For the last week or so I've been reading Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution. It basically sums up her life through clothes, leading to her downfall and it's quite interesting. I love history, so that's mostly why I'm reading it, but not too many history books I've read talk about clothes too much. And I do love hearing about the clothes. And if it has pictures, all the better. Clothes back in the day did separate class, but to Marie Antoinette they were something else. A way to fake her power, a way to express herself, like they are to lots of other people. They were also a way she got into lots of trouble.
This portrait by Jean-Baptiste Gautier-Dagoty was done in 1775. It shows the Queen in the grand habit de cour, and wearing the royal fleurs-de-lys embroidered, ermine lined robe.
The above portrait of Marie Antoinette was painted by Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun in 1783. It shows the Queen in her signature look, the white gaulle. When this portrait was displayed it caused such a scandal (the similarities between the gualle and chemise made people feel their Queen had been painted in her underwear), that Vigee-Lebrun had to replace it with another more 'queenly' portrait.
I highly recommend this to anyone who loves history, clothes, or just has a fascination with Marie Antoinette.
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