Marie Antoinette in Pink: A Series of Portraits

 

A promotional still for Sofia Coppola's 'Marie Antoinette'

"They didn't have pink dresses in the 18th century."

Way back in 2006, when the Sofia Coppola film Marie-Antoinette was first released, I was then a teenager and only vaguely interested in the titular historical figure. I didn't even see the film in theaters. I did, however, look at photos of the costumes online--including a long, internet oldschool "picspam" post from a fashion-loving user on Livejournal which broke down the costumes with a seemingly endless string of dial-up killing photos and personal thoughts. 

One of these thoughts shared in this extensive post, and one that stuck with me until I was deep into my own foray in a passion for Marie Antoinette, was the idea that they simply didn't wear colors like pink in the 18th century. They wore browns, greens, deep blues, this user said--but pink? Very rare. Not even the more subtle pastel pinks from the film were available, this user claimed, because pink was not used in adult fashion during this time period and only rarely for children's fashion.

Like many historical misconceptions, this particular user was probably taught this (wholly false) "fact" from an outdated book or documentary--perhaps even an insistent teacher or another online blog. 

And even though I learned quite quickly that it was completely untrue, I still sometimes find myself surprised when I see paintings of 18th century women wearing pink. My brain seems to instantly jump back to 2006, to that Livejournal blog, and the thought always comes to mind: "Pink! Imagine that!"

Pink! Imagine that! A pink silk gown, circa 1775, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Marie Antoinette, for her part, not only wore pink but wore it fairly frequently. At least in her youth. According to Caroline Weber's 'The Queen of Fashion,' Marie Antoinette abandoned pink along with the other clothes that she seemed to be in the realm of youth around the time that she turned 30 years old.

Indeed, the last known portrait we have of Marie Antoinette wearing pink is dated to 1784--the year she was 29, and just a year before the infamous 'Affair of the Diamond Necklace' would put an undoubtedly public negative limelight on Marie Antoinette--and her wardrobe. 

But before Marie Antoinette seemingly renounced pink, it was a color that made a frequent appearance in her portraiture and wardrobe. I've collected a non-exhaustive list of some notable portraits of Marie Antoinette in pink over the years.

A miniature of Marie Antoinette as a child by an unknown artist. 18th century.

In this miniature portrait, a young Marie Antoinette is depicted wearing a soft pink gown and matching bonnet trimmed with lace. A garland flowers is wrapped carefully around her shoulder, matching the bouquet set in front of her, which she appears to be weaving into a garland with her tiny hands.

A miniature of a young Marie Antoinette by an unknown artist. 18th century.

 Marie Antoinette wears another soft shade of pink in this portrait, done when she looked to be a young teenager. The pink gown is trimmed with lace and light blue ribbons.

 

A portrait of Marie Antoinette by Jean-Étienne Liotard, 1762. 

Liotard's portrait of a 7-year old Marie Antoinette showcases the archduchess--then just one of many imperial daughters--wearing a bright, slightly salmon-pink gown bedecked with ruffles and bows. Notably, Liotard depicted Marie Antoinette's sisters Maria Carolina and Maria Amalia in pink as well.

A portrait of Marie Antoinette by Joseph Ducreux, 1770.[note: an older attribution attributes this portrait to Drouais, and dates it to 1773. The Ducreaux/1770 attribution is from the new RMN database.]

 

This charming portrait of Marie Antoinette as a newly-minted dauphine features a magenta pink gown that is adorned with matching ribbons and lace and surrounded by an ermine blue cloak with the French fleur-de-lys embroidered throughout. Marie Antoinette is unquestionably French in this portrait, with a fresh and charming gown surrounded by cloak that tells the viewer that she is, with her charming beauty and expensive gown, the dauphine.

A portrait of Marie Antoinette by François-Hubert Drouais, 1773. 

Drouais' 1773 portrait depicts Marie Antoinette in an embellished court gown that leaves no question as to the wealth and status of the paintings' subject. This pink gown features delicate lace ruffles, embroidery, and flowers weaved in with delicate silver tissue. The exquisiteness of the gown is accented by the truly extravagant necklace, which features large jewels that reflect the colors of the surrounding gown. I can't help but draw a parallel with this sumptuous gown and its artificial flowers inlaid with silver tissue and the portrait of a very young Marie Antoinette, a garland of real flowers draped on her tiny shoulders.

 

The coronation of Louis XVI Accompanied by Marie Antoinette by a French artist, 18th century. 

This allegorical portrait depicts Marie Antoinette in a striking eye-catching pink gown that contrasts beautifully with the blue coronation robes of Louis XVI, along with a swoop of her own blue robe that you can see draped around her shoulder. The gown features an enormous, formal pannier that, combined with the sumptous of the gown's bodice and late details, makes it immediately clear who the woman next to Louis XVI is meant to be.

A portrait of Marie Antoinete from the school of François Dumont, circa late 1770s.

 

This simple miniature portrait of Marie Antoinette does not reveal much of the anglaise-style gown, other than a hint of salmon-pink gown to match the garland of flowers draped around her high hairstyle. In her Memoirs, Madame Campan would note that after she turned 25, Marie Antoinette began to worry that flowers were no longer becoming on her:

 "Madame Bertin having brought a wreath for the head and neck, composed of roses, the Queen feared that the brightness of the flowers might be disadvantageous to her complexion. She was unquestionably too severe upon herself, her beauty having as yet experienced no alteration; it is easy to conceive the concert of praise and compliment that replied to the doubt she had expressed. The Queen, approaching me, said, “I charge you, from this day, to give me notice when flowers shall cease to become me." .

A collage of pink fabric from the Gazette des atours de Marie Antoinette, 1782.

 

 

The gazette des atours de Marie Antoinette was used by the woman in charge of the queen's wardrobe to keep track of orders fulfilled and paid. The 1782 gazette, located in the French national archives, reveals a wealth of information about the type of clothing Marie Antoinette ordered and wore during this year. Among the fabrics are several pink shades, including the four selected fabrics above.

A miniature of Marie Antoinette by François Dumont, 1784.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This miniature is the last known portrait of Marie Antoinette wearing pink--although it is entirely possibly that there are later portraits that were simply lost. In this portrait, we can already see that Marie Antoinette has adopted the wider, less fanciful hairstyles that she began sporting after the turn of the decade. The gown itself is an excellent example of the shifting styles for the elite in this time period. Gone are the endless and expensive lace and embroidery embellishments. High quality fabric and a translucent fichu are instead prominent, highlighting a style that looks refined without being ostentatious.

Museum Sunday: A French court gown, 1775.

Museum Sunday: a day for highlighting objects, books, and other items from the collections and lives of Marie Antoinette and her contemporaries.

 [credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art]

This stunning floral pink gown, circa 1775, is one of the most exceptoinal examples of existing French court gowns in existence today. Despite the passage of time, the gown has kept much of its colorful vibrancy and unlike many gowns from the 18th century, there are no alterations to make it suitable for fashions decades down the line. The color and floral patterns are similar to those favored by Marie Antoinette, and one can easily imagine the queen sporting a similar gown at court.

The gown is currently not on view, but was displayed in 2004 and then again in 2007 as part of two special exhibitions. More views of the gown and information can be found on the collection page at The Met.

The Chemise Portrait in 'Le Versailles secret de Marie-Antoinette'

Among the more memorable visuals from the recent docudrama Le Versailles secret de Marie-Antoinette (2018), which was released to coincide with the re-opening of the newly restored Queen's House at the Petit Trianon, was this homage to the most well-known (and infamous) portrait of Marie Antoinette 'en gaulle.' Or, as it has become known today, the the 'Chemise Portrait.'

image: a side-by-side look at the chemise portrait and a still from Le Versailles Secret de Marie-Antoinette

The public display of this portrait caused a stir. One critic wrote of the portrait:

"Many people have found it offensive to see these august persons revealed to the public wearing clothes reserved for the privacy of the palace."

The contemporary criticism against the portrait 'en gaulle' was not just that the Queen was wearing these casual fashions at all (as critics hotly  remarked that she had been painted in her chemise, as in undergarments) but also that she dared to show herself wearing one in a public portrait display that was meant to be reserved for royal portraits which clearly signified the wearer's status through sumptuous clothing and other royal regalia. The unassuming portrait bears no markers of "queen" and indeed, if we did not know who the sitter was, it could be any one of the well-to-do women from this era who donned the soft white gowns that are today irrecoverably linked with Marie Antoinette through their name alone: chemise a la reine.

The "Manchester" chemise à la reine

The chemise à la reine, popularized by Marie Antoinette, is one of the most iconic styles to emerge from the 1780s. There are not many surviving extant chemise gowns today, likely due to a combination of the relative frailty of the material and the fact that  many of them would have been reworked and repurposed by their owners as styles changed over the years. Thankfully, there is a remarkably intact chemise à la reine in the Costume Collection of the Manchester Art Gallery.

Until recently, the only photo of this beautiful gown was small and low-definition. The Manchester Art Gallery has uploaded a much clearer photograph of the gown, which can now be seen in all its simple splendor. One can easily imagine Marie Antoinette wearing this gown, finished with a blue sash, while wandering around her beloved hamlet.

 

© Manchester City Galleries

Book Review: Fashion and Versailles by Laurence Benaïm

Jac Jagaciak photographed by Patrick Demarchelier in the Salon de la Guerre at the Palace of Versailles. She wears a dress from the Christian Dior haute couture Spring/Summer 2011 collection.

© Patrick Demarchelier/Art+Commerce

"[Versailles] is where fashion finds new beginnings, always, etched as it is in the footsteps of the lovely ghosts that kindle the dreams of couturiers." --Catherine Pégard

Fashion and Versailles by Laurence Benaïm, with a foreword by Catherine Pégard, is an exploration of the undeniable and long-lasting impact of Versailles on the world of fashion; an impact which began when Versailles was still a royal residence and has continued to this very day. The halls and rooms and gardens where Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette once stepped out in the latest styles are now halls which are now the inspiration for filmmakers, photographers, fashion designers, and the countless others around the world who take inspiration from the eternally iconic world of Versailles.

Fashion played a significant role in life at Versailles since the inception of the palace as the center of the French monarchy. Louis XIV and his prominent mistresses never failed to introduce new and exciting fashions, and contemporary publications kept track of the latest styles so that eager courtiers could ensure they never showed themselves at court in anything but the most current styles.

Yet it was during the reign of Louis XVI that fashion at Versailles became a much more stark example of capriciousness and whirlwind frivolity. In the last few decades of the absolute French monarchy, within the gilded walls of Versailles, fashion trends rose and fall in quick succession; so quick that some lamented that by the time they were able to acquire fashions suiting the latest trends, they were already out of date. Under the 'fashion reign' of Marie Antoinette, especially during the tumultuous years when she filled her life with endless amusements to distract herself from more serious troubles, there was a never-ending search for new ways to describe color, to raise and decorate towering coiffures, and to find a sense of satisfaction and expression in the drape and make of a gown. As Madame Campan wrote: "The queen sought to surround herself with illusions that might delight her feelings."

In many ways, the rapidly changing winds of fashion inside the palace reflected the winds which battered the trees just outside the palace walls. Quick, relentless, and world-changing. As Benaïm writes in the book: "... fashion at Versailles never failed to go to extremes. After soaring skywards, it promptly plummeted earthwards to skim the manicured lawns of the Queen's Hamlet at the Petit Trianon, its dovecote, kitchen garden, and artificial lake, seamlessly and without pausing for breath."

© Chris Moore/Catwalking/Getty Images. Doutzen Kroes modeling a dress in the Christian Dior haute couture Fall/Winter 2007–8 collection by John Galliano, presented at Versailles.

Yet Versailles place as an inspiration for fashion did not end with the death of Marie Antoinette, or even the final passing of the Bourbon Monarchy in the July Revolution. During the Second Empire, the empress Eugenie--well-known for her passion for Marie Antoinette--sought to take refuge in the vestiges of the past. One of her most famous portraits by Franz Xaver Wilterhalter depicts her wearing an 18th-century inspired costume, and Eugenie even appeared dressed as Marie Antoinette at a masked ball she hosted in 1866.

While Eugenie's interest in incorporating Versailles-like elements into fashion was based on a personal fascination with Marie Antoinette, in the following decades a growing interest in France's ancien regime among high society saw a rise in costume balls with high-profile guests bedecked in late 19th and early 20th century adaptations of courtly wear, emulating the former world of Versailles through their modern lens. Glamorous Hollywood films, such as MGM's 1938 epic starring Norma Shearer, kept an interest in both Versailles fashion and Marie Antoinette alive. In the post-war years, Versailles was revolutionized by a modern interest in the people and stories which once graced its halls. Perfume bottles designed after the Hall of Mirrors, Louis XV-inspired heels, and silk gowns with billowing hips graced the necks, feet and bodies of , First Ladies, and fashion models. Films set in the cutthroat salons of the 18th century (1988's Dangerous Liasons) or set at Versailles itself (Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette) sparked style trends such as sumptuous damask fabrics and pastel macaron shades from the runway down to department stores.

Today, Versailles status as a center of fashion has not abated--if anything, the digital age has made Versailles more accessible to those who want to transform the palace, its former inhabitants, and its very halls into scents and styles.

© Gleb Derujinsky. A delicate confection of pale gray lace and pale pink roses cascading from waist to floor, by Pierre Balmain, 1953.

Laurence Benaïm does an excellent job throughout the book exploring the many facets of Versailles and its influence on fashion; first, Versailles as the birthplace of fashion and later Versailles, the endless source of fashion inspiration. Contemporary quotes are included throughout the book, both in the actual text and in large-text accompanying various photographs and illustrations. The book is mostly linear, beginning with the early place of fashion at Versailles the royal center and ending with Versailles' influence in the modern age; although sometimes the later sections refer to different aspects of 17th and 18th Versailles fashions in the context of how they were later re-interpreted by modern designers or otherwise found new life in the 20th and 21st centuries.

The sections of the book discussing the influence of the various men and, more often or at least more visibly after the reign of Louis XIV, women of Versailles who influenced the styles worn by the people who lived there are engaging and refreshing, as Benaïm examines them through a critical fashion-oriented lens. I particularly enjoyed the later sections of the book which focused on the influence of Versailles from the 1940s onward, as the "Versailles" fashions sparked by the work of 20th and 21st century designers are not usually looked at academically. Benaïm has great insight in the sometimes subtle ways that Versailles has graced runways, film lenses and exhibitions throughout the last 70-odd years.

The book is lavishly illustrated and frequently juxtaposes 17th and 18th century paintings, room and existent fashions against modern counterparts. I can only assume this was done intentionally as it frequently gave me a distinct impression of how the fashion past and fashion future of Versailles have intermingled. The photographs and paintings are all clearly reproduced; the larger size of the book allows you to examine details, which is especially helpful when comparing some of the past inspirations on modern pieces.

Fashion and Versailles, overall, is a unique book that stands out for its unique perspective and interesting focus. I highly recommend Fashion and Versailles by Laurence Benaïm to anyone with an interest in Marie Antoinette, 18th-century fashion, and fashion history. Readers who want to know more about the social influence of Versailles and its former inhabitants on current aspects of society will also enjoy this book.

 [A review copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher]

Book Review: Brigitte Bardot: My Life in Fashion

"I invented fashions by never following fashion." So says Brigitte Bardot, one of the most recognizable fashion icons in the world, in Brigitte Bardot: My Life in Fashion, a new book by  Henry-Jean Servat and published by Flammarion.

Brigitte Bardot: My Life in Fashion traces the history of Bardot's eclectic yet ultimately influential style from her beginnings as a model and later film actress in the 1950s through the 1970s. The highlight of the book is a rare and very personal interview with Bardot, who offers intimate insight into her fashion choices and history as both a style and film icon. In addition to this extensive interview, the book contains several short essays about Bardot, each dedicated to a different period during her rise to fashion fame in the 1950s-1970s. Short statements about Bardot written by contemporaries as well as others influenced by her style are also included in the book.

The book includes 187 color and black-and-white photographs ranging from images of Bardot as a teenage model in Elle to behind-the-scenes images from Bardot's film work, as well as countless images of Bardot's most memorable and iconic looks. Many of the images are accompanied by related quotes from Bardot or contemporaries.

 © Cinémathèque française, from Brigitte Bardot: My Life in Fashion (Flammarion, 2016).

Brigitte Bardot: My Life in Fashion offers unique insight into Bardot's style, both through the gorgeously reproduced images as well as the exclusive interview and foreword by Bardot. The interview is definitely the most interesting aspect of the book's text, since it provides Bardot's personal thoughts on her own style, her popularity, and her experiences. Servat's rapport with Bardot makes the interview especially warm and personable and it should be a true delight for those who are eager to hear the thoughts and recollections from Bardot herself rather than fashion historians. The essays featured in the book, while short, provide the framework for understanding the context of Bardot's fashion and its influence on the world during different periods in her life.

The images in the book, 187 in all, are organized into years, with several photographs, quotations and a short essay accompanying most of them. The images are reproduced in high quality and are a delight to look at, especially if you have an interest in fashion from that era. There is a reason people today still introduce influences that harken back to the "Bardot Style"! Many of the images featured in the book have been rarely reproduced elsewhere, so fans of Bardot will be especially pleased to find some new, high quality images of this fashion icon. I personally found the behind-the-scenes film photographs the most interesting, since they not only showcased her film fashion but her film work as well.

The quotations that are partnered with many of the images are from Bardot as well as her contemporaries, including photographers, designers, producers, and others who worked with Bardot; these quotations offer an intimate look at Bardot's influence through the people who worked, dressed, and shared the world with her. I appreciated that the quotes chosen were from people who had some kind of connect to Bardot, which gave them greater weight and interest.

I recommend Brigitte Bardot: My Life in Fashion for fans of Brigitte Bardot, as well as anyone with an interest in 1950s-1970s fashion. It is an intimate, visual and fashion-savvy look at one of the most influential style icons of the 20th century.

[I was provided a review copy by the publisher.]

Marie Antoinette (1938) Costumes: Marie Antoinette's Striped Dauphine Gown

The "striped dauphine gown" is worn in the scene where Marie Antoinette is first visited by the duc d'Orleans, and where she and Louis-Auguste receive a snarky present from Madame du Barry.

The gown is notable for its style: although the scene is set sometime in the early 1770s, it is a chemise gown, which wasn't made popular until the 1780s. It is laid over wide panniers, which are more obvious in shots where Marie Antoinette pulls up one side of her skirt. The gown consists of white striped semi-sheer fabric trimmed with lace and a wide sash. The bodice is decorated with flowers, and Marie Antoinette wears a large matching flower on her head. The wide sash is tied into a bow in the back.

The color of the costume is white or perhaps slightly off-white; the semi-sheer striped fabric gives is a more off-white hue. The fabric appears similar to the material used in her Austrian night gown. The gown may have been worn in later MGM films, but this is unconfirmed.

Its current condition and whereabouts are unknown.

Inspiration

 

In Color

 

More Views

Fashion Plates: 150 Years of Style (Yale University Press)

[image: Amazon]

Fashion Plates: 150 Years of Style is a new publication from Yale University Press which reproduces 200 different fashion plates spanning from 1778 to the early 1900s. Some of these fashion plates have not been printed since they were first published and enjoyed by fashion-minded contemporaries eager to catch a glimpse of the latest fashions. The book features plates of both men and women's fashion, and includes an informative text by April Calahan in addition to a foreword by Anna Sui.

Fashion Plates: 150 Years of Style is currently in print and available from major book retailers. I am waiting for a local library to get the book in, but from published reviews it seems like a delightful book. I would like to share three of the plates featured in this book, with permission from the publisher.

 [image: From Galerie des modes et costumes français, originally published 1778, Claude-Louis Desrais]

[image: From Townsend's Monthly Selection of Parisian Costumes, c. 1825]

[image: From La moda elegante ilustrada, 1894, H. Charle]

Marie Antoinette (1938) Costumes: Marie Antoinette's Wedding Nightgown

The "wedding nightgown" is worn in the scene following the wedding of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, where the newlyweds are alone together for the first time. The costume consists of a base gown and a heavily embellished lace cape. The gown can be broken down into two distinct parts: the white corset-style bodice (which is perhaps a separate piece?) and the sleeves and skirt, which are made from a soft, gauzy material. The cape is made from lace and is embellished with hand-sewn artificial pearls and celluloid sequins.

The color of the costume is partially known: the lace cape is cream colored. The costume may have been reused in later MGM films, but this is unconfirmed.

The lace cape was sold in 2014 by Julien's Live for $4,062.50. Its current whereabouts are unknown. The location and condition of the base nightgown are unknown.

More Views

 [credit: Julien's Live]

 

18th-century Flower Crowns

"Surrounded outdoors by the untamed, natural beauty of the jardin anglais, and indoors by the charming floral woodwork that adorned the villa’s walls, the Trianon ladies’ “professed ambition was to resemble wildflowers.”

-Caroline Weber, Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution

Flower crowns were a hit long before filters and photo apps; they can be found in particular abundance in portraits and paintings of the 18th centuries. Allegorical portraits of women in as goddesses or mythological figures often feature flower crowns; but as the century wore on, they even became fashion statements in their own right. 

In the late 1770s and early 1780s, Marie Antoinette herself adopted the fashion trend that incorporated the beauty of nature. Or rather, the beauty of carefully chosen fresh blooms to compliment the less court-like gowns worn by the Petit Trianon clique. As a fashion statement, flowers were a representation of natural beauty--as opposed to the man-made beauty of traditional courtly accessories--as well as innocence and youth. Crowns of flowers, rather than crowns of diamonds or gold, were the ultimate "natural" adornment for the discerning lady.

An allegorical portrait of Henriette Herz by Anna Dorothea Therbusch, 1778. [credit: (C) BPK, Berlin, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Jörg P. Anders]

 A portrait of the princesse de Lamballe by Joseph Ducreaux, 18th century. [credit: (C) RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Daniel Arnaudet]

 A portrait of Madame Vanhéeby by Jean-Baptiste-Jacques Augustin, 1792. [credit: (C) Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola]

 A portrait of a woman by an unknown artist, late 18th century. [credit: Antic Store]

 

A portrait of a young woman by Peter Adolphe Hall, 18th century. [credit: (C) Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola]

 A portrait of a woman by François Antoine Romany, 18th century. [credit: (C) Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola]

A portrait of a young woman called Adélaïde by Joseph Tassy, 18th century. [credit: (C) RMN-Grand Palais (domaine de Chantilly) / René-Gabriel Ojéda]

 A bust depicting Innocence by Simon Louis Boizot. 1819, after an 1781 original. [credit: (C) RMN-Grand Palais (Sèvres, Cité de la céramique) / Thierry Ollivier]

Flowers as hair accessories weren't limited to full-blown crowns, of course. Flowers blooming from hats and curls and dotted along hair bands were a fashionable way to bring floral beauty into your look.

A portrait of the princesse de Lamballe by Louis Edouard Rioult. [(C) RMN-Grand Palais (Château de Versailles) / Gérard Blot]

 A portrait of  Madame de Calonne by Louis Marie Sicard, 1789. [credit: (C) Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola]

 A portrait of a woman wearing a crown of flowers by an unknown artist, 18th century. [credit: (C) Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola]

 A portrait of a young woman by Peter Adolphe Hall, 18th century. [credit: (C) Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola]

 

 A portrait of a woman by an unknown artist, 18th century. [credit: (C) Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola]

A portrait presumed to be the comtesse de Nicolaï by Peter Adolphe Hall, 18th century. [credit: (C) Musée du Louvre, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Martine Beck-Coppola]