Doll Houses and Tin Soldiers
Childhood in imperial Vienna
Neatly dressed, well-behaved children with red cheeks holding their parents’ hands during a Sunday stroll are the predominant image of children in 19th century society. A look behind the scenes reveals that the daily life of a child was dominated by chastisement, obedience, and submission to fatherly authority, and in the lower social classes it even meant hard work. Being a child at court was also far from living in »the land of milk andhoney«; it meant that their path of life was predetermined from the moment they were born. Preparation for a disciplined adult life with all the duties it would entail began in the very earliest days of childhood. The authors shed a light on the tough everyday life of working-class kids like Adelheid Popp, social democratic leader to-be, and show the gloomy atmosphere of a middle-class childhood, from Arthur Schnitzler to Stefan Zweig, as well as providing moving insights into the spartan imperial chambers of a young Maria Theresa and Crown Prince Rudolf.
Sabine Fellner studied art history and history at Vienna University and the Sorbonne in Paris. She has collaborated on many exhibitions. Since 2003, she has been the curator of the Austria Tabak art collection and has worked as a freelance writer and curator. She has published numerous works on everyday culture as well as 19th and 20th century Austrian art.
Katrin Unterreiner studied art history and history at Vienna University. From 2000 to 2007, she was the scientific director of the Imperial Apartments of the Vienna Hofburg and the curator of the Sisi Museum which opened in 2004. In addition, she also worked as a curator for numerous exhibitions and has published many works on the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
Neatly dressed, well-behaved children with red cheeks holding their parents’ hands during a Sunday stroll are the predominant image of children in 19th century society. A look behind the scenes reveals that the daily life of a child was dominated by chastisement, obedience, and submission to fatherly authority, and in the lower social classes it even meant hard work. Being a child at court was also far from living in »the land of milk andhoney«; it meant that their path of life was predetermined from the moment they were born. Preparation for a disciplined adult life with all the duties it would entail began in the very earliest days of childhood. The authors shed a light on the tough everyday life of working-class kids like Adelheid Popp, social democratic leader to-be, and show the gloomy atmosphere of a middle-class childhood, from Arthur Schnitzler to Stefan Zweig, as well as providing moving insights into the spartan imperial chambers of a young Maria Theresa and Crown Prince Rudolf.
Sabine Fellner studied art history and history at Vienna University and the Sorbonne in Paris. She has collaborated on many exhibitions. Since 2003, she has been the curator of the Austria Tabak art collection and has worked as a freelance writer and curator. She has published numerous works on everyday culture as well as 19th and 20th century Austrian art.
Katrin Unterreiner studied art history and history at Vienna University. From 2000 to 2007, she was the scientific director of the Imperial Apartments of the Vienna Hofburg and the curator of the Sisi Museum which opened in 2004. In addition, she also worked as a curator for numerous exhibitions and has published many works on the Austro-Hungarian monarchy.
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