Marie Antoinette's

The fashion that dominated for eighteenth century men: suits.  The jackets had coat skirts (full and fancy) and the trousers were short.  In warm seasons the trend was to wear silk, and limit embroidery. For cooler seasons the popular fabric was wool.

When Louis XVI and Antoinette took the throne a popular style was to have the waistcoat show a bit.  During their reign it was more stylish for men to dress in darker colors (Sorry I know you all love those baby pink silk ones!)

~~~

If you are interested in dressing the part of a fashionable male I have stumbled across a new store that sells such garments.  It is called Pimpernel Clothing and can be found here.  Take note that they are offering domestic and international free shipping!  If you are not looking for fashionable menswear, check out their historical playing cards!!

Even the palaces and pleasure grounds of the ci-devant royalty are respected as national property, and , as such, are carefully preserved.

The greater part of the furniture has been removed from Versailles- some of the paintings remain. Those by the best Masters have been sent to the Gallery of the Louvre, which is now the National Museum, where the collection greatly exceeds any other exhibition of the fine arts in the world. It is under the care of a committee, appointed to protect the arts, and is maintained in the most superb style. Such is the war, which these Goths and Vandals wage against the arts!

The late Queen's favorite residence of St Cloud remains as when she occupied it . The paintings will be sent to the museum, and the furniture will be sold.

It is that time of year again, good old Halloween is just 8 weeks away! So get ready for a full weekend of fancy dress and costume fun! Halloween falls on a Saturday this year giving everyone both Friday and Saturday to show off fabulous costumes, which are hopefully, lovely historical garb!!

As the costumes start to roll out we can highlight some here, but until then, what are you thinking? Any particular parts you want to play? Inspirations? Let me know!

Welcome to Fragonard Friday, today we are going to look at The New Model. The New Model was painted around 1770 and can be seen at the Musée Jaxquemart-André in Paris. At first glance the concept of the painting is very clear, a young first time model is at her first sitting with an artist.

There is limited detail in the background of the painting but we can tell that they are at the artist’s studio. His easel, maulstick and taboret complete with rags in preparation of the painting. The actual process of painting has yet to begin, we are seeing the moments just before. The artist has an idea, possibly she is to be a Venus, and we can see the scene being set.

The exhilaration of the new experience comes with a touch of nerves and she follows the directions of the artist on how to position herself. She holds herself up and her chaperon tries to arrange the fabric of her gown as desired by the artist. She does this by exposing the shoulders and bust, pushing her bodice down just so. She clearly has a good idea of how to set the girl up to look just right, rather rightly desirable? He too takes part of the set-up by adjusting or testing the placement of her skirts, lifting them up a bit.

The artist stands apart from the women, and slightly faces us. To adjust the skirts he does not fully move toward the sitter, merely uses his maulstick. (The maulstick is a light weight wooden tool artist would use by resting their hand/forearm on the top which had a soft padded area. This support would allow them to paint for long periods of time without resting their hand on the canvas.) Notice he is very handsome and young. His manner of dress suggest that he is good at what he does, and has decent clientele. In a peach silk or satin (yay or nay?) he casually leans against the tabornet. Possibly out going and full of charisma, he certainly appears confident in his pose and gesture.

The chaperon stands in contrast with the girl, dressed in full with dark colors and wearing a dark bonnet which is tied under her chin. Her dark locks are also stand out compared to the sitter’s powdered tresses. The new model is dressed in a billowing white garment, and only has a golden sash and rosy cheeks as a splash of color. Professor Mary Sheriff notes that there is not a moral tone to the artwork, unlike other similar 18th century pieces of the same variety. There is no modesty between the parties. The chaperon and artist work together to reveal the model’s assets. In response the model complies, accepting her new job and endures the evaluation.

Dear Marie,

Because I am a huge fan of 18th century life at the court of France, I decided Versailles could make a good theme for my birthday party.

I will try to make it out as a kind of role play, and so I chose a historical character for each of my friends and wrote each a description they should follow. Some of my friends promised they would perform music and poetry from the 18th century and I am working on the menu. The costumes are a problem, since most of us are not so good at making dresses by ourselves, but we will figure something out. But what else could I do to bring all the wonders of the court of Versailles to my birthday party? Any ideas?

Please help me to organize a good party!
Thank you in advance,
Yours,
Chandrani


What a fun event you have planned! I am opening this question up to all readers because everyone here is very creative and I just know will have some wonderful ideas to infuse this party with an 18th century vibe. Here are some breif ideas:

Atmosphere
One thing to consider is atmosphere! Elegant candles are always a scene setter, just be sure that they are safely placed where they wont be disturbed. I am a fan of rooms with low lighting if the party is in the evening.

Entertainment
What is more proper than playing a game of chance or card game at a table of friends? Some 18th century games would be sure to get the party going! Perhaps you can set up something like cavagnole or faro. If you want a more modern game that is quirky try Guillotine.

Cake and drink
See if you can find some sparkling grape juice and those cute faux champagne glasses! You can set them up in a tower and pour the bubbly drinks all night! The tower of glasses will look very luxe and your guest will feel glamours sipping their drinks! And of course, fancy pastries. mmm.

Costume
If you cant manage to find or put together some simple big skirts, you can always pull things off with accessories and great hair! Tease your hair up and have your girl's do the same, maybe buy some Aqua-net for the occasion. Stick some feather plumes in it and maybe some ribbon. Pick up some cheap glitzy costume jewelry to add a bit of opulence to your ensemble! And pick up some pretty fans, if they are not pretty decorate them yourself.

"All that we read in Holy Writ of the excesses that were punished by the deluge, and of the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, does not eve approach the life that is led in Paris. . . . Nothing is more rare than religious belief: no one is ashamed of vice . . . and if the King were asked to punish all those who deserved it, he would have neither princes, nobles or servants left . . . no house in France would be out of mourning. . . "

Rococo and Revolution: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings
October 2, 2009, through January 3, 2010

If you happen to be in NYC between October and January, you will have to make a stop at the Morgan Library & Museum to see their fabulous show of French drawings. They will have works from artists such as Boucher, Fragonard and David. Here is a short description from their website:

"Rococo and Revolution: Eighteenth-Century French Drawings features more than eighty exceptional drawings almost exclusively from the Morgan's renowned holdings. The efflorescence of the ancien régime and its eventual downfall provide the backdrop to a century of remarkable artistic vitality and variety that subtly chronicles the many changes taking place in eighteenth-century France. Artists represented in the exhibition include Antoine Watteau, Jacques-Louis David, François Boucher, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Claude Gillot, Nicolas Lancret, Hubert Robert, Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Anne-Louis Girodet, and Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, among others."

There is not a better way to immerse yourself with the 18th century than to wander through a wonderful exhibition, surrounded by items that saw a different time. Heather and I will be there this fall and of course will report back, but I strongly suggest you make time in those 3 months to check it out in person! If you make it be sure to let me know what you thought!

*Fragonard, Landscape with Flocks and Trees