1780-1820
EVA BAKER
Louise Contat: 1780-1790
Louise Contat (1760-1813) was a French actress who made her stage debut in 1776 and rose to fame in 1784 from her performance in Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais’s play, The Marriage of Figaro. Contat was not only renowned for her acting skills, but also for her glamorous fashion sense. Even though, despite their popularity, actresses were often equated with prostitutes in men’s eyes, many women mimicked the costumes and hairstyles Contat wore in her stage plays. Contat was particularly known for her hairstyles, which were elaborate and involved powdered curls and rolls piled on top of the head, which became a trend among French women. For example, the French publication Galerie des Modes et Costumes Français depicted a fashion illustration in which a woman is wearing her hair “à la Contat” (Galerie des Modes). Moreover, Contat was such a trendsetter that her unique style was talked about in fashion magazines.
“In its issue of November 20, 1786, the Magasin des Modes nouvelles referred to bonnets ‘à la Turque’ and ‘à la Randan’ (known by some as ‘à la Bayard’) that owed their origin to the ‘exquisite taste of the famous Actress who played the role of Madame de Randan in Les Amours de Bayard, a new comedy by M. Monvel’. Lest its readers were unaware of the identity of this ‘famous Actress,’ the editor added a note clarifying that she was ‘Mademoiselle CONTAT, who had already created hats à la Suzanne, à la Figaro, &c’” (Majer).
![louise contat 1](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b05a8b_bd1106efff014ac6b810d9d7fbd27fc6~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_95,h_119,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/louise%20contat%201.png)
![louise contat 2](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b05a8b_a727cb72a7d24b8e95c4649ac4bdc300~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_82,h_109,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/louise%20contat%202.png)
Emma, Lady Hamilton: 1790-1800
Emma, Lady Hamilton (1765-1815) was an English model, actress, and socialite. She famously spent many years of her life modeling for painters, especially by the renowned artist George Romney, who was fascinated by her beauty and mystery. In fact, Lady Hamilton was even the most painted woman in Europe at one point in time. Notably, she was partially responsible for starting the trend of ancient-Greek-inspired fashion, which persisted throughout the Regency era up until about 1820. Lady Hamilton was known among her contemporaries for performing what she called her “Attitudes,” in which she “would drape herself in simple cloth and strike, in graceful succession, a variety of poses modeled after classical themes” (Zapata). However, this classical-inspired clothing she wore was not limited to her performances. Indeed, she wore similar garments in her daily life, even though its simplicity contrasted with the elaborately-decorated, structured garments that were fashionable at the time.
“Instead of stacking countless layers upon each other, the new trend favored dresses that combined only three pieces of clothing: the corset, the chemise, and the gown. The gowns, like those we see in classical paintings, featured mostly light colors, and they were loose fitting, with the waistline set just below the bosom” (Zapata).
Through her influence and high-regard in society, Lady Hamilton helped to spread this new trend all across Europe until every woman was wearing simple, classic dresses with a higher waistline that resembled that of an ancient Greek statue.
![Emma, Lady Hamilton 1](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b05a8b_4ab4bca9c7994b4eb2c9c3cba72b3430~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_89,h_116,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Emma%2C%20Lady%20Hamilton%201.png)
![Emma, Lady Hamilton 2](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b05a8b_006dd3203d9045a6984fed5196d54670~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_89,h_114,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,blur_2,enc_auto/Emma%2C%20Lady%20Hamilton%202.jpg)