Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I.

In 1783, portrait artist Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun painted Marie Antoinette in a simple cotton gown known as a robe de gaulle. The thin white fabric is airy and loose, cinched at the waist with a sheer golden sash. She doesn’t wear any jewels or embellishments, just a wide-brimmed straw hat tied with a ribbon band, topped with a few relatively modest plumes.

When Marie’s husband, Louis XVI, ascended to the throne in 1774, he gifted Marie with a chateau on the grounds of Versailles. This was Marie’s personal escape. She was given complete control of the estate; even the king could not enter if she did not invite him. Marie and her ladies would go there to step away from their lavish lifestyles and enjoy a simpler existence, undisturbed by the scrutiny and expectations of the court. Naturally, this extended to their clothing. It is not surprising that Marie Antoinette would choose to be painted in the fashion she wore in her private oasis.

There were many who saw the garment as alarmingly scandalous. It closely resembled a chemise — the simple dress that served as a base garment for women at the time. In other words, the queen appeared to be posing in her underwear.

After the uproar, the painting was quickly changed by the artist to what you have now to make it more socially acceptable, Marie Antoinette with a Rose.