Recamier

¹

[ rey-kuh-myey ]

noun

1. a backless day bed of the Directoire and Empire periods, having raised ends of equal height.

Récamier

²

[ rey-ka-myey ]

noun

1. Madame Jeanne Françoise Julie Adélaïde Bernard, 1777–1849, French social leader in the literary and political circles of Paris.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Recamier¹

1920–25; after Madame Récamier ( def )

Example Sentences

Portraits were up when I visited — Alexander the Great marching into Babylon; a sly-looking Louis XIV; and Madame Récamier, an 18th century socialite, on her deathbed.

From Seattle Times

“After doing the civil all round, and airing our best bonnet, we shall astonish you by the elegant hospitalities of our mansion, the brilliant society we shall draw about us, and the beneficial influence we shall exert over the world at large. That’s about it, isn’t it, Madame Recamier?” asked Laurie with a quizzical look at Amy.

From Literature

The style is known as a récamier, after the society hostess who lounges on one in a famous portrait by Jacques-Louis David in the Louvre.

From New York Times

One particularly potent scene focuses on the 19th Century portrait of the Parisian socialite Juliette Recamier.

From BBC

One of the most potent moments is the image of the reclining Madame Recamier.

From The Guardian