Toile Part 3: Violette

While Marie-Antoinette adored her private world of Petit Trianon, she was also quite the social butterfly.  And with nearly 300 dresses made each year to accommodate all her social engagements at the theater, at court, and at her own private parties, many from the brilliant dress maker, Rose Bertin, how could she stay at home for too long?  France was totally enamored with the young dauphine and later queen-consort for many years.  If the queen loved it, it was sure to instantly become high-fashion, and the queen loved toile.  I imagine she would have been just as gaga for this pink toile Violette princess dress from JessaKae as I am.  To be sure it has a heavy Antoinette influence.

The last and final installment in our Toile series will explore the high life surrounding Toile fabric as well as the plight of the worker.  As I mentioned in my previous post, Marie Antoinette, the queen of all things couture, whose style endures to this day, simple adored Toile prints, in particular those of Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf whose illustrated toile prints set the standard.  

But, toile didn't end in the French court.  The style was making its way across Europe and England and was picked up by visiting American dignitary, Benjamin Franklin who sent it home to his wife.  

Thomas Jefferson decorated Monticello in Toile, and if these elites were stylin' it, then virtually every fashionable home was following suit.  America's revolution was over and cotton was readily available for printing on what was then called "curious copperplate print," so it was only natural that toile abounded in the newly free America.  The winds of revolution however were just beginning to turn into a tempest in Europe.  

While Oberkampf's ethics in gaining his knowledge of toile production are highly questionable, he was wise to treat his workers rather well and use his illustrations to depict scenes of the workers' life in illustrations such as Les Travaux de la Manufacture" in 1783.  Oberkampf endeared himself to the common man by expressing his knowledge and admiration for the worker.  When revolution swept through France and his devoted patroness, Marie Antoinette, lost her head, Oberkampf's factory remained untouched and production continued as usual. 

Toile may have eventually experienced some decline as a new century emerged, and fresh new takes on home decor and fabric emerged from the likes of the pre-Raphaelites like William Morris and the eventually gave way to the geometric styles of Art Deco, toile has never fully disappeared from the decorative landscape.  It remains a charming timeless symbol of elegance and refinement.

Shopping Info:  Violette Dress-$250 From Jessa Kae.  Use this link to save $10 when you shop

References: 

https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/rose-bertin

https://12tomatoes.com/toile-fabric-history/

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/221839

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