Jour: 2 octobre 2026

The Palais Galliera, the city of Paris' fashion museum, is presenting an exhibition titled A Wardrobe of One’s Own: Dissident Femininities in the 19th Century until February 2027. The exhibition shines a light on a still little-known phenomenon: the appropriation by nineteenth-century women of the male dress codes of the day. Rosa Bonheur, the painter and inspiration for the name of our Book Shop Bill & Rosa's Book Room was one of the women who had a permit to travestir. (In 19th century France it was interdit for women to wear pants.) For her, dressing in pants was practical especially in the early days when she visited meat packing plants to observe the muscular structure of animals, particularly of cows, one of her favorite painting subjects. To learn more about Rosa see our article A Broad with a Brush. The exhibition boasts a remarkable and previously unseen collection: the wardrobe that once belonged to Rosa Bonheur, shown here in its entirety.   A War…