Jeanne Françoise Julie Adélaïde Récamier (; 3 December 1777 – 11 May 1849), known as Juliette (), was a French

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

whose

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

drew people from the leading literary and political circles of early 19th-century

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. As an icon of

neoclassicism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

, Récamier cultivated a public

persona A persona (plural personae or personas), depending on the context, is the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. The word derives from Latin, where it originally ref ...

as a great beauty, and her fame quickly spread across Europe. She befriended many intellectuals, sat for the finest artists of the age, and spurned an offer of marriage from

Prince Augustus of Prussia Prince Frederick William Henry Augustus of Prussia (german: Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich August; 19 September 1779 – 19 July 1843) was a Prussian royal and general. Born on Friedrichsfelde Palace, he was the youngest son of Prince Augustus Ferd ...

Family and education

A native of

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

, she was the only child of notary and King's counsellor Jean Bernard and his wife, the former Julie Matton. In 1784, her father was named receiver of finance under Calonne. She was briefly educated at the Couvent de la Déserte in

, until her family moved to Paris. The name "Juliette" came about as a

diminutive A diminutive is a root word that has been modified to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment. A (abbreviated ) is a word-formati ...

of "Julie".Edouard Herriot, ''Madame Récamier'', pp. 1–2 Beautiful, accomplished, and possessing a love of literature, Récamier was described as shy and modest by nature.

Early marriage

At the age of fifteen, she was married on 24 April 1793 to Jacques-Rose Récamier (1751–1830), a banker nearly thirty years her senior and a relative of the gourmet

Brillat-Savarin Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (; 1 April 1755, Belley, Ain – 2 February 1826, Paris) was a French lawyer and politician, who, as the author of ''The Physiology of Taste'' (''Physiologie du Goût''), gained fame as an epicure and gastronome: " ...

. In relaying the news to a friend of his impending marriage to Juliette, Jacques wrote: Jacques-Louis David 016

A rumour arose that her husband was, in fact, her natural father who married her to make her his heir. Their marriage occurred at the height of the revolutionary terror and, if he was guillotined, she would inherit his money. Although many biographers have given credence to this theory, it is unproven, and discounted by several historians.Herold, J. Christopher. ''Mistress to an Age: A Life of Madame de Staël''. Grove Press, 2002. pp. 287–288 Curiously, however, Jacques once wrote to a friend that his relations with Madame Bernard may have been more than platonic: The marriage was never consummated, and Récamier remained a virgin until at least the age of forty. A rumour was initiated by writer

Prosper Mérimée Prosper Mérimée (; 28 September 1803 – 23 September 1870) was a French writer in the movement of Romanticism, and one of the pioneers of the novella, a short novel or long short story. He was also a noted archaeologist and historian, and a ...

Lajer-Burcharth, Ewa. ''Necklines: The Art of Jacques-Louis David After the Terror''. Yale University Press, 1999. p. 344. that she suffered from a physical condition which made the act of sexual intercourse painful. This, however, did not inhibit her charm, as many individuals including

François-René de Chateaubriand François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (4 September 1768 – 4 July 1848) was a French writer, politician, diplomat and historian who had a notable influence on French literature of the nineteenth century. Descended from an old aristocrati ...

were said to have had intense emotional relationships with her. Chateaubriand was a constant visitor of her salon and, in a manner, master of the house.

European celebrity

From the earliest days of the

French Consulate The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Con ...

to almost the end of the

July Monarchy The July Monarchy (french: Monarchie de Juillet), officially the Kingdom of France (french: Royaume de France), was a liberal constitutional monarchy in France under , starting on 26 July 1830, with the July Revolution of 1830, and ending 23 F ...

, Récamier's

in Paris was one of the chief resorts of literary and political society that followed what was fashionable. The

habitué {{Short pages monitor