Just like in the textbooks, history is framed in ways that shine light only on what historians want you to see. Because of this, many facets of our world’s history have been dulled and shoved under the rug, like the finer points of France’s revolution.

From 1789-1799, France followed America, their ally, into fighting for independence. While most know the French Revolution only for the guillotine, Marie Antoinette, and “let them eat cake”, there was another, equally fascinating plague of events that occurred due to the revolution. These are known as the bals de victimes, or, the victim’s balls.

Context

The most widely known part of the French Revolution, the “Terror”, was the time period in which a multitude of massacres and public executions (most notably by the guillotine) occurred. Around 17,000 monarchs, aristocrats, and others were put to death during this time. Valuables of the rich were also confiscated. Around the end of the “Terror”, these valuables were returned to the now orphaned aristocrats and monarchs, who begun to hold large scale balls in their newly gained properties. 

These balls started out as mostly political and social gatherings, where victims talked amongst themselves and shared grievances about the Revolution, but eventually blossomed into massive events, which were held from 1795 until 1800.

To be admitted into a victim’s ball, one must have lost a close relative to a guillotine or narrowly avoided being killed by one themselves. These balls, like any other formal event, were their own space, with their own customs and dress code, which honored dead relatives and the blood spilled with red colored garments.

Instead of a courteous bow to the host, upon entering, guests allegedly saluted á la victime, jerking their heads downwards to imitate the moment of a decapitation.

During these balls, guests partook in the usual fare like dining, drinking, and dancing. However, all were done to an extreme or macabre degree.

White sugar sculptures of guillotines topped sky high cakes; attendees indulged in champagne. Instead of a waltz, dances were made to look like executions.

One would also expect to see extravagant costumes during the bals de victimes.

The Costume À La Victime

Near the end of the “Terror”, most were living in poverty. This made it so that the first outfits were mostly scanty and pauper-like. Attendees also wore their mourning clothes until valuables made it possible to splurge on ball outfits.

Women and men wore red chokers, mostly made of ribbon, around the line that their loved ones’ heads were severed. Walking around barefoot was customary for all guests, with the only footwear being red ribbon. Instead of the large dresses traditionally worn to balls in this era, women wore white gowns that were made with controversially thin material which resembled dress of the Greek and Roman eras. They even dampened their gowns so the fabric clung to their bodies underneath.

Some showed up with red shawls on top of these gowns, mimicking the red shawl worn by Charlotte Corday on her way to be executed for the murder of a revolutionary. Reports of jewelry depicting the guillotine were also found.

Men dressed in the style of the Incroyables. Whether to push the evil away or to connect with other victims, men dressed dramatically, wearing garments that were either too big or too small, with flashy jackets.

The sudden surge of the bals de victimes created a new way for the people of Paris to wear their hair as well. 

The Coiffure À La Victime

The ’coiffure à la victime’ hairstyle was said to parallel how victims of the guillotine had their hair sheared off before execution (to delay any complications in decapitation). This style was cropped, baring the back of the neck. Women, as well as men, donned this hairstyle throughout the late 1700s to the 1800s.

Fascinating, Yet, Forgotten

One would think that events as up-scale and interesting as the bals de victimes would be common knowledge. However, that isn’t exactly the case. Historians and scholars have largely discredited the idea that these balls actually occurred, simply because no credible evidence proved so. But, the circumstances have changed. In May of 2022, Gericault Life Magazine published an article that shattered reality.

In this issue, it was revealed that there is credible evidence that these events really took place. Various excerpts from French newspapers and even a series of letters from an attendee surfaced, giving a taste of what entering a victim’s ball was like. These letters, written by an English diplomat, detailed wild dancing, crossdressing, and, most notably, red accents.

To Conclude It All…

The bals de victimes are an interesting example of the human brain at work. Held to honor loved ones and celebrate the end of the revolution, guests danced and drank and enjoyed themselves, simply to push away the dread and guilt they had experienced. Some had watched people they loved be executed, and some narrowly escaped getting their head put in a basket.

Similarly to the medieval times, there isn’t much known about what really went on during these night balls. However, we do know that they really happened. 

Let the experiences of the victims wash over you. Real people died, and real people had to deal with their deaths. 

Just think about it.