Madame Sans–Culotte

Madame Sans–Culotte

Women of the Third Estate

Sans-culottes

Emerging from urban revolutionary politics was a workers’ movement called the sans–culottes, a reference to the attire of male artisans. Unlike their wealthier compatriots, they did not wear knee breeches, preferring pants. Thus were they named sans–culottes, which may be translated as "without breeches." Despite such a masculinist appellation, their companions also bore the name. Here is a very respectable but modest woman fulfilling the domestic role most sans–culottes men would have desired for women. She would seem to lack the boldness that women did adopt anyway, as in their march to Versailles in October 1789.

None Identified

1793-1794

Public Domain

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/543/|Michel Hennin. <em>Estampes relatives à l'Histoire de France</em>. Tome 134, Pièces 11754-11861, période : 1793

JPEG

French

543

Engraving

24.5 x 17 cm

Madam sans Culotte