Category Archives: France

1788 Set Of Furniture For Marie Antoinette by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené. #Furniture #GeorgianEra #Europe

Suzi Love Posted on by

1788 Armchair or bergère en cabriolet. Part of a set by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené (French, 1748–1803). Made for Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, for her Cabinet de Toilette in Palace of Saint-Cloud, France. Carved, painted and gilded walnut; modern cotton twill embroidered in silk. Made for Marie-Antoinette’s dressing room at the château de Saint Cloud. The queen’s initials are carved on the top rail.

The Palace of St. Cloud belongs to the Duke of Orleans, is situated on the declivity of a mountain washed by the Seine. . . . The view from the house is delightful. By Harry Peckham, A Tour through Holland and Part of France

Louis XVI purchased the country residence of the duc d’Orléans a few miles west of Paris for Marie-Antoinette in 1785. Being in need of renovation, the palace was enlarged and altered for the queen, and many pieces of furniture were commissioned from Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené. A member of an important dynasty of Parisian chairmakers, Sené had been appointed menuisier to the Crown in 1784.

A 1788 description of this set, four matching armchairs and a stool, shows that it was for one of Marie-Antoinette’s private rooms at Saint-Cloud, her Cabinet Particulier. Frame of the daybed embellished with carving of ivy and garlands of roses, ionic capitals on the short legs and Egyptian female half-figures on tapering supports. These figures express the queen’s taste for ornaments from ancient Egyptian art, well before Napoléon’s North African campaign made it fashionable. The bergère, or armchairs, has a medallion on top with Marie-Antoinette’s initials framed by myrtle branches and roses. The matching screen has classical female figures on its feet and top rail.

The 1789 inventory of Saint-Cloud records the entire suite in the queen’s Cabinet de Toilette, or dressing room. The set is upholstered in white cotton twill, embroidered with a small floral ornament in silk. Known to have worked on needlepoint projects all her life, Marie-Antoinette did the embroidery herself. The colorful floral embroidery on the light cotton ground conveys a sense of summer, the season Marie-Antoinette preferred to spend at Saint-Cloud. via Epigraph. Peckham 1788, p. 199.

1788_WhiteDaybedParisFrance_White
1788_WhiteCouchParisFrance_White
1788_WhiteArmchairParisFrance_White
1788_WhiteArmchair Back Paris France
1788 Green Daybed Paris France
1788 Green Daybed Leg Paris France
1788 Green Daybed End Paris France
1788 Green Armchair Paris France
1788 Green Armchair Arm View Paris France
1788 Room View Paris France.1788 Set Of Furniture Made For Marie Antoinette, Paris, by Jean-Baptiste-Claude Sené.
HN_1_D2D_Fashion Women 1700s books2read.com/suziloveFashWomen1700s
HN_1 Fashion Women Late 1700s History Notes Book 1 by Suzi Love. What was fashionable for women in the late 1700s? Extravagant colors and fabrics and outrageous styles were all seen in these flamboyant fashions. books2read.com/suziloveFashWomen1700s

1807 Blue Walking Dress With Train and Shoes With Ankle Ties like Jane Austen wore. #HistoricalFashion #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion

Suzi Love Posted on by

1807 Blue Walking Dress, French. Although this is a French fashion plate, this is the sort of dress that Jane Austen and her friends would have worn when walking together. Back bow, a train and black trim, a white hat with flowers and holding a looking glass. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.

Definition Empire Style Dress: High-waisted white gown defined women’s fashion during the Regency Era. ‘Empire’ is the name given to the period when Napoleon Bonaparte built his French Empire. High-waisted, loose gowns were adopted by the aristocracy as a symbol of turning away from the fussy, elaborate and expensive clothing worn in the 1700s.

Definition Walking Dress: Worn for walking in a park or the country estate. This sort of outfit needed to be presentable and warm, but not overly accessorized.

1807 Blue Walking Dress, French. Back bow, a train and black trim, a white hat with flowers and holding a looking glass. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1807 Blue Walking Dress, French. Back bow, a train and black trim, a white hat with flowers and holding a looking glass. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
HN_26_D2D_FsshionWomen1805-1809
HN_26_D2D_FsshionWomen1805-1809

1890-1905 ca. Chatelaine Purse Of Silvered Cast Brass, English. #VictorianEra #EdwardianEra #Chatelaine #Antique

Suzi Love Posted on by

1890-1905 ca. Chatelaine Purse Of Silvered Cast Brass, English. #VictorianEra #EdwardianEra #Chatelaine #Antique books2read.com/SuziLoveChatelaines

chatelaine_1890-1905 ca. Chatelaine Purse, France. Silvered cast brass, oval top with double twisted snake surround, central spray with pattern ground. Closure has metal balls, attached by chatelaine belt slide with twisted snake loop. Body is woven mesh with small ball fringe, oval mirror fixed inside top, lined with blue silk. via Suzi Love suzilove.com Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK. collections.vam.ac.uk.
HN_3_D2D_RetailerBuyLink_HN_3 http://books2read.com/suziloveReticules
D2D_RetailerBuyLink_HN_3 http://books2read.com/suziloveReticules

1814 Man’s brown tailcoat, knotted cravat, white breeches and gaiters as worn in Jane Austen’s years. #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #France

Suzi Love Posted on by

1814 Gentleman’s Ensemble, French. Gentleman in brown tailcoat, white vest, high collared white shirt, knotted white cravat, white pants and white gaiters above black shoes. The style of outfit worn by the men in Jane Austen’s life. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.

1814 Gentleman's Ensemble, French. Gentleman in brown tailcoat, white vest, high collared white shirt, knotted white cravat, white pants and white gaiters above black shoes. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
HN_23_D2D_Fashion Men 1800-1819 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819
23_d2d_fashionmen1800-1819 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionMen1800-1819

1757-1758 ca. Egg Shaped Toilet Case With Clock, Paris, France. #Easter #France #Clock

Suzi Love Posted on by

1757-1758 ca. Egg Shaped Toilet Case With Clock. By Master Francois Beeckaert, Paris, France. Gold, diamonds, silver, enamel. via Hermitage Museum, Russia.

1757-1758 ca. Egg Shaped Toilet Case With Clock.

1808 Blue Grey Redingote With Short Puffed Sleeves Over Long Straight Sleeves. #Regency #JaneAusten #Fashion

Suzi Love Posted on by

1808 Blue Grey Redingote, French. High waist, coordinating trim, short puffed sleeves over long straight sleeves, yellow striped bandana in her hair, yellow gloves and yellow walking boots. Jane Austen and her female contemporaries wore coats like these when outdoors because they needed the warmth over the fashionable light muslin dresses that all women wore. Redingotes could be both comfortable and decorative. They often had military elements in support of the thousands of men involved in ongoing wars. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.

Definition Redingote Or Pelisse Or Walking Dress Or Coat: Long fitted outdoor coat worn over other garments for warmth. Often left open at the front to show off the dress underneath. French word developed from English words, riding coat.

 Bandeau: Narrow strip or band worn around head to confine hair. Made of either twisted fabric, length of pearls, flowers, jewels or feathers. From the French word for “strip.

1808 Blue Grey Redingote, French. High waist, coordinating trim, short puffed sleeves over long yellow straight sleeves, yellow striped bandana in her hair, yellow gloves and yellow walking boots. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
HN_26_D2D_FsshionWomen1805-1809 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1805-1809
HN_26_D2D_FsshionWomen1805-1809

1811 Red Cashmere Evening Dress Over white Undershirt With Puffed Sleeves. #Regency #JaneAusten #Fashion

Suzi Love Posted on by

1811 Evening Dress, French. Red cashmere dress over white under shirt with short puffed sleeves, carrying a white shawl, long white gloves, earrings and white evening shoes. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien. Though this is a French fashion plate, the outfit is typical of the dresses worn by Jane Austen and her contemporaries. An Empire style, or high-waisted, dress with a white underdress and for warmth there is an extra layer with the shawl.

Definition Cashmere: Soft, fine wool, historically used for costly dress fabric, usually in twill weave. Originally made of yarn handspun from the wool of Cashmere goats but later from other soft wools. Used for dresses, infants’ coats.

HN_27_D2D_FashWomen1810-1814 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashion1810-1814
27_D2D_FashWomen1810-1814

1804–1805 ca. Jane Austen Style Evening Dress, French. #RegencyFashion #JaneAusten #HistoricalFashion #dress

Suzi Love Posted on by

1804–1805 ca. Evening Dress, French. Narrow white dress of sheer cotton mull, probably from India, and with sheer short sleeves, extra wide neckline, vertical white embroidery which was very fashionable at the time.  The cotton fabric was probably imported from India already embroidered with heavy white cotton thread in transparent mull. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, this sort of dress was considered shocking and immodest after the wider hooped dresses of the eighteenth century. This style of dress was worn by most women in Jane Austen’s time, but only the wealthy could afford the best quality mull.  Vertical white embroidery was very fashionable in the early 1800s, with the sheer cotton mull probably imported from India already embroidered with this heavy white cotton thread. These daring items of clothing copied the Grecian idea of loosely draped clothing and were the first of many changes to women’s outfits. Heavy fabrics were abandoned, especially in summer, in favor of lighter materials that allowed women to move about easier.

From the museum curator:  “On December 24, 1803, Jerome Bonaparte (1784—1860), brother of Napoleon, wed Elizabeth Patterson (1785—1879) of Baltimore. The beautiful and fashionable young American was married in a dress of muslin and lace that, according to a contemporary, “would fit easily into a gentleman’s pocket.”  Although originally thought to have been Patterson’s wedding dress, the formal gown illustrated here probably dates from 1804, when this type of vertical white embroidery became fashionable. Napoleon had the marriage annulled in 1805. Jerome was made king of Westphalia in 1807 and he married the princess of Wurttemberg. Elizabeth, banned from France by the emperor, remained in Baltimore with her son, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte (1805—1870). Metropolitan Museum, New York City, USA. 

1804-1805 ca. Front View Of White Cotton Mull Gown With Vertical White Embroidery, French. Vertical white embroidery was very fashionable in the early 1800s, with the sheer cotton mull probably imported from India already embroidered with this heavy white cotton thread. These daring items of clothing copied the Grecian idea of loosely draped clothing and were the first of many changes to women’s outfits. Heavy fabrics were abandoned, especially in summer, in favor of lighter materials that allowed women to move about easier. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1804-1805 ca. Front View Of White Cotton Mull Gown With Vertical White Embroidery, French. Vertical white embroidery was very fashionable in the early 1800s, with the sheer cotton mull probably imported from India already embroidered with this heavy white cotton thread. These daring items of clothing copied the Grecian idea of loosely draped clothing and were the first of many changes to women’s outfits. Heavy fabrics were abandoned, especially in summer, in favor of lighter materials that allowed women to move about easier. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1804-1805 ca. Back View Of White Cotton Mull Gown With Vertical White Embroidery, French. Vertical white embroidery was very fashionable in the early 1800s, with the sheer cotton mull probably imported from India already embroidered with this heavy white cotton thread. These daring items of clothing copied the Grecian idea of loosely draped clothing and were the first of many changes to women’s outfits. Heavy fabrics were abandoned, especially in summer, in favor of lighter materials that allowed women to move about easier. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1804-1805 ca. Front View Of White Cotton Mull Gown With Vertical White Embroidery, French. Vertical white embroidery was very fashionable in the early 1800s, with the sheer cotton mull probably imported from India already embroidered with this heavy white cotton thread. These daring items of clothing copied the Grecian idea of loosely draped clothing and were the first of many changes to women’s outfits. Heavy fabrics were abandoned, especially in summer, in favor of lighter materials that allowed women to move about easier. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum.org
1804-1805 ca. White Gowns. Vertical embroidery down the front of two white cotton mull dresses. Outer fabric is transparent and both dresses have long trains, short square bodices, and short sleeves. via Metropolitan Museum New York City, U.S.A. metmuseum
HN_25_D2D_fashwomen1801-1804 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1801-1804
HN_25_D2D_fashwomen1801-1804 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashionWomen1801-1804

1811 Black Half-Mourning Dress With High White Neck Ruffle as worn in Jane Austen’s years. #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #Mourning

Suzi Love Posted on by

1811 Half-Mourning Dress, French. Black dress, high white neck ruffle, black hat with white trim and white shoes. Jane Austen and her family would have worn this type of outfit when mourning a relative or friend. However, as black dresses, black tunics, and black lace shawls were popular throughout the Regency years, it is often hard to decide what was definitely made for mourning and what was simply fashionable wear. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.

In November, 1810, Princess Amelia, youngest daughter of George III, died. At the end of 1810 full mourning of complete black would have been worn but by the beginning of 1811, half mourning would still have been to respect the loss of a royal family member. Half-mourning allowed touches of silver, grey, mauve and white to be added to a mostly black outfit and would be worn after the period of full mourning was ended, times depending on the relationship to the deceased person. Garments and accessories could either be trimmed with black, jet jewelry worn, black ribbons added, or a layer of black net or gauze added to a dress or hat. 

Definition Half or Slight Mourning: Allowed touches of grey and white to be added to full, or deep, mourning ensembles. Some lustre, or shine, was allowed in fabrics and accessories. After a time, mauve or deep purple could also be worn. https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashion1810-1814

1811 Half-Mourning Dress, French. Black dress, high white neck ruffle, black hat with white trim and white shoes. Fashion Plate via Journal des Dames et des Modes, or Costume Parisien.
1811 Black Half-Mourning Dress With High White Neck Ruffle as worn in Jane Austen’s years. #JaneAusten #RegencyFashion #Mourning https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashion1810-1814
Post On X
HN_27_D2D_FashWomen1810-1814 https://books2read.com/SuziLoveFashion1810-1814