday for laborers often lasted 12 to 14 hours, sometimes reaching 17 to 18 hours, typically with only a break for lunch.

Family Field Work Routine

Families often traveled together in barred carts to their plots of land, where they would camp out to work from morning until late in the evening.

Long Summer Workdays

Peasant laborers frequently worked long days, often from five a.m. to eight p.m. during the summer, with a few hours for meals and rest.