Lifestyle

A Look at Bohemians and Dandies

The Bohemian:

The Bohemian lifestyle was centered around the rejection of bourgeois values. One of these was private property which bohemians renounced. They rarely had any home or furniture. They lived and worked in the cafes, streets, libraries and other public spaces of Paris. Bohemians possessed few worldly belongings at all. Schunard, one of Murger's heroes, carried all of his belongings inside gigantic pockets in his clothing.

Members of Bohemia often adopted a communal lifestyle, sharing lodging with other Bohemian companions. They often carried around a few luxury or decorative items that served to spruce up a drab living space for a night of celebration; to "set up for the occasion as one might pitch a tent." Bohemians also tended to share women. Men were promiscuous and made as many conquests as they could. Schunard collected sixty locks of hair, exemplifying this pleasure-seeking way of life. Although men ruled Bohemia, some women found independence, enjoying a carefree lifestyle or using Bohemia as a "stepping stone" to a higher social status.

The Dandy:

The Dandies represented a branch of Bohemia. They fervently rejected the bourgeois lifestyle, but they chose to emulate the aristocracy rather than live in poverty as did other bohemians. A famous dandy, Baudelaire, commented that the dandies had "no profession other than elegance...no other status but that of cultivating the idea of beauty in their own persons....The dandy must aspire to be sublime without interruption; he must live and sleep before a mirror."

Appearance was everything to a Dandy. They delighted in elegance and accessories such as white gloves, etc. A significant part of their day was spent grooming; Baudelaire claimed that he always spent at least two hours at his toilette. They also believed strongly in cleanliness; most probably bathed regularly.

Dandies had the time and the money to devote to fashion and living extravagantly. They were wealthier than Bohemians, having enough to live without employment. They never sought to earn or gain more wealth, for capitalism was a bourgeois ideal. They lived in constant risk of losing their wealth. They gambled and squandered carelessly; this decadent lifestyle forced many dandies, including Baudelaire, into a life of poverty and to become, in effect, their bohemian counterparts.