Anne Higonnet, Ph.D.: The Fashion Stars of the French Revolution
Thursday, April 2, 2026 at 3 p.m.
$20 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Dixon Education Building
Book signing to follow
$20 ■ No charge for Four Arts members
Dixon Education Building
Book signing to follow
Three stars rose to fashion fame during the French Revolution of 1789: Josephine Bonaparte, future empress of France, Terézia Tallien, reputed to be the most beautiful woman in Europe, and Juliette Recamier, muse of intellectuals. At the heart of the most dramatic regime change in all of history, these three women overthrew five centuries of clothing rules. Much like how the American Revolution redefined political ideals across the Atlantic, the French Revolution sparked a radical transformation not only in governance but also in the very fabric of fashion and identity. Women strode the boulevards of Paris in mobile sheaths, borrowed style from around the world, cropped their hair short, and invented the handbag. Join Dr. Anne Higonnet, Professor of Art History at Barnard College of Columbia University, as she discusses her book about these three stars, Liberty Equality Fashion: The Women Who Styled the French Revolution.