In France, this period is referred to as La Belle Époque. After recovering from the Franco-Prussian War, France ushered in a new art movement led by Claude Monet. Impressionist artists who came after him congregated in Montmartre which became a hot spot for music, dancing, alochol, and stage entertainment. A very popular music hall there was the Folies-Bergère.

Its nightlife sentiment spread to Paris which would become known as "The City of Light" after gas street lamps were installed throughout the city. In 1870, over 20K streetlights lit up the cafés and restaurants lining the streets as well as the grand Opéra Garnier which opened in 1875. The social atmosphere caused a shift in the culture as the economic classes mixed at the venues in Montmartre and Paris.

This was such an extraordinary era for fashion from the meticulous fitting techniques to the exquisite Lyon silks, French tulle, and fanciful trimmings. The 1870's and 1880's are also renowned for fashion illustration. Along with a surge of talented engravers and illustrators, chromolithography made it possible to print illustrations at a lower cost. Artists interpreted the designs of fashion leader Charles Worth and the growing number of couture houses in Paris including the newly opened shops of Redfern, Creed, and Doucet. Magazines with detailed colored fashion plates communicated style trends and were one of the modern advancements sweeping the world.

While elements of the designs by Charles Worth were copied (the bustle, swags, and ultra-fitted bodice), he had access to the finest French materials. No seamstress could duplicate his tulle trimmings, handmade silk flowers, and knife-pleated trims nor his princess-line bodice which was made popular by one of his premier clients, Alexandra, Princess of Wales.

In America, life was defined by living in the city vs. the countryside. Growth in the steel iron, coal, and oil industries amassed great wealth for industrialists as they created more jobs for working class men. Upper and middle class society viewed a woman's work to be in the home while a man's place was in the business world.

"The Gilded Age" emphasized the vast gap between the haves and have nots. As wealthy and middle class women rode their carriages to the department stores to shop the latest fashions, Montgomery Ward's catalog introduced the concept of mail order for rural dwellers. Playing lawn tennis and sitting in box seats at the theatre were activities of the wealthy, but all classes enjoyed a day at the beach, a park, or skating on a frozen pond.