Thérésia Tallien (né Cabarrus) was born in Madrid in 1773. Over the course of her life she had 11 children split between husbands and lovers. She accumulated enormous influence due to her beauty, grace and charisma and used that influence to save the lives of countless would-be victims of The Terror (a period between 1793-1794 when the Committee of Public Safety executed any perceived enemies of the Revolution including moderates). She was held as a prisoner under the orders of Robespierre and it was in prison that she met and became close friends with Joséphine de Beauharnais (future Joséphine Bonaparte). Quickly the pair became central to political life in Paris combining their instinctive style with a mischievous and edgy rebellious streak. The two were purportedly inspired by the undergarments they were reduced to after being stripped of their outerwear while in prison. This became a new style, sometimes called Greek Revival or Directoire (being linked to the Directory period). It proved both scandalous and intriguing. It broke with both the ornate and fussy dress of the ancien régime and the practical no-frills style encouraged by radical revolutionaries. It consisted of a simple white chemise gown, often in such a sheer cotton fabric that it was transparent and extremely revealing (particularly when the wearer intentionally dampened the material so it would cling to the body). Thérésia used this style to great effect and the result was a beguiling mixture of innocence and eroticism. Thérésia was known as the leader of the Merveilleuses External. Because this group, which could be translated as "The Wonderfuls", departed from the more egalitarian dress of the Revolutionary republican period as well as the traditional dress of previous centuries, it had detractors on all sides for being too extravagant and promiscuous. The Merveilleuses are often seen as a female version of the Incroyables External which was a fairly outrageous movement in men's fashion in direct defiance to the drab uniformity that had been imposed on them during the previous years.

Thérésia's extraordinary beauty, grace and alluring energy enthralled the public even while it enflamed many who questioned her virtue. Having made friends with Joséphine while in prison, she was also close friends with a third "it" girl of the era — Juliet Récamier. These three phenomenal women were leaders of Directory society. They made an impression with their extravagant expenditures on clothes, their disregard for protocol, and the sheer influence they had over women's fashion. Aileen Ribeiro comments on the three women in her landmark study Fashion in the French Revolution, "Charming rather than beautiful, and expert in capturing hearts (in the spring of 1796 she married the young General Bonaparte), Joséphine's expense on clothes was prodigal; along with mesdames Tallien and Récamier, she was one of the leaders of Directory society — they were inevitably called the Three Graces when seen together dressed à l'antique" (p127). The ease with which they flouted convention captivated all of Paris. From the years of 1794-1799 Tallien was one of the most powerful women in Paris. Whether adored or scorned, few people were ambivalent.

But perhaps what most defined Thérésia was her kindness. She used her influence for a just cause. She was tireless in her desire to aid those in danger, and to be a friend to those in need. Beginning while she was still in prison at La Force, she wrote a letter to her then lover, M. Tallien, which prompted him to lead what came to be known as the Thermidorian Reaction, the coup that overthrew the radical regime of Robespierre. She took great pride in the conviction that she had helped to save innocents from the extreme violence of The Terror, and enjoyed the moniker of "Notre Dame de Thermidor" for saving the Republic from more bloodshed. She married Tallien by the end of 1794 and they had a daughter, Rose-Thermidor. However, she moved on rather quickly to another man of influence, and a former lover of Joséphine, Paul Barras. Barras was a politician during the 1789 Revolution and a leader under the Directory as well. He was involved in facilitating the marriage of Joséphine to Napoleon (who he met during the 1793 Siege of Toulon). Barras' memoires are digitized by the Bibliothèque nationale de France External. Thérésia's final husband, François-Joseph-Philippe de Riquet (the Prince of Chimay) provided her with a way to spend the latter part of her life in the comfort and ease she must have needed after the busy years of her youth.

The cartoon image above is by British caricaturist James Gillray External. Ranked alongside the likes of painter William Hogarth, Gillray was one of the most talented and influential satirists of the era. Often focusing on George III, he also liked to target Napoleon. In this insulting cartoon he includes all four powerful figures: Napoleon, Barras, Madame Tallien and Joséphine in an effort to highlight what he viewed as the corruption, folly and excesses of this period in French history.

For an overview of French women in history and the evolution of the French feminist movement, please see the research guide Feminism & French Women in History and the section in this guide, Fashion During the French Revolution.

For movies, theater productions and music inspired by Marie Antoinette and other women in the French Revolution see the Adaptations: Film, Theater & Music section of this guide.

You can identify additional material by searching the Library of Congress Online Catalog using the following heading:

Tallien, Thérésia Cabarrus, 1773-1835