Titus cut: History and Key Facts

A Titus cut or coiffure à la Titus, also known as coiffure à la victime (Haircut of the Victim), 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. It was supposedly popularized in 1791 by the French actor François-Joseph Talma who played Titus in a Parisian production of Voltaire's Brutus.

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. As a simple "classical" style, free from aristocratic excess, it was associated with the French Revolution and popular among those who supported it. Although initially a men's style, it was soon adopted by women as well. The Journal de Paris reported in 1802 that "more than half of elegant women were wearing their hair or wig à la Titus." 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. Although the style remained popular into the 19th century, by the 1810s it had fallen out of fashion.

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