… and her influence in fashion and the arts went well into the 1880’s.
Married to Napoleon III, Eugenie was first an Empress, then the wife of a President as his role changed with the political landscape of France.
There were a few Borbons of the ancient French bloodline who would return during her reign, but Eugenie is notable because she was a woman following the footsteps of Marie Antoinette & Josephine.
(photos: Eugenie at her height of popularity in 1855 wearing a designer Charles Worth gown)