Luxury Trades and Consumerism in Ancien Regime Paris : Studies in the History of the Skilled Workforce

Since the 16th century, Paris has been a leading arbiter of taste and a source of luxury goods. This text examines the origins of the luxury trades and their role in the economic development of France and Europe. It uses case studies and examines different perspectives and methodologies.

Since the 16th century, Paris has been a leading arbiter of taste and the ultimate source of luxury goods for Europe and the world. However, the origins of the luxury trades of Paris and their role in the wider economic development of France and Europe have been relatively little examined by historians. This volume provides an entry into some of the many questions raised by the growth of the luxury trades, by bringing together eight detailed case studies of specific trades with five more wide-ranging and theoretical contributions. It therefore offers both the results of entirely new research and a range of new perspectives and methodological reflections on the subject as a whole. Essential to economic and social historians of Early Modern France, the book will also be of interest to all students of material culture.