from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Salon \Sa`lon"\, n. [F. See {Saloon}.]
1. An apartment for the reception of company; hence, in the
plural, fashionable parties; circles of fashionable
society.
[1913 Webster]
2. An apartment for the reception and exhibition of works of
art; hence, an annual exhibition of paintings, sculptures,
etc., held in Paris by the Society of French Artists; --
sometimes called the {Old Salon}.
{New Salon} is a popular name for an annual exhibition of
paintings, sculptures, etc., held in Paris at the Champs
de Mars, by the Soci['e]t['e] Nationale des Beaux-Arts
(National Society of Fine Arts), a body of artists who, in
1890, seceded from the Soci['e]t['e] des Artistes
Fran[,c]ais (Society of French Artists).
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]