Toile Part 2: Antoinette

I remember on my tour through the great palace of Versailles the tour guide commenting that although she was Austrian born, and although the tide later turned against her, Marie-Antoinette contributed much to what is classically considered "French." 

It was Marie that welcomed in so many artists that became attributed to the French style. It was Marie that introduced the French to their beloved croissants, which had long been a staple in Austrian cuisine.  And Marie-Antoinette was bonkers for Toile de Jouy.  As part of her welcoming of artists, Marie-embraced the style of German dyer Christoph Oberkampf.  Oberkampf, like his father before him, made fabric.  Upon hearing of a new technique developed by Frances Nixon in Ireland, Oberkampf high-tailed it to the emerald isles to work as an apprentice for Nixon.  He learned, and then stole, the technique  before hoofing it back to France to set up shop now that the ban on imported cotton had been lifted.

There were two sides to the little dauphine who would later become, at the tender age of 19, queen-consort of France.  One side was her vivacious public persona and her fashion forward style is still admired around the globe, but let's save that topic for part three in this series.  It's the other side of the queen that I want to discuss in this post, the side that longed for quiet and nature.  Is it any wonder that she was drawn to the rustic pastoral scenes depicted on Oberkampf's cotton fabrics.

Upon their ascension to the throne, King Louis XVI gifted Marie-Antoinette with her very own Petit Trianon, a chateau built during his grandfather's reign complete with the rustic retreat Hameau de la Reine.  Marie transformed them into a mock rural village, complete with farm animals and actual peasants, where she could play at a simpler life.   She wanted to gather eggs, have picnics on the lawn and wear simpler, lighter dresses. 

Marie was a great admirer of Oberkampf and actually took her children to visit his factory on multiple occasions.  Oberkampf let the children watch the production and even help with some of the printing.  They invariably returned home with dye stained hands which infuriated their nanny but created much laughter for Marie and her husband the king who himself liked nothing better than working with his hands and would often stop to help peasants fix farm machinery as he drove by in his carriage.  (Sounds like a monster worthy of execution, doesn't he!)  I imagine them as a close little family desperate for a quieter life such as those depicted in her beloved toile prints, and grasping for as much of that life as they could.

This Antoinette dress in pink and white toile print are a lovely example of a combination of two sides of Marie's style.  The cultured toile in a simple yet timeless cotton dress.  Alas, with one foot in the palace and one in the mock-countryside it would all eventually come crashing down.  But, like many beautiful things, it had a perfect moment of enjoyment and long after Marie was gone, her contributions to French culture remain.   This topic will be continued in one more post about Toile fabric, so check back with me on Friday.

Shopping Info: Antoinette Dress-$87.99 from Ivy City Co.  Use this link to save 10% off your purchase.

References: 

Castelo, Andre.  1957.  Queen of France.

https://fredericmagazine.com/2020/11/toile-jill-lasersohn-fabric-design