Originally, a member of the volunteer republican ‘army’ of the early French Revolution. ‘Sansculotte’ (‘without knee-breeches’), was chosen by the revolutionaries to describe the labourer’s loose-fitting linen garment worn by their supporters. During the Reign of Terror public functionaries styled themselves citoyens sansculottes, with a distinctive costume: pantalon (long trousers), carmagnole (short-skirted coat), red cap of liberty, and sabots (wooden clogs).