Uncovering Paris: Scandals and Nude Spectacles in the Belle Époque by Lela F. Kerley

Abstract

Reviewed by: Uncovering Paris: Scandals and Nude Spectacles in the Belle Époque by Lela F. Kerley Sharon L. Fairchild Kerley, Lela F. Uncovering Paris: Scandals and Nude Spectacles in the Belle Époque. Louisiana State UP, 2017. ISBN 978-0-8071-6633-8. Pp. 278. This work demonstrates how a variety of conditions in French society between 1880 and the beginning of World War I allowed the phenomenon of female public nudity to emerge on the entertainment stages of Paris. While acknowledging prior scholarly research in politics, history, and social change, Kerley's premise is that the normalization of female nudity in public came out of the world of art as seen in artists' balls, eventually becoming prevalent in music halls. During the Belle Époque, a bohemian subculture of artists, journalists, and young progressives rejected the hypocrisy and materialism of bourgeois society and found itself in conflict with the state and civilian moral leagues. These leaders interpreted nude performances as morally degenerate and a threat to society, while those who embraced modernism and the liberal reforms of the Third Republic felt that such performances were a sign of social progress. Kerley's work reveals how the normalization of nude exposition emerged in Parisian bals publics, especially the artists' balls, the most famous being the Bal des Quatz'Arts of February 1893, staged by art students from the École des Beaux Arts. This scandalous event, during which several nude artists' models paraded along with the costumed students during the festivities, was an affront because of its bold display of nude women. The event resulted in a sensational trial and riots in the streets. According to Kerley, despite the trial and conviction of the ball's organizers and models, the event was a first indicator of a change in mores. The larger part of this study deals with the relatively new phenomenon of music halls and their use of nude spectacles. Although such acts existed previously in various settings such as in café concerts, tableaux vivants, and poses plastiques, Kerley's analysis shows how the music halls experimented with female performances and appealed to a broad spectrum of society, bringing together various types of entertainment such as music, cabaret, or circus acts. Kerley discusses the transformation of the nude artistic model, traditionally held to be a representation of eternal classic beauty, to a commercialized sexualized character of the music halls. In addition, new technologies of photography and printing contributed to the popularization of visual representations of the nude performer. The use of lighting and props made performances more sexually charged, while at the same time allowing music hall directors to claim that their shows were artistic creations. Despite the actions of moral leagues and legal challenges, by 1914, exposing nude or semi-nude female performers was commonplace in Parisian venues of entertainment. This text is enriched by passages that cover a broad spectrum of issues, such as personal [End Page 277] accounts of famous female performers, descriptions of various types of theaters and practices of performance, costumes, female sexuality and self-expression. The author has conducted extensive archival research, quoting transcripts of trials, police reports, magazine articles, and newspapers, as well as other scholarly studies. This book is illustrated throughout, with beautiful reproductions of photos of performers, posters, and other media. Sharon L. Fairchild Texas Christian University (TX) Copyright © 2018 American Association of Teachers of French