Q75247400

1916–2005

Born: 19 Apr 1916, Paris
Country of birth: France
Died: 16 May 2005

facts: 7
sources: 1
images and files: 0

Facts and their sources

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Birth19 Apr 1916, ParisProbable1 source
Death16 May 2005Probable1 source
ParentAlfonso XIIIConfirmed1 source
ParentBeatrice NoonConfirmed1 source

A life in time

19 Apr 1916
Born · Paris
Birth, Paris
16 May 2005
Died
Death

What was it like?

The world around Paris, 1916: 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.

Q75247400 was born around the same time as Édith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, and Ingrid Bergman.

Born around the same time

Édith Piaf
1915 · French singer (1915–1963)
Frank Sinatra
1915 · American singer and actor (1915–1998)
Ingrid Bergman
1915 · Swedish actress (1915–1982)
Orson Welles
1915 · American actor and filmmaker (1915–1985)
Stanley Matthews
1915 · English association football player (1915-2000)
John F. Kennedy
1917 · president of the United States from 1961 to 1963 (1917–1963)

Fashion

Wartime fashion shifts for women

During World War I, the women's suit became an essential, functional wardrobe item for both shopping and the workforce, often paired with a blouse. Because of fabric shortages and the movement of women into new professions, skirts became straighter and shorter, and women even began wearing trousers for outdoor labor.

The decline of the worker's blouse

By the early 1900s, the traditional working man's blouse had largely disappeared in Paris, replaced by disparate outfits of jackets, vests, and trousers worn with caps. Workers often saved their best suits for Sundays and holidays, featuring accessories like bowler hats, cravats, and patent leather shoes.

Music

Children Singing in Wartime Shelters

During wartime, children in a shelter spontaneously sang together to overcome fear, with over 300 voices joining in songs like Au Clair de la lune. These songs were part of a shared national repertoire learned in families and schools.

Instruments of the Paris Bal Musette

In the early 20th century, the cabrette, a small bagpipe, was the signature instrument of Parisian bal musette, but it was gradually joined or replaced by the accordion introduced by Italian immigrants.

Getting around

Dim train lighting required portable candles

Trains were so dimly lit that passengers wanting to read had to bring their own portable candlesticks.

Train vendors moved between carriages via footboards

Traveling by train was often an adventure, with vendors known as swallows selling goods like perfume and cognac while moving between compartments via exterior footboards.

Daily life

Compulsory schooling and literacy

By 1900, free and compulsory primary education created a new generation of literate children who often acted as cultural mediators for their illiterate parents and grandparents.

Lighting, water, and cooking at home

In 1900, many families still used oil lamps for lighting and drew water from communal pumps or wells, while city apartments often featured small charcoal furnaces for cooking at a low cost.

Food

Around 1875–1914

Tax-free home distillation privileges

Between 1875 and 1914, French peasants had a legal privilege to distill part of their own wine, cider, or fruit harvest into spirits without paying any taxes or needing declarations.

Prices and wages

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

Common Jobs in France, 1900–1924

Common jobs included industrial roles for men and women, such as mechanics, carpenters, and laborers, while the service sector featured many domestic workers, concierges, and shop assistants. Clothing and textile trades, including tailoring and dressmaking, were major employers for women.

Hazards and Wage Inequalities

Industrial dangers were severe; for example, workers handling lead or arsenic were warned to wash their hands before eating their lunch to avoid poisoning. Additionally, women often earned only half the wages of men, even when performing identical tasks.

News and letters

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

1921
Public radio broadcasting starts in 1921
Public radio broadcasting officially began in France in 1921, with regular programs transmitted from an antenna atop the Eiffel Tower.
1944
Women gain voting rights in 1944
In October 1944, a government ordinance finally granted women the right to vote in France.
1950
Creation of the minimum wage
In 1950, the government established the minimum wage (SMIG) to improve workers' purchasing power.
1956
Third week of paid vacation
In 1956, French workers were granted a third week of paid vacation, significantly increasing their leisure time.
1967
Legalization of the contraceptive pill
The 1967 Neuwirth Law legalized the contraceptive pill, allowing women greater control over family planning.
1975
Legalization of abortion
The 1975 Veil Law legalized abortion in France under specific circumstances, marking a major shift in women's rights.

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.