Icons of Fashion: Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette
Copyright of Ingrid Mida, Mixed Media, 8x10, 2008

I've noticed that whenever I write about Marie Antoinette, I attract a new audience to my blog. Clearly there are a lot of fans of this fashion icon. Thank you to those of you who have offered your comments and encouragement. Sometimes it can be lonely being an artist and a writer and I love to hear what you have to say!

I'd like to share lovely blog sites that I've discovered. These sites are beautifully composed, with stunning images and solid writing. These sites include:
Enchanted by Josephine by Lucy Bertoldi
The Duchess of Devonshire's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century by Heather Carroll
Versailles and More by Catherine Delors

As well, some of my postings about Marie Antoinette will be re-posted on a yahoo group site about Marie Antoinette: http:groups.yahoo.com/group/Images_of_Marie_Antoinette/

Welcome to all my new blogging friends!

Marie Antoinette and Empress Josephine

Ivory Miniature of the Empress Josephine by Ferdinand Quaglia, 1814

Empress Josephine was a style maven of her time. According to Dr. Alice Mackrell in her book "Art and Fashion" (Batsford Books, 2005) , Empress Josephine was "inspired by the example of Queen Marie Antoinette whom she saw as a kindred spirit." Apparently Josephine also surrounded herself at Malmaison with furnishings that had belonged to the Queen.

There is another curious connection between Queen Marie Antoinette and Empress Josephine. Jean-Baptiste Isabey, a painter, initially began his career in 1785 by painting snuffboxes. He received the royal patronage of Marie Antoinette, painting portrait miniatures for her as well as designing clothes for the queen. After the revolution, he rose to even greater fame after painting several portrait miniatures of the Emperor Napolean and Empress Josephine. These became "so celebrated that reproductions of them decorated the snuffboxes of the fashionable."