Did you hear that?

As people pass you on the street, you catch a few of their words. English is the most common language spoken in the colonies, but you also hear Dutch, German, French, several West African languages, and Native American languages. 

Suddenly, you hear shouting from around the corner.

“Fresh oysters!” a man bellows.
“Corn for sale!” a woman yells.

There are dozens of stalls packed with gleaming fruits and vegetables. People from all around Pennsylvania have traveled to Philadelphia to sell their goods.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

That’s the sound of horse hooves as you walk down the cobblestone street. If people aren’t walking, they are traveling on horseback or in horse-drawn carriages.

What is that smell?

Speaking of horses, watch your step! You don’t want to walk in horse poop. On hot summer days, the smell of poop and sewage is terrible! In fact, you might want to hold your nose for a moment. You’re walking past a privy, which is where people use the bathroom. Inside, you find a wooden bench with a hole that goes straight into the ground.

There are no flushing toilets, so most people use a privy or chamber pot to do their business.

Now that you’re standing on a crowded street, you’re probably catching a whiff of another unpleasant smell: sweaty armpits!

Many people only take baths a few of times a year. But that doesn’t mean they are against washing. Most days, they clean their hands, feet, and faces with a wet sponge. They also change their undergarments often to keep themselves tidy.

Let’s go into the house next door. In the kitchen, you can smell freshly baked bread—the perfect breakfast meal. People also eat porridge made from all sorts of ingredients, such as oats, cornmeal, and beans.

At lunchtime, you notice the sharp smell of cheese. People usually eat cheese with bread and cold meats for a midday meal. At dinnertime, this kitchen will be filled with the warm smell of boiled meat, turnips, and carrots.

The poor, including servants and enslaved people, eat foods that are cheaper or easier to find, including a thinner porridge called gruel, salted meats, oysters, and even lobsters.

What do you see?

Back on the street, you see all types of people. There are men, women, and children from the nearby colonies and immigrants from across Europe. Cities such as Philadelphia also have a small Black population.

Although a growing number of people in Philadelphia are against slavery, about 8% of the population includes enslaved Black people.

Some sailors wander past you, their faces weathered from the sea; they have just arrived from Spain, bringing back oranges and olive oil. You can see the white sails of their ships out in the harbor.

You spy a lady wearing a blue silk dress. Wealthy colonists like her dress in the finest clothes. But, as you look around, most people are wearing simpler fabrics such as wool and linen.

The men on the street are dressed in breeches, or shorter trousers, with long stockings. They also wear linen shirts, snug waistcoats, and thick jackets. You notice that some of the men are even wearing white wigs! A powdered wig covers a balding head, but it is also a sign of wealth.

Some men, including George Washington, do not wear wigs but still choose to powder their hair white.

The women are wearing long dresses in a variety of patterns and colors. You cannot see it, but underneath their dresses, they are wearing a piece of clothing called stays. This undergarment is securely laced and helps improve their posture.

Stays aren’t painful to wear. Even working women wear them every day and can move around quite easily in them.

You see some children playing a rowdy game of tag—their break from a day of hard work. Most children help with chores at home, labor on the family farm, or work in the city.

Do you hear the church bells chiming? This means it’s getting late. You only have a few more minutes before you have to travel back, so let’s take one last look around.