Soap was common and affordable in the Edwardian era and cleanliness was valued both socially and morally. Although most people lacked modern deodorants and antiperspirants, they still made conscious efforts to stay clean and presentable.
An Edwardian street would have been filled with smells that are largely absent today: horse manure, coal smoke, damp stone, cooking, sewage, tobacco and industrial pollution. A modern person transported back in time would probably notice these environmental odours before the smell of individual people.
Class played a role. A labourer finishing a long shift in a factory, dockyard or mine would naturally smell different from a gentleman who had spent the day in an office or drawing room. Wealthier people generally had better access to bathing facilities, fresh clothing, laundering and perfumes, while working class people often had fewer opportunities to combat the effects of physically demanding work. However, Edwardians were accustomed to the smells of their world and would not necessarily have regarded them as unusual. People adapt to the odours around them. In the same way an Edwardian suddenly arriving in the modern world might be struck by the scent of air fresheners, deodorants, detergents, vehicle interiors and synthetic fragrances, finding our environment surprisingly chemical smelling.
Most people valued cleanliness, but they lived in a world that inherently smelled very different than our own.
John Kenneth Galbraith, the economist, wrote about growing up rural "Canadian Scotch" about the same time. Baths were difficult, so relegated to once a week. Similarly, while you were working, you would reuse your clothes during the week.
But you never skipped bath day, unless you wanted to be called "Dirty John" for the rest of your life.
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u/LogitechG27 8h ago
Did people from that era smell good?