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Roger de la Rochefoucauld

1915–1970

Born
8 Oct 1915, 7th arrondissement of Paris
Country of birth
France
Died
13 Apr 1970, Saint-Germain-les-Paroisses
facts
7
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 · 7th arrondissement of Paris

    Birth, 7th arrondissement of Paris

  2. Child born: Comte Eudes de la Rochefoucauld

    Birth

  3. Child born: Comte Sixte de la Rochefoucauld

    Birth, 7th arrondissement of Paris

  4. Child born: Comte Hughes de la Rochefoucauld

    Birth

  5. Child born: Comte Charles de la Rochefoucauld

    Birth

  6. Child born: Comte Robert de la Rochefoucauld

    Birth

  7. Died · Saint-Germain-les-Paroisses

    Death, Saint-Germain-les-Paroisses

What was it like?

The world around 7th arrondissement of Paris, 1915: 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.

Roger was born the same year as Édith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, and Ingrid Bergman.

Born the same year

  • Édith Piaf

    French singer (1915–1963)

  • Frank Sinatra

    American singer and actor (1915–1998)

  • Ingrid Bergman

    Swedish actress (1915–1982)

  • Orson Welles

    American actor and filmmaker (1915–1985)

  • Stanley Matthews

    English association football player (1915-2000)

  • Saul Bellow

    Canadian-American writer (1915–2005)

Fashion

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.

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.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 1944

    Women gain voting rights in 1944

    In October 1944, a government ordinance finally granted women the right to vote in France.

  3. 1950

    Creation of the minimum wage

    In 1950, the government established the minimum wage (SMIG) to improve workers' purchasing power.

  4. 1956

    Third week of paid vacation

    In 1956, French workers were granted a third week of paid vacation, significantly increasing their leisure time.

  5. 1967

    Legalization of the contraceptive pill

    The 1967 Neuwirth Law legalized the contraceptive pill, allowing women greater control over family planning.

Family

Parents

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.