Marketing the French Revolution? Revolutionary auction advertisements in comparative perspective (Paris, 1778–1793)

This article presents an exploratory study of the Parisian auction market, its transformation during the French Revolution and the relationship between economic policies and political ideologies, building further on existing research on consumerism in eighteenth-century France and the revolutionary art market. Surveying the advertisements for auction sales featured in the Parisian newspaper Affiches, Annonces et Avis Divers, this research first reconstructed the more general developments in the auction market. Secondly, it examines material culture and its social distribution during the Terror, comparing the figures with a pre-revolutionary year. Thirdly, the research investigated the consumer values that gave cultural and social meaning to the products and guided buyers in their consumption. This article’s findings reveal that the unprecedented diffusion of aristocratic luxuries on the auction market was supported by a stable advertising discourse of elite consumer values centred around aesthetics and high quality.

Jaar van publicatie:2022

Trefwoorden:A1 Journal article

Toegankelijkheid:Open