Palais Galliera showcases masculinization of womenswear in the 19th century

This autumn, from September 26, 2026, to February 14, 2027, Palais Galliera presents the exhibition "A wardrobe of one's own. Dissident femininities in the 19th century". This event highlights a major historical phenomenon: the appropriation of masculine dress codes by women in the 19th century.

An exploration of clothing and photographic archives

Conceived as a response to the often normative approaches to womenswear, the retrospective brings together nearly 500 works, including almost the entire wardrobe of the artist Rosa Bonheur. The exhibition reveals the growing adoption of elements from the male wardrobe through archival pieces such as riding habits, trousers, tailored suits, ties and top hats.

To contextualise these silhouettes, the museum offers a rich iconographic selection including paintings, fashion posters and 150 previously unseen amateur photographs. This juxtaposition of clothing and visual archives illustrates how the masculinisation of womenswear challenged the gender binaries of the society of that time. The exhibition thus creates a dialogue between historical figures such as Marie-Antoinette, George Sand and Natalie Clifford Barney, and many anonymous women.

Through the study of these archives, the museum team, under the general curatorship of Émilie Hammen, director of Palais Galliera, reminds us that fashion remains a powerful tool for redefining identities and social roles. It also shows that the idea of "genderless" is not a contemporary invention, but the direct legacy of these 19th-century women.