… with Josephine as Empress (painting: the Coronation)

.. Napoleon Bonaparte I.  Actually, he was rather an integral part of the French Revolution, as he started it. Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804.  He held tight control of every facet of French society, including fashion, culture, & social norms. Napoleon enjoyed displaying his power through fashion.  …

.. Marie was a foreigner in France, & largely disliked from the start by the populace.  It did not help her public image when Louis required her to set the trends of the huge & elaborate fashions of the 1780’s, which made her look wasteful while people were hungry. By …

…King Louis XVI demanded Marie keep up appearances in court, & her elaborate, structured Court dress which was based on the prior Madame Pompadour concepts.  Marie’s “gaulle” & “chemise a la reign” soft, cotton garments had fashion take a complete 180 degree turn in the 1790’s as she too approached …

Louis married Marie Antoinette of Austria in a political alliance, but this was also met with suspicion.  The common populace felt Marie’s lavish lifestyle was taking bread off their tables, & the nobility & ruling aristocracy suspected her connections with foreign governments were influencing the King. Marie Antoinette, in escaping …

.. by guillotine in the Reign of Terror preceding the French Revolution in 1793.  His reign began with the attempt to bring about “The Age of Enlightenment”, which included the elimination of serfdom, the tolerance of non-Catholics, & deregulation of the grain markets. The ruling class disliked all of his …

Madame Pompadour (not lovingly nicknamed “Poissonade” or “Little Fish”), was a mistress of several men of nobility, but most notably, King Louis XV.  She was later his best friend & advisor. Visitors can to this day see the lovely little apartments Louis kept for her, as it was the one …

.. and his very good friend & counsel until his death, long after their sexual relations had ended.  Born Jean Antoinette Poisson (poissonade was a demeaning nickname the aristocracy gave her as means “little fish” in French), she was a commoner, who had noble patrons who brought her high into …

.. was another child king who succeeded his grandfather to the thrown at the age of 5.  History shows that he was a most beloved king “la roi bien”, but was attributed with the disintegration of the strength of France, as his continuing internal struggles with Parliament, religious feuds, & …

.. during the time of Alexandre Dumas’ tales of “The Three Musketeers”, tensions between England, France, & Spain, & the development of naval & army power. This Louis, taking power as a child at the assassination of his father, was almost childlike in his obsession for fun & interesting fashion.  …