No Soap, No Shampoo, No...Stink?

It didn't cover it up. They powdered in white make up, and sprayed perfume because bath's werent that fun back then. Believe you me, it may have been socially accpetable then, but now, no. Though I see where you're coming from by all means.

For the early times when people bathed less we humans have something called selective perception. When everyone smells of BO you get used to it and start not feeling it.
You can see this pretty clearly by just spending a good 20min inside a perfume store, you will see that at a point you will no longer feel the smell of perfumes.