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Parisian
Salons
~Background
~Salons of
Enlightenment
~Madame de Stäel
~Salons
of the Restoration
~The Salons
of Victor Hugo
Influence
of Printed Materials
~Pre-Revolutionary
Timeline
~Post-Revolutionary Timeline
~Memoires
Defining
the Parisians
~Parisians
Viewed by Foreigners
~Parisians Viewed by
Themselves
~Paris Fashion
Bibliography
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Figure 3.4 French
Revolutionaries
The image above depicts
French Revolutionaries, as they can be recognized by
their clothing. The colors of their clothes are primarily
blue, white, and red; the colors of the French flag
(le tricolour). The bonnet rouge, or red
cap, is another very important and prominent symbol
of revolutionaries. The last article of clothing that
is clearly associated with revolutionaries is the long
pants or sans-culottes. This attire was also
a class marker, for wealthier Frenchmen could afford
finer, more elaborate clothing.
During the 1780's Paris was
not only the center of the French Revolution, it was also
the center of fashion. Paris culture was often considered
to be a 'culture of appearances' and the city
itself served as the headquarters for the latest manufacturing
and fashion designs. However, the costumes found in Paris
at the time served as a social and political message
as much as they did a fashion statement. Clothing created
another method of marking social hierarchy and political
affiliation.
Hence, it was simple to divide
and categorize people into their rightful place in
society based on their attire. Certain colors and
articles of clothing also acted as political devices,
emphasizing a person's political affiliation. The seemingly
innocent practice of dress was unmistakable in adding to
the mounting tensions between the classes. Therefore, Parisian
fashion not only fostered a means of self-expression
and identity, but it was also representative of social
and political trends.
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In Victor
Hugo's epic Les Misérables (1862),
the role of fashion during Revolutionary France was used
to further emphasize the social and political mentalities
of the time. Costume description provided rich imagery
and a deeper understanding of character development,
"She was young,-and
pretty? It was possible, but in that garb beauty could
not be displayed. Her hair...was severely fastened up
beneath an ugly, close, narrow nun's head-dress, tied
under her chin...her form was clumsily masked by a large
blue handkerchief folded across her bosom...she wore
a coarse brown delaine mantle, a calico dress, and large
heavy shoes. It was Fantine"
(Hugo, 128).
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