The Belle Époque: everything you wanted to know

Mike Rapport discusses life in Paris at the turn of the 20th century – and reveals why it wasn't such a 'beautiful era' for everyone

Published: March 30, 2025 at 7:00 AM

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Paris's Belle Époque – or 'Beautiful Era' – conjures up images of cafés, can-can dancers and sunny walks along the River Seine. But was life in the French capital in the late 19th and early 20th-century really as exciting as the scenes painted by Toulouse-Lautrec? Jon Bauckham talks to Dr Mike Rapport about the real history behind the Belle Époque, revealing why there was also a darkness to the 'city of light'.

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Mike Rapport is the author of City of Light, City of Shadows: Paris in the Belle Époque (Bridge Street Press, 2024).

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