Gross topic, I know. Curious especially about those periods we associate with high culture, manners and formality that were pre-deodorant:
They wore a shit ton of clothes while they were doing their minuets and waltzes and what-not. Surely they must have stank and shvitzed like crazy during the summer. What does the historical record have to say about it?
Was being stank-free a possibility? Did they invest stank with moral or character valuations?
And how did they cope? What gender differences were there? What technologies did they use, if any, to mask or eliminate it?
I don't want to discourage further contributions, but you might be interested in reading this section of the FAQ