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Abstract
In her lifetime the French socialite and salonnière Juliette Récamier (1777–1849) was known as the most beautiful woman in all of Europe. With the help of her husband’s wealth, she managed to fashion a star persona that resonated powerfully within the context of a nascent Parisian celebrity culture at the close of the eighteenth century. Lacking discernible talents yet a popular trendsetter in fashion, art, and interior design, I claim that Récamier is best understood as a ‘human pseudo-event’ in need of deconstruction. By paying close attention to the socio-economic and cultural factors that enabled her emergence into the limelight, I make a case for the importance of historicising celebrity formations and performances.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Nick Couldry, Su Holmes, and Diane Negra for their helpful suggestions in the preparation of this article. Their work and support have been a true inspiration.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.