belle époque

American  

[bel ey-pawk] / ˈbɛl eɪˈpɔk /

Or Belle Époque

noun

French.

plural

belles époques

1. the period (1871–1914) between the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the outbreak of World War I, characterized by relative peacefulness in Western Europe and by marked advances and productivity in the arts, literature, technology, etc.

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belle époque British  

/ bɛl epɔk /

noun

1. the period of comfortable well-established life in Europe before World War I

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Etymology

Origin of belle époque

Literally, “beautiful epoch”

Example Sentences

In Argentina, Corradi initially taught at a Provolo Institute for the Deaf in La Plata, a provincial city an hour’s drive from the belle époque buildings of Buenos Aires.

From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2019

Since 1 June 1898, when it opened in Paris at the height of the country’s belle époque, the Ritz hotel has been synonymous with a certain luxury and French art de vivre.

From The Guardian • Feb. 10, 2018

Across the palm-lined street, note the grandiosely decorated belle époque and Art Deco hotels like the Intercontinental Carlton Cannes and Hôtel Martinez, both favorites of the celluloid set.

From New York Times • Apr. 18, 2013

Fashion documentaries seem to be experiencing a belle époque.

From Slate • Sep. 21, 2012

In a belle époque metal frame tinged with verdigris was a photograph of his parents, Grace and Ernest, three days after their wedding.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan