Entertainment for the rich
The winters in New France were long and boring. The many holidays also provided many occasions for celebration. Fortunately, there were many ways to have fun in New France.
The rich folk often held balls, during which everyone got to show off their best clothes. The ladies wore long gowns decorated in lace and ribbons. Some of the men and women even wore wigs or powdered their hair. People also liked to organize feasts and ate all sorts of delicacies.
Madame Bégon was especially well-known for her balls, which were always a huge success. People could even take dance and music lessons with dance teachers who followed the latest fashions in Paris.
The gentry in New France were just as obsessed with fashion as their counterparts were on the other side of Atlantic. Fashion was important because it often determined a person’s social status.
Author: Service national du Récit de l’univers social
See also – Traces of the past: