Soon after the terrible times of “the Reign of Terror” she found herself one of the most beautiful women in Paris, and her husband one of the wealthiest of bankers.  The three rival women of the times were Mme. Recamier, Mme. Tallien, and Josephine.  The terrible days of the guillotine were succeeded by an uninterrupted reign of pleasure, “when a fever of amusement possessed everyone, and the desire for distraction of all kinds seemed to have been pushed to its limits.”  M. Turquan states that in the reign of dissolute extravagance, immorality, and gorgeous splendor, Mme. Recamier formed a striking contrast by her simplicity.  Her first triumph was at the church Saint-Roche, the most fashionable of Paris, where she was selected to raise a purse for charity.  On one occasion the collection amounted to twenty thousand francs, all due to the beauty of the woman passing the plate.  She was soon invited by her friend Barras to all the balls and fetes under the Directorate.

In 1798 M. Recamier bought the house formerly tenanted by Necker, and later established himself in a chateau at Clichy, where he received his friends, among whom was Lucien Bonaparte, who attempted the ruin of the beautiful hostess, but without success.  Napoleon himself attempted in vain to win her to his court as maid of honor and as an ornament, her refusal incurring his anger, especially as she was the height of fashion and courted by all the great men of the age.  Through her preference for the Royalists—­persisting in her line of conduct in spite of her friend Fouche—­she finally incurred the enmity of the emperor.  Even the Princess Caroline endeavored to obtain Mme. Recamier’s friendship for Napoleon, “but, although the princess gave her loge twice to the favorite, and upon each occasion the emperor went to the theatre expressly to gaze upon her, she remained firm in her refusal, which was one of the causes of the downfall of her banker husband, whom Napoleon might have saved had his wife been the emperor’s friend.”  Napoleon certainly resented her refusal, for when requested to save Recamier’s bank he replied:  “I am not in love with Mme. Recamier!” Thus, because his wife preferred the aristocracy to the favors of Napoleon, the banker lost his fortune.

She, however, bore her misfortunes with great reserve, immediately selling her jewels and her hotel; after which they both retired to small apartments, where they were even more honored and had greater social prestige than ever.  She at once made her salon the centre of hostility against the emperor, who, according to Turquan, did not banish her, but her friend Mme. de Stael, with whom she passed over into Switzerland.  Here began her romance with Prince August of Prussia, who became so enamored of her that he asked her hand in marriage.  Encouraged by Mme. de Stael, she even went so far as to ask her husband for a divorce, that she might wed the royal aspirant.  Her husband generously consented to this, but at the same time set forth to her the peculiar position which she would occupy, an argument that opened her eyes to her ingratitude, and she refused the prince.