Under the ancien régime, people used formal titles when they spoke to each other. They addressed each other as Monsieur or Madame (Mr. or Mrs.).

Most aristocrats could speak French as it was the language of the king. However, about half of France did not speak French! They spoke other local languages and dialects.

Aristocratic Royalists showed their support for the old system
by wearing court attire. Men wore culottes, or silk breeches, while women wore dresses made of elegant fabrics.

Royalists also wore purple, black, and white attire. They sometimes added a fleur-de-lys, an emblem of the French monarchy, to their clothing.

By the Reign of Terror, wearing the luxurious outfits of the ancien régime became dangerous. Some aristocrats even borrowed the clothing of their servants to hide their identities.

Did you know revolutionaries banned certain words? People no longer said Monsieur or Madame but rather addressed each other as citoyen (citizen).

Some revolutionaries wanted to make French the only language of France. In 1794, the revolutionary government ruled that no language other than French could be spoken.

You would not find a revolutionary wearing silk. Simple fabrics, like cotton, linen, and wool, were preferred over anything luxurious.

To show support for the revolution, people wore red, white, and blue sashes or cockades.

Many revolutionaries sported a red cap called the Phrygian cap. This hat became a symbol of democracy and freedom.

Working-class men did not wear culottes, but rather long trousers. More radical revolutionaries were often called sans-culottes (without knee breeches) and wore these loose trousers.