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Elisabeth Gräfin Kottulinsky Baronin Kottulin und Krzižkowitz

1850–1929

Born
24 Mar 1850, Graz
Country of birth
Austrian Empire, today Austria
Died
4 Feb 1929, Chotěboř
facts
5
sources
1
images and files
0

Facts and their sources

Tap a fact to see where it comes from.

  • Birth24 Mar 1850, GrazProbable1 source
  • Death4 Feb 1929, ChotěbořProbable1 source

A life in time

  1. Born · Graz

    Birth, Graz

  2. Child born: Countess Elisabeth Dobržensky de Dobrženicz

    Birth, Chotěboř

  3. Died · Chotěboř

    Death, Chotěboř

What was it like?

The world around Graz, 1850: 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.

Elisabeth was born the same year as Robert Louis Stevenson, Mihai Eminescu, and John Collier.

Born the same year

  • Robert Louis Stevenson

    Scottish novelist and poet (1850–1894)

  • Mihai Eminescu

    Romanian poet, novelist and journalist (1850-1889)

  • John Collier

    British Pre-Raphaelite painter and author (1850-1934)

  • Guy de Maupassant

    French writer (1850-1893)

  • Karl Ferdinand Braun

    German physicist (1850–1918)

  • Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk

    Czechoslovak politician, statesman, sociologist and philosopher; first Czechoslovak president (1850–1937)

Fashion

Swaddling practices and constant headwear use

Infants were placed in swaddling cushions for several months to ensure they grew straight, and male toddlers were dressed in dresses just like girls. Adults of both genders kept their headwear on all day, even while eating meals at the table.

The versatile Gugl shawl and headgear

In winter, women wore a large, triangular wool shawl called a Gugl, which was crossed over the chest and tied at the back because they did not have coats. They also wore this shawl over their heads to protect their face, or inserted cardboard into a colored headscarf to create a sunshade during summer.

Music

Evolution of dance and instrumentation

Dances like the polka, waltz, mazurka, and schottische were increasingly integrated into the repertoire alongside traditional dances, with brass ensembles often replacing older string groups in many performance settings. Although these styles evolved, traditional folk dances remained deeply anchored in daily life and festivals.

Popular instruments of the mid-19th century

During the 1850s, the zither became highly popular as a folk-music counterpart to the bourgeois piano. By 1860, the introduction of hand-held squeeze-box instruments like the accordion and harmonica allowed a single person to provide full orchestral accompaniment for entertainment.

Getting around
Around 1839–1849

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.

Railway revolution reduced travel times drastically

For a journey between Vienna and Klagenfurt, passengers relied on slow stagecoaches until the railway expanded; travel time dropped from five days by coach to ten or twelve hours by train after 1864.

Daily life

Improved Cooking with the Sparherd Stove

From the mid-19th century, the introduction of the masonry "Sparherd" stove with a chimney, water container, and oven allowed for expanded cooking possibilities. Before this, cooking was simpler, and many households lacked these modern improvements.

Restricted Nature of Public Schooling

Primary education was mandatory for children aged 6 to 12, but country schools were typically restricted to two grades and focused heavily on religious instruction, memorization, and obedience. The curriculum was intentionally designed to reinforce social class rather than provide a path to secondary education.

Food

Meat consumption frequency for workers

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

Staple foods of the population

Potatoes were a staple food that helped save the population from famine, and wheat bread had become the dominant bread type in Vienna by mid-century.

Prices and wages
Around 1859–1859

Daily construction wages in 1859

In October 1859, daily wages for construction workers in Graz included 35 kreuzer for unskilled laborers and up to 1 florin 75 kreuzer for a master bricklayer.

Around 1859–1859

Daily wages in 1859

In 1859, a construction worker's daily wage ranged from 35 kreuzer for a helper to 1 gulden 75 kreuzer for a master mason.

Work

Long Hours and Harsh Working Conditions

Industrial workers typically toiled for 12 to 16 hours a day, with little to no free time during the week as they needed to recover for the next shift. Families often lived in cramped quarters, sometimes even within the employer's home, and many children worked in textile factories despite regulations.

Surprising Facts of Industrial Life

In some textile factories, workers complained of having to work up to 17 hours per day, and female workers were often required to wash the factory floors for free after their shifts ended. In North Bohemia, infant mortality rates in industrial areas exceeded 30 percent, reflecting the dire living conditions of these families.

News and letters

Postage stamps and the new correspondence card

In 1850, Austria introduced adhesive postage stamps, and by 1869, the country pioneered the correspondence card, which allowed people to send short messages for only two kreuzer.

Slow delivery times in Vienna

Although urban mail in Vienna was delivered five times daily, efficiency was often poor, and a local letter could sometimes take up to two days to arrive.

During their lifetime

  1. 1854

    First mountain railway opens in 1854

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

  2. 1858

    New silver florin introduced in 1858

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

  3. 1858

    Introduction of new silver florin currency

    The silver florin Austrian currency was introduced into circulation in 1858, replacing the previous Convention currency.

  4. 1860

    Railway transport arrives in Pilsen

    Ceremonial railway transport operations officially opened in Pilsen in 1860.

  5. 1867

    Compromise of 1867 creates Dual Monarchy

    The 1867 Compromise established the Dual Monarchy, granting Hungary autonomy and creating a shared government between Austria and Hungary.

  6. 1873

    The financial crash of 1873

    The financial crash of 1873 led to a severe economic depression and was followed by 152 registered suicides.

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.