Modern luxury is expressed not only through material possessions, but above all in how we use our time. It reveals itself in moments of leisure, in social gatherings and in activities that appear to have no practical purpose.
The once material understanding of luxury from the pre-industrial era arose from a society in which scarcity shaped everyday life. This changed after industrialisation and the emergence of mass consumption. Once the general population had access life’s bare necessities, intangible forms of wealth came to the fore. It was no longer simply a question of possessions, but of freedom to decide how to use one’s own time.
In the 19th century, however, this command of time remained an exclusive privilege. Those at the top of society could decide how to spend their hours. Those without this power were economically dependent. Free time was something one must be able to afford – and this is still true today.
This was particularly evident however, in the 19th century. The aristocracy and the wealthy devoted their days to leisure, education and the pleasures of high society. For working people, by contrast, there was precious little free time: brief intervals intended not for self-fulfilment, but simply for physical recovery. The social life of the wealthy revolved around glittering balls, horse races and visits to the theatre and concerts. The fashionable spa town of Baden-Baden was one of the most important European stages for this way of life.
It was only towards the end of the 19th century that this rigid structure began to loosen. From 1873, civil servants were entitled to holidays, followed by white-collar workers from 1895. Manual and other workers had to wait much longer – until 1919. In 1891, Kaiser Wilhelm II finally introduced legislation reducing daily working hours, establishing Sunday rest and strengthening workers’ protection.
This hard-won leisure time quickly enabled new forms of entertainment to emerge, including sporting events, variety shows and funfairs. For the working classes, free time felt like a precious luxury. Whereas some of the wealthy classes had long enjoyed the privilege of not having to work at all.
