The following reconstructions of sound spaces in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century French salons, based on textual descriptions of the salons and their ambiance. I also used paintings, drawings, and floorplans to estimate the size of rooms, the placement of furniture, the number of guests, and the materials used for flooring and wall coverings, such as tapestries.

For more on Geoffrin’s salon and to cite the reconstructions of Geoffrin’s, please refer to:

Conroy, Melanie (2024) “The Sounds of Madame Geoffrin’s Salon,” ABO: Interactive Journal for Women in the Arts, 1640-1830: Vol.14: Iss.2, Article 5. http://doi.org/10.5038/2157-7129.14.2.1400
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/abo/vol14/iss2/5

For more on the sound reconstruction of Mme de Staël’s salon read and cite:

Conroy, Melanie. Reconstructing the Sounds of Mme de Staël’s Salons. In Recovering Women’s Book Culture and Literary History (Middle Ages – 1830), edited by Lieke van Deinsen and Alicia C. Montoya. New Digital Approaches, Leiden, Brill 2026.