The Salonière was a central figure in the communication network, showcasing the positive aspects of skills traditionally dismissed and labeled as distinctly feminine. These included mediation (once derided as matchmaking), attentiveness (“hearing the grass grow”), creativity (embracing unconventional perspectives), and even gossip and chatter.

The salon, as the domain of women, became a tool to challenge the disenfranchisement of women. Historically, the private sphere had been the primary realm of female influence. While men exercised their power publicly, women did so discreetly within the home. In the 18th century, women were relegated to roles as mothers and wives. The salon became the starting point for women’s emancipation, offering elite women an opportunity to participate in and even shape public life, a privilege traditionally reserved for men.

The salon was a space where educated women built a new domain of influence. For aristocratic women who had lost their feudal rights under changing constitutions, the salon offered a platform to engage with public life. Within this patriarchal system, the Salonière could visibly assert herself, challenge the asymmetrical power dynamic between men and women, and cultivate her authority.

Many influential Salonières were charismatic pioneers advocating for women’s rights and an egalitarian society. The salon, both feminist and feminine, embodied the art of communication, occasional intrigue, mediation, bridge-building, peacemaking, and neutrality. It provided a space for people of different financial standings, religions, societal ranks, political affiliations, and nationalities to come together for dialogue and exchange.

Women in this setting assumed the role of mediator or “powerbroker,” a role men typically fulfilled in public life as politicians, impresarios, or cultural leaders. The salon was one of the few arenas where women could play similar roles. Political salons, as seen with Berta Zuckerkandl and Anna Kuliscioff, exemplified this dynamic.

Another ambition of the salon was to establish higher education for women. Within the salon, women could intellectually compete with men, an act of defiance against a legal and cultural system that confined them to subordination, loveless marriages, and diminished education. The salon granted women autonomy—a space where they could make decisions independently. This was particularly evident in the late 18th century, where Jewish Salonières emerged as key figures. These women not only fought for women’s emancipation but also for freedom within the constraints of Jewish religious education, advocating for both gender and cultural equality.

The salon was a domain where educational disparities were dissolved, and women were seen as cultivators and shapers of men. The Salonières were instrumental in resisting the re-entrenchment of female exclusion, asserting the right of women to pursue the highest intellectual achievements. Most Salonières were self-taught, finding fulfillment in shaping the social structure of the salon and establishing it as a cornerstone of cultural and intellectual life.