Fashion plate illustrating 'Paris Dress', from 'Lady's Magazine', October 1800
photo © Manchester Art Gallery  ‘Mars and Venus’ in the ‘Studies in the Louvre sketchbook’, 1802, by J M W Turner
© Tate, London 2005 Since the late 17th century, France had been the leader of style in Europe. Even during the Revolutionary War, magazines detailing Paris fashions circulated in Britain.

French decorative arts were recognized as the pinnacle of quality and good taste among the elite.

The arrival of peace in 1802 offered renewed opportunities for the British to flock across the Channel and visit Paris, sampling French culture for themselves. People from all walks of life visited the French capital.

Artists, such as J M W Turner, took the chance to see the magnificent works of art that Napoleon had seized from collections across Europe and brought together at the Louvre.

The astronomer, William Herschel, visited colleagues in Paris to discuss latest developments in science and technology.

Visitors wrote vivid descriptions of Parisian restaurants, museums, parks and fashions. Some even met Napoleon himself at the Tuileries palace.

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