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Karoline von Hoyos

1811–1875

Born
3 May 1811, Vienna
Country of birth
Austrian Empire, today Austria
Died
19 Apr 1875, Vienna
facts
6
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 · Vienna

    Birth, Vienna

  2. Child born: Theresia von Lamberg

    Birth

  3. Died · Vienna

    Death, Vienna

What was it like?

The world around Vienna, 1811: 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.

Karoline was born around the same time as Fanny Elssler, Richard Wagner, and Frédéric Chopin.

Born around the same time

  • Fanny Elssler

    1810 · Austrian ballerina (1810-1884)

  • Richard Wagner

    1813 · German composer (1813–1883)

  • Frédéric Chopin

    1810 · Polish composer and pianist (1810–1849)

  • Giuseppe Verdi

    1813 · Italian opera composer (1813–1901)

  • Abraham Lincoln

    1809 · president of the United States from 1861 to 1865 (1809-1865)

  • Charles Darwin

    1809 · English naturalist and biologist (1809–1882)

Fashion

Custom sunshade headscarves

To protect against the sun, women sometimes inserted a strip of paper or cardboard into their headscarves to make the front edge extend further forward.

Handkerchiefs as multipurpose purses

Handkerchiefs served multiple roles: they were used for wiping sweat or the nose, and also functioned as purses to carry essentials like money or tobacco.

Music

Popular folk instruments of the era

Common village instruments included the fiddle and the hammered dulcimer, while the shepherd's pipe and jew's harp were popular for casual entertainment.

The eight-minute court waltz mandate

By imperial order, a waltz played at a court ball was required to last exactly eight minutes.

Getting around

Walking and river travel habits

In the early 19th century, people frequently traveled on foot, with messengers and workers walking between 25 and 40 kilometers daily. On the Danube, cargo boats called ordinari took at least a week to travel the 450 kilometers from Regensburg to Vienna.

Slow post coach travel between towns

Travel by post coach was slow, with a journey from Linz to Steyr taking ten hours in 1829 for a distance of about 90 kilometers. Passengers paid one gulden and twelve kreuzers for the trip.

Daily life

Lack of light and running water

In rural homes, light was provided only by tallow lamps or pine splinters because there were no candles or petroleum lamps. Households lacked running water, requiring residents to wash themselves at a cold well located outside the house.

Mandatory schooling and seasonal attendance

Compulsory schooling for children aged 6 to 12 focused on religious instruction, often with schools in rural areas only operating for half the year because children were needed for pastoral labor. Classrooms were frequently overcrowded, leading some schools to split students into morning and afternoon groups to manage attendance.

Food

Cheap Barley Coffee Substitute

Poor city dwellers bought a cheap, coffee-like breakfast drink made from roasted barley and syrup for 1 Kreuzer at wooden stalls.

Meat Consumption Among Workers

Ordinary workers typically ate meat only twice a week, usually on Saturdays and Sundays.

Prices and wages

Extreme food price volatility

Food prices in the Austrian Empire were highly volatile during this period, particularly around 1811 when a bushel of wheat cost 60 florins, compared to just 4 florins in 1812 and 1824. Such sharp fluctuations made it difficult for ordinary people to maintain a stable supply of basic grains like wheat and corn.

Shrinking portions for ordinary people

In the early 19th century, basic staples like bread and meat became significantly more expensive, and a visual representation of the era showed food portions shrinking drastically over time. In 100 years, the amount of bread one could buy for a fixed price halved, while the amount of beef fell to less than a quarter.

Work

Artisans Working on Site (Stör)

Tailors practiced a system called Stör, where they traveled to farmhouses to craft clothing for the entire family over several days or weeks, receiving board as part of their compensation. This practice allowed small-scale artisans to work locally while avoiding the need for their own large workshop facilities.

Long Daily Working Hours

For the working population, a typical day began early and lasted until sunset or later, often spanning 13 to 14 hours or more. The work was continuous, as domestic chores like child-rearing and food production were added to field or workshop labor.

News and letters
Around 1810–1810

Letter delivery costs based on distance

In 1810, the cost of sending a letter of half a lot in weight from Vienna to Wilfersdorf was 16 kreuzer, while to Poysdorf it cost 32 kreuzer.

Around 1818–1825

Cost of sending letters

Postage for a half-lot weight letter was based on distance; around 1818, it cost 2 kr for up to 3 stations, 4 kr up to 6 stations, and 6 kr up to 9 stations.

During their lifetime

  1. 1831

    Cholera epidemic of 1831

    A cholera epidemic struck the area around Vienna in 1831, causing significant mortality and leading to systematic expansions of the sewage system.

  2. 1837

    First steam railway in 1837

    The first steam railway line in the empire opened in 1837, connecting Vienna to Deutsch-Wagram and marking a new era for travel.

  3. 1848

    Abolition of serfdom in 1848

    The law for the final abolition of serfdom was passed on September 7, 1848, ending a feudal system that had existed for over 1,000 years.

  4. 1848

    Revolution of 1848 in Vienna

    On March 13, 1848, revolution broke out in Vienna, resulting in the overthrow of Metternich and the granting of press freedom and a constitution.

  5. 1854

    First mountain railway opens in 1854

    In 1854, the first mountain railway in the world was opened, connecting Vienna to the Semmering pass.

  6. 1858

    New silver florin introduced in 1858

    In 1858, a new silver florin became the official currency in Austria, replacing the previous Convention currency.

Family

Spouses

Children

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.