A salon is a gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, usually a woman, and held partly to amuse one another and partly to refine the taste and increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace’s definition of the aims of poetry, “either to please or to educate”
“either to please or to educate”
The salons were centres for the exchange of ideas and were an Italian invention of the 16th century that flourished in France throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. It was where the elite or “influencers” gathered to discuss philosophy, politics, culture and the new discoveries of the day. They were important in the development of the Enlightenment and ultimately set the stage for the French Revolution
Commonly associated with French literary and philosophical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries, salons played a vital role in cultural development and were carried on until quite recently in urban settings.
Welcome, gather around in this urban setting, the Errant Modiste’s corner of the internet, where my intent is to entertain and educate.
The Errant Modiste 