Franz Joseph I of Austria

Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the ruler of the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his death in 1916. In the early part of his reign, his realms and territories were referred to as the Austrian Empire, but in 1867 they were reconstituted as the dual monarchy of Austria-Hungary.

Hairstyles and Straw Hats

In parts of the Ennstal region, women wore their hair in two braids wound around a large hair needle above the nape of the neck. They covered their heads with a wide-brimmed straw hat featuring black trim, which was pinned to their hair and often kept on all day, even during meals.

Infant Swaddling and Dress

Infants were kept in a swaddling pillow for several months to ensure they would grow straight, a practice that prevented them from moving or kicking. As young children, boys were dressed in the same types of garments as girls.

Music in taverns and on streets

Ordinary people frequently enjoyed music in taverns where instruments like the violin, zither, guitar, and dulcimer were often available for visitors to play themselves. Public street musicians, such as harpists and hurdy-gurdy players, were also common fixtures of everyday life in the city.

Viennese waltz: A controversial partner dance

The Viennese waltz evolved from the regional Ländler dance and became a popular, albeit controversial, ballroom partner dance that allowed close physical contact between couples. During court balls, Archduke Ferdinand famously ordered that each waltz should last exactly eight minutes.

Steamship speed on the Danube

Steamboats revolutionized river travel, with the Vienna to Budapest route covered in just over 14 hours by 1830, compared to much longer times for traditional boats.

Railways drastically cut travel times

The introduction of railways significantly reduced travel time, such as the journey from Vienna to Graz dropping from twenty-nine hours by coach to nine hours by train.

Compulsory schooling and social control

Education was compulsory for children aged 6 to 12, but country schools often operated only half the year so children could work, and crowded classrooms sometimes forced half-day schooling. Curriculum emphasized religious instruction over reading, writing, and arithmetic to ensure students learned their station in society.

Cooking without stoves or ovens

Cooking was performed on an open fire without a stove or oven, meaning roasted dishes and cakes were not part of the standard menu. All household tasks were carried out by human or animal muscle power without the aid of machines.

Refreshing drinks and ice for everyone

While the wealthy enjoyed fruit ice cream in cafes, the common population could only access it starting in the 1860s, when street vendors sold portions served in cups and spoons made of edible hard dough. During hot summers, poor women who could not afford wine frequently drank water mixed with vinegar for refreshment.

Staple foods of the poor

For the poor, the diet consisted largely of flour-based foods, pulses, and vegetables, with potatoes becoming an increasingly important staple food. Meat was a luxury for common people, typically consumed only on Sundays and holidays.

Food prices in 1834

In 1834, a 4-pound loaf of bread cost 30 kreuzer, while one pound of pork cost 27 kreuzer and veal 22 kreuzer.

Salaries in 1825

In 1825, a clerk with neat handwriting earned 200 gulden annually, while teachers at a secondary school in Graz received between 450 and 800 gulden.

Agricultural work dominated the empire

Over 70% of the population worked in agriculture, where family life and work were inseparable. Household servants, known as Gesinde, were typically young people between 15 and 30 who lived and worked on farms.

Innovative methods for timber transport

Woodcutters lived in simple huts made of rough trunks and bark, moving from site to site with their tools. To create a sled path in winter, they used a "water cat" device to pour water on the forest slide, which froze into a smooth ice track for transporting logs.