Titus cut

A Titus cut or coiffure à la Titus was a hairstyle for men and women popular at the end of the 18th century in France and England. The style consisted of a short layered cut, typically with curls.^[1] It was supposedly popularized in 1791 by the French actor François-Joseph Talma who played Titus in a Parisian production of Voltaire's Brutus.^[1][2][3]

Portrait of Henriette Victoire Elisabeth d’Avrange (circa 1810)

The Titus cut was considered a radical departure from the large elaborate hairstyles and wigs that were popular during the last quarter of the 18th century.^[1] As a simple "classical" style, free from aristocratic excess, it was associated with the French Revolution and popular among those who supported it.^[2][4] Although initially a men's style, it was soon adopted by women as well. The Journal de Paris reported in 1802 that "more than half of elegant women were wearing their hair or wig à la Titus."^[1] The style spread to England as well, where it was often called coiffure à la guillotine in reference to the beheadings of the French Revolution.^[5][6] Although the style remained popular into the 19th century, by the 1810s it had fallen out of fashion.^[1][4]

Gallery

• 
  François-Joseph Talma playing the role of Titus in Voltaire's Brutus
• 
  Girl with Portfolio (circa 1799)
• 
  Portrait of Napoleon Bonaparte (1800)
• 
  Portrait of Marie-Adrienne Rousseau and Rose-Marie Charlotte (early 1800s)
• 
  Portrait of Charles Antoine Callamard (1801)
• 
  "Cheveux à la Titus", fashion print from Costume Parisien (1803)
• 
  Portrait of Suzanne le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau (1804)
• 
  Portrait of François Marius Granet (1807)
• 
  Portrait of a Man (1809)
• 
  Portrait of Fanny Biron of Courland (1810)

See also

• Portrait of a Young Girl (Guérin)
• List of hairstyles