18th Century Paris Salons: An Elite Market of Prostitution?

  Earlier this week we discussed the role of salons during the 18th century. Salons were one of the settings in which women could have control over the direction of conversations and choose who to invite and who not to. Salons were held by upper, middle-class or noblewomen only and would take place in the woman's home (Notes). It can be argued that within salons women truly advanced in knowledge and I would argue even gained recognition. Salons were "by invitation only" events and the elite in society wanted to be invited due to the statuses of the salons. These were not simply meetings where women gathered to gossip about the latest dress fashions but were educational centers in which women could have some say.
  The New York Times article "Birth of the Salon" written by Alan Riding presents a new aspect about salons that I had not previously thought of. Riding admits that women did gain knowledge from the conversations held in salons but he also presents the idea that women also gained experience in the art of seduction. According to Riding, "Women honed the skills of politesse, conversation, writing, appearance and, yes, seduction" (NYTimes.com 1). Upon reading this article I could not help but wonder if the conversational aspect of salons was a cover-up to the underlying purpose of appealing to men of elite and wealthy social standing? Were salons a way for women to "market" themselves, almost like an elite form of prostitution? (Similar to the ways of Venetian courtesans). Riding writes, "Men too were drawn to the salons - and not only because mistresses could be found and exchanged there, drawn from the nobility's cleverest and most beautiful women" (NYTimes.com 1). 'Exchanged there?' Could this give a whole new meaning to the idea of salons?
   Dr. Wolbrink discussed in class that women may have actually had a very limited role in the actual conversational aspects of the salons, Riding seems to be hinting at the same idea as well. As historians we should view salons as a step in the advancement of women in society. Finally women were not only seen as decorative objects or "arm candy"; the idea that women actually had the ability to retain more knowledge than just needlework was on the verge of acceptance. However, do the fact that men were also invited to the salons, and usually outnumbered the female guests, what was the real purpose of salons? Were women trying to prove the point that they too could keep up in political debates just as well as the men? Or were the salons just an extension of the limitations women have always faced-beauty before brains? Or were women playing to their advantage; using their beauty to lure men in and actively engage in political debates? 

How many women do you see in the following images?

Works Cited
Riding, Alan. "Birth of the Salon." New York Times. Published November 20, 2005.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/20/books/review/20riding.html?_r=0.
Images from Google.