A Titus cut or coiffure à la Titus was a hairstyle for men and women popular at the end of the 18th century in France and England. The style consisted of a short layered cut, typically with curls.[1] It was supposedly popularized in 1791 by the French actor François-Joseph Talma who played Titus in a Parisian production of Voltaire's Brutus.[1] [2] [3]
The Titus cut was considered a radical departure from the large elaborate hairstyles and wigs that were popular during the last quarter of the 18th century.[1] As a simple "classical" style, free from aristocratic excess, it was associated with the French Revolution and popular among those who supported it.[2] [4] Although initially a men's style, it was soon adopted by women as well. The reported in 1802 that "more than half of elegant women were wearing their hair or wig à la Titus."[1] The style spread to England as well, where it was often called coiffure à la guillotine in reference to the beheadings of the French Revolution.[5] [6] Although the style remained popular into the 19th century, by the 1810s it had fallen out of fashion.[1] [4]