Sarah Pollak

February 17, 2000

                                PARIS BEFORE 1830- SOCIAL ISSUES

(Gallic and Roman)  Paris during the Gallic and Roman period was first defined as Lutetia, after being conquered by Caesar during the Gallic War in 52 BC. In a record of 1 AD Lutetia was mentioned as a Roman town. It was not until approximately 250 AD, however, that Paris began to catch on to Christianity. The role of Christianity has been very important since that time. Encyclopedia Britannica

(Pre to Early Medieval) At about 500, the Franks gained major influence over power, but the Roman influence still remained strong. In the year 507, the Visigoths took over Paris and placed heavy emphasis on Christianity. As a result, Paris later became the center of religious life, centuries before it was a center of commerce or cafés. However, Paris quickly developed “a maze of by-streets”, forming a suburban area that connected the center city to the houses around the churches. Therefore, it is clear that people at that time were already balancing and/or connecting church and state. Encyclopedia Britannica

Paris did lose some of its importance, however, during the Carolingian Period. The Norman invasions in the 880’s only made their situation worse. In 886, Paris was besieged. Encyclopedia Britannica

(Fashion of Louis XIV) Above all, fashion during the reign of Louis XIV was created in order to honor the absolute power of the great monarch himself. Louis XIV created his own style, which included high-heeled shoes (to make himself feel taller), vests and tight pants with long silk socks for men, and long, flowing dresses with tight bodices for women. While the women were slightly more confined by their clothing, the dress for both sexes was profusely ornamented with lace and ribbons, which were representative of the Baroque Period. If Louis XIV liked a certain style, that style was an official style of the time. Therefore, the fashion of the time was set up rather similarly to the architecture of Versailles during the reign of Louis XVI, which had every individual home or area leading the monarch’s bedroom. Encyclopedia Britannica, AOL, and “History of the Urban Form”

            However, the fashion of Louis XIV did not only express absolute monarchy, but it also reflected some of the views on class issues of that time. The lavishly decorated costumes revealed the fact that Louis XIV’s society was geared toward the Aristocrats. The poor, however, copied the styles of the elite, forcing the elite, or upper classes, to search for more ways to distinguish themselves. Other styles were actually invented by the peasants, and were later picked up by the wealthy or royalty.  Lace, for example, was first worn by the peasants. The court of Louis XIV stole their beloved idea of lace from the peasants, who were the first to use lace in clothing. Dress of the 16^th and 17^th centuries was a status symbol, celebrating the importance of the upper class as much as the honor of the absolute monarch. Encyclopedia Britannica, and AOL.

(Gender Issues of the Café society) Surprisingly, having women behind the counter of the salons and cafés became common in the late 18^th century and early 19^th century. In the beginning, the mere presence of prostitutes, upper-class salon hostesses, working class women, married women and widows in the cafés was threatening to the men. After about 1789, however, women other than prostitutes and revolutionaries were beginning to come into and even work in the cafés. The new women were usually seamstresses or other working women. In the 1790’s, women were often able to avoid being harshly criticized for going to cafés as long as they openly supported the revolution. Women’s participation in café politics went up to its peak with The Paris Commune, but then, just two decades later, The Belle Époque marked the greatest occurrence of prostitution in the café world. Although the women visiting and working at the cafés slowly became part of the sociability of the café, women continued to struggle, even throughout the 19^th century, to break the mold of prostitution. The World of the Paris Café, W. Scott Haine