Prices and Wages by Decade: 1820-1829
Links to government documents and primary sources listing retail prices for products and services, as well as wages for common occupations.
Wages in the United States, 1820-1829
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Building-trades wages - 1800 through 1836Wages of bricklayers, carpenters, masons, etc. Source: U.S. Dept of Labor Monthly Labor Review
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Farm laborer monthly earnings, 1818-1948Lists average monthly earnings with board, by geographic divisions. Data for years: 1818, 1826, 1830, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1890, 1909, 1919, 1929, 1940, 1948. Read the explanation and historical context for this table.
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Farm labor in Vermont - Daily wages, 1780-1820sTable 26 shows daily wages for laborers, with board. The complete chart shows wage data for every year from 1780-1937; the explanation begins on page 43. Source: Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station.
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Pay on Navy ships (U.S.), 1820-1821Source shows the monthly pay, rations, etc. paid to workers on Navy ships in various ports including New Orleans, Baltimore, Washington DC, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Erie PA and others. Positions include the captain, lieutenants, ship's surgeon, surgeon's mate, purser, sailing-master, midshipmen, stewards, gunners, carpenter, carpenter's mate, captain's clerk, chaplain, cook, armorer, coxswain, Navy storekeeper, ordinary seamen and boys. On page 836 fine the average daily wage paid to those who constructed Navy ships, (North Carolina, 1818-1820) including mast makers, sail makers, riggers, painters, ship joiners, blacksmiths and others Source: U.S. Congress, American State Papers, Naval Affairs Vol. 1, p. 829-835.
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Navy pay charts (U.S.) - 1814-1893This is not a government website but it does a good job of organizing a complex topic. If you need original government documents showing pay, contact us.
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Artisans, laborers and agricultural workers - Average daily wage, 1785-1830 - PhiladelphiaShows average wages, year by year, for workers in the city of Philadelphia Pennsylvania only. See table explanation for detail.
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Wages by occupation in Massachusetts (1820s)From the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, 16th Annual Report.
- Agricultural laborers 1752-1860
- Blacksmiths 1781-1860
- Butchers 1771-1827
- Carpenters 1772-1860
- Clockmakers 1815-1860
- Clothing makers 1803-1860
- Cordage makers 1825-1860
- Glass makers 1822-1855
- Harness makers 1815-1860
- Laborers 1752-1860
- Masons, 1774-1860
- Metal workers 1815-1860
- Millwrights 1799-1858
- Nail makers 1781- 1855
- Painters 1801-1860
- Paper mill operatives 1815-1857
- Printers 1815-1860
- Ship/boat builders, 1789-1845
- Shoemakers 1754-1858
- Tanner/curriers, 1815-1860
- Wooden goods makers (coopers) 1809-1860
- Woollen mill operatives 1828-1860
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Wage for one day's labor in Albany (New York), 1793-1846Chart lists the wage paid for one day of labor in Albany, New York for each year from 1793-1846. Chart shows wage data alongside the cost of wheat and four fowls.
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Women's wages in clothing manufacture, PhiladelphiaSecondary source indicates that women working in the Provident Society in Philadelphia earned 12.5 cents for each shirt made, and might be able to finish two shirts in a day.
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Women's wages as domestic servants in New York, 1826The usual wages were $4.00-5.00 a month according to this congressional report on the history of women in the U.S. labor force.
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Federal employees' wages, 1810s-1910sThe Official Register of the United States (title varies) shows the salaries of named individuals, from the U.S. president all the way down to mail clerks.
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Congressional salaries, 1789-presentHistorical chart shows salaries of members of the U.S. Congress, along with dates of enactment and statutory authority for each pay increase.
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New Hampshire wages, 1820sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of wages dating from the 1820s. Pages 39-41 focus on 1820-1830. It tells us that in 1825, an man made $10 a month or $18 a month in haying; in 1829, haying paid 67 cents per day.
Wages in Foreign Countries, 1820-1829
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Spain - Wages in 1827, 1868 and 1902Tells wages in pesetas. Published in Great Britain by the Historical Section of the Foreign Office; see title page.
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United Kingdom - Wages, 1810-1886Extensive, 437-page government report indicates detailed wages by occupation in many locations throughout the UK. Wages are reported in British currency.
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Great Britain (Wales) - "Sin eater" earnings"The 'sin eater' derived his sole income from taking upon himself the moral trespasses of the newly departed.... The going rate for that extraordinary service was sixpence in 1825." Source: The High cost of dying published 1963. Not a government document.
Wages, 1820s - Analysis
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Nineteenth Century Wage TrendsBrief 30-page booklet reviews overall wage trends from 1800-1899. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Staff Paper #2.
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"How Much is that in Real Money? A Historical Price Index..."Provides explanations and charts to help users calculate the current value of historic dollar amounts. Source: Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Association, Vol. 101 #2. Source
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Price of gold and silver in various currencies, 1797-1838Shows the Spanish dollar price and the British pound price for one ounce of gold or silver for each year from 1797-1838. Also shows the cost for gold and silver on Hamburg and Paris exchanges. Source: A History of Prices... by Thomas Tooke.
Prices in the United States, 1820-1829
PRICES for FOOD, 1820s
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Prices of staple items in the New York market, 1825-1829This U.S. Treasury document shows prices for each month as well as yearly averages from 1825-1863 for flour, rice, fruits, fish, pork, beef, butter, cheese, salt, sugar, molasses, whiskey, brandy, wine, gin, rum, coffee, tea, tobacco, candles, hides, furs, leather, nails, whalebone, wool and more. Items priced are by the barrel or the ton are likely wholesale prices.
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Price of wheat and fowls in Albany, New York - 1793-1846Table reports annual data for price of wheat and fowls as well as wages paid for one day's service for every year from 1793-1846.
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Food, fuel and provisions - Prices in Cincinnati Ohio, 1825-1892Ohio government publication shows annual high, low and average "selling prices" for food items such as bacon rice, sugar, coffee, cheese and butter by the pound; grains, beans and apples by the bushel, flour by the barrel, and molasses by the gallon. Prices for salt, cotton, soap, coal and iron are also provided. Source: Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17th annual report (1893)
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Massachusetts - Prices for foodThe extensive price figures below were collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the Sixteenth annual report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. Most tables below report price data up through the 1860s.
- Dairy products
Price per pound of butter back to 1760s; eggs and cheese back to 1750s; quarts of milk back to 1770s. - Food preparations
Prices for individual biscuits back to 1770s, sugar, salt and tea back to 1750s. Bread, lemons, chocolate, coffee, crackers, raisins, lard, macaroni, molasses, and more. Tea is extensively subdivided by type and priced by the pound. - Flour and Meal
Flour, buckwheat flour, graham flour, "Indian Meal," rye meal, oatmeal, wheat bran and more priced by the pound or bushel. - Agricultural products (Fruits, vegetables, grains)
Reported for almost every year as far back as the 1750s. - Meats and Nuts
Prices by the pound for bacon, beef, ham, lamb, mutton, pork, etc. in some cases dating to the 1750s. The table for nuts includes prices by the pound for almonds, filberts and walnuts. - Poultry and game
Price per pound of goose, turkey, and poultry back to 1758. - Fish
Prices for halibut, herring, haddock, salmon, codfish, eels, etc. by the pound. - Liquors and Beverages
Prices by the quart or gallon for beer to 1812, brandy to 1782, cider to 1755, wine to 1783, gin to 1784, rum to 1761, and more. Prices indicate source in some instances, for example, Gin from Holland or Rum from the West Indies. - Spices and condiments
Prices by the pound or ounce for wide variety of spices. The earliest spice prices date to 1780s. Price of vinegar dates to 1760s.
- Dairy products
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New Hampshire prices, 1820sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of prices dating from the 1820s. Pages 39-41 focus on 1820-1830 and pages 42-43 look at 1826 and 1827.
PRICES for HOUSEHOLD ITEMS, 1820s
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Prices of staple items in the New York market, 1820sThis congressional document shows prices for each month from 1825-1863 for candles, hides, furs, leather, nails, whalebone, wool and more. Some items are priced are by the barrel or the ton, but others are priced by the gallon or pound.
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Food, fuel and provisions - Prices in Cincinnati Ohio, 1825-1892Ohio government publication shows annual high, low and average "selling prices" for many food items. Prices for salt, cotton, soap, coal and iron are also provided. Source: Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17th annual report (1893)
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New Hampshire prices, 1820sThe 1872 Report of Commissioners on Bureau of Labor Statistics to the [New Hampshire] Legislature is an incredibly rich source of prices dating from the 1820s. Pages 39-41 focus on 1820-1830 and pages 42-43 look at 1826 and 1827.
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Massachusetts - Prices for household itemsThe extensive price figures below were collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the Sixteenth annual report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. Most tables below report price data up through the 1860s.
- Furniture
Bedsteads, bed cords, bureaus, tables and chairs are listed, with some prices dating to the 1790s. - Carpetings
Prices date to 1794. - Cutlery
Prices for table knives and forks back to 1780s, and pocket knives back to 1801. - Paper
Letter paper, priced by the sheet, dating to 1780s. - Tallow, candles, soap, etc.
Soap prices date to 1770s. - Oils for Illumination
Oils to light lamps and lanterns, dating back to the 1780s - Fuel
Charcoal, oak wood, pine wood, coal, etc. - Miscellaneous, not elsewhere classified
Price for brooms, brass kettles, brick, matches, tubs, tumblers, clocks, candlesticks, silver watches, feathers (by the pound), wine glasses and more. Prices for some items date to 1750s. - Tobacco and snuff
Prices for cigars by the dozen, and tobacco and snuff by the pound or (sometimes) ounce. Tobacco prices date to 1760s.
- Furniture
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Clock as sold by peddlers, 1820sThis items describes how clock movements were "hawked about the country by peddlers" for about $20 in 1820-1830. Source: History of old Chester [N.H.] from 1719 to 1869 by Benjamin Chase (1869).
PRICES for CLOTHING and SEWING SUPPLIES, 1820s
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Massachusetts - Prices for clothing and sewing suppliesThe extensive price figures below were collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the Sixteenth annual report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. Most tables below report price data up through the 1860s.
- Clothing
Hats, handerchiefs and stockings back to the 1760s; gloves, breeches, pantaloons, hose and coats back to 1780s; shawls and vests back to the 1790s; mittens and waistcoats back to the 1810s. - Cloth
Prices for some types of cloth back to 1770s - Dress goods
Prices for alpaca wool and calico by the yard, as well as batiste, cambric, cashmere, crape, gingham, gauze, lawn, muslin, linsey woolsey, plaid, poplin, satin, silk, velvet and many other fabric types, some back to the 1770s but most back to the early 1880s. More fabrics are listed under the Dry Goods heading. - Dry goods
Prices for blankets back to the 1780s, cotton flannel, damask and denim, diaper cloth, shirtings, ticking, and more, some dating to the 1750s. - Boots, shoes and leather
Prices reported by the individual pair or by component such as buckles, leather, buttons, braid, fringe, etc. Detailed prices for style and type of shoe, boot, sandal, slipper, rubber overshoe, etc. Earliest price dates to 1750s. - Buttons and dress trimmings
Button prices reported by the dozen. Fringe and tape by the yard. Earliest price dates to 1780s. - Ribbons and laces
Prices date to 1783. - Small wares
Yarn, needles, pins, embroidery silk, cotton and linen thread. Some prices date to 1770s.
- Clothing
PRICES for TRANSPORTATION, 1820s
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Ocean passage from Ireland to the U.S. - Price in 1828Source dated 1828 places the cost of the ocean passage at $30 and the cost of provisions for the trip, $15. Source: Miscellaneous Pamphlets by Mathew Carey, #9, "Essay on Emigration from Ireland, and Immigration into the United States."
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Value of horses, 1825This report includes a list of claims of horses stolen from the Delaware tribe on their journey from Indiana to Missouri. Each claim tells the price or value of horses. Source: Serial Set No. 126
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Steam boat fares, 1825 & 1826The 1825 first edition of The northern traveller tells steam boat fare on Lake Champlain, from Whitehall to St. John's Lower Canada, and from Boston to Eastport.
The 1826 2nd edition was improved and extended and contains fares for many destinations (Tip: use the 'Search in this text' tool to find the word "fare" or your destination of interest). -
Steamboat fares on Ohio and Mississippi rivers, early 1820sShows fares and travel times between Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky and Louisiana. Source: Steamboat Days, p. 337.
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Stagecoach fare and ferry charges, 1820sShows fares for selected routes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maine. Source: Story of Railroad Passenger Fares, published 1942.
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Stage from North to South Carolina, 1821This travelogue tells what the author paid to travel from Wilmington to Charlseton by stage in 1821. Source: Prominent features of a northern tour, 1822.
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Carriage hire and steamboat fare - 1828This travelogue tells some of the author's travel expenses, including terms to hire a carriage, driver, and pair of horses (plus a baggage wagon) from Savannah to New Orleans and steam boat fare from New Orleans to Louisville on the Mississippi (also tells how many cords of wood were burned in a day and the cost of each cord).
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Travel fare and map prices, 1824-1825The American traveller guide gives prices of maps and charts (in Philadelphia in 1824), fare on steamboats leaving Philadelphia and on mail stages leaving Wilmington, and Atlantic crossings from New York to Liverpool and Havre.
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Stage coach fare, 1826This table of disbursements includes stage fare, meals and lodging for travelers in 1826 (tip: use the 'Rotate clockwise' button on the right-hand side of the reading pane to reorient the page view). Source: Serial Set No. 156.
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Funeral hearses in New Hampshire, 1826Tells the price (in dollars) the town of Chester, NH, paid for two hearses for funeral purposes in 1826. Source: History of old Chester [N.H.] from 1719 to 1869 by Benjamin Chase (1869).
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Lodging in Baltimore, 1829Newspaper advertisement shows prices for lodging as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Source: Delaware Register, Sep 5, 1829.
Saddle horse, 1826PRICES for TOOLS and BUILDING MATERIALS, 1820s
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Price of lumber by type of wood, and iron, copper and lead for ship buildingSource tells the amount paid by the federal government for lumber in 1818-1820; the wood was used to build ships. About a dozen wood types are broken out, including oak, pine, cherry, ash, locust, maple and mahogany.
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Massachusetts - Prices for hardware and building materialsThe extensive price figures below were collected by the state of Massachusetts, and reported in Comparative wages, prices, and cost of living (from the Sixteenth annual report of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics of Labor, for 1885) by Carroll D. Wright. Most tables below report price data up through the 1860s.
- Tools and implements
Hoes, shovels, spades, files, etc. priced by the dozen or when sold individually. Earliest price figure is from 1790s. - Lumber
Price for boards, plank, shingles, timber, clapboards, etc. by the foot. - Tacks, brads and nails
Priced by the pound. Earliest prices date to 1790s.
- Tools and implements
COST of ATTENDING COLLEGE, 1820s
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Harvard - Cost to attend in 1828"Estimate of the expenses of a student at Harvard College for one year...1828"
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College of New Jersey - 1829-1830Itemizes the cost of attending the college, with tuition for 22 weeks ($44.00), room rent, fuel in winter, servant's wages, washing, etc.
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Williams College (Massachusetts) 1823-1824"Good board may be had for a dollar by walking a mile. The best wood is sold for $1.50 a cord. From twelve to seventeen cents a week is paid for washing...." Tuition for each term is $7.50.
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Williams College (Massachusetts) 1829-1830Tuition at $8.00 per term amounted to $24.00 per year. Board was $1 to $1.50 per week.
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Kenyon College (Ohio) - 1828"The whole expenses of one year's board, tuition and washing do not exceed 60 dollars...."
HEALTH PRICES, 1820-1829
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Pills, medicinal ointments, and other remedies - Retail pricesNewspaper ad lists one retailer's prices for products to relieve fever, headache, toothache, coughs, rheumatism, etc. Source: Delaware newspaper dated Dec 14, 1824.
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Medical charges in Boston, 1820 & 1825
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Physicians fees in Connecticut, 1829-1838This list of fees for physicians in the New Haven, CT area was established in 1829 and was not revised until 1838. It set prices for day and night visits, consultations, mileage, parturition, venesection, cathartic, and emetic.
PRICES for SERVICES, 1820s
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Postage rates for letters mailed in the U.S., 1792-1863Chart from the Historian of the United States Postal Service shows price to mail a domestic letter. Not included are postage rates for ship and steamboat letters and "drop letters" (for local delivery), which were assigned different rates.
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Price of a newspaper or newspaper subscriptionWe recommend using the Library of Congress' "Chronicling America" website to find prices and subscription rates for individual newspaper titles in specific years. Click into the site and set the year boxes to your date range. Click "GO" and then check the "Show only front pages" box. If the price is not in the masthead, search for publisher's information somewhere in the body of the paper - often in the left column of the front page. Annual subscription rates are likely to be described there.
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Haircut and shave price - Alexandria VA, 1822One barber advertised rates at $9 per year for daily shaves; $7 per year for shaves 3x/week, and $5 per year for twice weekly shaves. This works out to be about 2.5 to 5 cents per shave.
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Haircut and shave price - Richmond VA, 1828Newspaper advertisement shows a certain barber's haircut prices at 12½¢ and shaves at 6¼¢.
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Theater admission price - Richmond VA, 1829Newspaper ad shows the price for seats at the Richmond Theater (box seats, pit, gallery, etc.)
MISCELLANEOUS PRICES, 1820s
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Selected book prices, 1817-1822List shows the price of books acquired for the U.S. Navy from 1817-1822. Most dealt with military and political history, geography and related topics.
Prices in Foreign Countries, 1820-1829
PRICES in CANADA, 1820s
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Prices and wages in Canada, ca. 1820Emigrant's guide published in Dublin tells what to expect if moving to the wild areas of Canada. Written in narrative format. Mentions of prices and wages appear throughout the book.
PRICES in COLOMBIA, 1820s
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Medical fees in Colombia, 1822-23This author reports on the medical fees encountered while traveling in Colombia in 1822 & 1823: "In some inland places the medical fee was formerly una real, literally the eighth of a dollar; I have not any where heard of more than four reals, or half a dollar a visit." Source: A visit to Colombia, in the years 1822 & 1823 by Col. William Duane (1826).
PRICES in GREAT BRITAIN, 1820s
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England - Bread prices, 1817-1846Shows average prices of bread in England for each year from 1660-1899 on pages 27-35. Source: Three Centuries of Prices of Wheat, Flour and Bread (not a government document). The introduction to this table explains that these prices are for the type of bread consumed by lower middle classes, not the "fancy bread." Price sources are provided on page 21-22.
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Average house rent in Great Britain, 1821-1881Also calculates average house rent per house inhabitant. Does not include Ireland. Amounts shown in British currency. Source: Mulhill's Dictionary of Statistics, p. 236.
PRICES in ITALY, 1820s
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Italy, Milan - Price of bread, wheat, etc., 1801 to 1908Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor, No. 87, Volume XX. Published March 1910.
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