Rodama: a blog of 18th-century & Revolutionary France

  Bernard Briais, Contrebandiers du sel la vie des faux sauniers au temps de la gabelle, Paris, Aubier (1984) It is easy to become overwhelm...

These evocative pictures of old river barges are from the "Remontée du sel",  a event which took place along the River Loire for a...

Organisation of the gabelle Salt taxes - the hated gabelle - were a crucial component of royal revenue, involving a whole series of diffier...

Throughout France the General-Farm advertised its presence with imposing offices, factories and warehouses.  In the provinces, it was common...

The General-Farm (or, strictly speaking, General-Farms) of Taxes was one of the most hated institutions of 18th century France.  It wa  resp...

  It is always exciting to find a new image of a prominent Enlightenment figure!  This portrait of Helvétius has been on the website of Laph...

Portrait  of Orléans by Jean-Pierre Franque, musée de Dreux https://webmuseo.com/ws/musee-dreux/app/collection/record/18 8 Here is a curiou...

   Beckford by John Hoppner, Salford Art Gallery           https://artuk.org/william-beckford-165217        Few Englishmen obtained greater...

Monsieur de Laborde, you will perhaps be astonished that, without the honour of knowing you, I have come to ask you to lend me 100 louis? - ...

For a scholarly description of the garden at Betz and its creation, the English-speaking reader is referred to Gabriel Wick's article, w...