Europe: 19th century

Second Empire

Voyeurism and spectacle were key to the wealthy upper classes of the Second Empire.

1852 - 1870

videos + essays

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Fashion and Politics in Franz Xaver Winterhalter’s Portrait of The Empress Eugénie surrounded by her Ladies-in-Waiting

Fashion's power to reveal the nuances of political power, gender, and ethnicity.

Thomas Couture, Romans of the Decadence

Like other academic artists, Couture draws a subject from ancient Rome, but chooses decadence, not heroism.

Charles Garnier, The Paris Opéra

Seeing and being seen: the opera was a place of voyeurism and spectacle among the prosperous classes of the city.

Haussmann the Demolisher and the creation of modern Paris

Haussman bulldozed the ancient, winding streets of the medieval city to bring law, order, and hygiene to Paris.