Office Decorating Tips

I must direct your attention to Lauren's latest post which discusses something of importance: decorating your cubicle so it doesn't resemble the 7th layer of hell. In the latest installment of What Would Marie Do? some poor soul asks how to amend her dreary cubicle and Lauren has turned it to the readers for answers. You might just love some of the fabulous ideas or want to add your own two cents!

The Gossip Guides Blogiversary Celebration!

Copyright 2009 Heather Carroll

It's hard to believe, but it was a year ago that Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide to the 18th Century and The Duchess of Devonshire's Guide to the 18th Century came to fruition. This coming Friday marks our first blogiversary!

I don't even know where to begin in expressing how amazing the experience has been. When we began this endeavor, Lauren and I never expected to meet so many fantastic people and have been truly privileged to receive the many graces bestowed upon us through the blogs.

But enough of that blather! What would Marie and Georgie do? Celebrate of course! Throw a party? Yes! But what kind of party? It seems it would only be appropriate to throw a GOSSIP PARTY and everyone (of course) is invited! Even though it is our b-day, we're going to give out gifts to you in the form of Georgiana's amazing biography by Amanda Foreman or The Duchess DVD (region 1) that you can win. All you have to do to qualify is participate in the Gossip Party by spreading some 18th century gossip of your own.

18th Century Gossip Party Rules

How to Enter:
Email your favorite piece of 18th century gossip to Lauren or Heather. This can be gossip you have read here and would like to spread, or new gossip that hasn't been published on the blogs before. French Gossip to Heather will not be accepted, nor English to Lauren. However, juicy 18th century gossip from other countries will be accepted to either. Entries will be accepted through Thursday May 7.

Rules:
1. 18th Century Gossip can be no longer than 3 sentences.
2. You may only enter 1 piece of gossip per website.
3. Subject line must be 18th Century Gossip.
4. Specify if you prefer to enter for a book, a movie or either at the bottom of the email.

Gossip Example:
Did you hear that Mary Wortley totally dumped Clotworthy Skeffington!?
(Feel free to get more creative than that!)


The Gossip Party will officially be held on 8 May and will be like a two salon party between Lauren's blog and my own. So you can participate in both, and should!

Puce

Puce is perhaps a better topic (and colour) for Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide, but it was very much of interest to fashionable gentry in England as well!

The invention of "puce" is an amusing story in itself. Every fashion in France had to have a special name and these ranged from the basic to the downright humorous (ie: dauphin's poo). The socially awkward Louis never knew how to tell his wife how to ease up on the extravagant fashions and attempted many methods that all failed. Being straightforward is always the best policy says I! One day when he walked in on the queen trying on a new dress, he attempted to discourage her with the mean humour common at court. As Caroline Weber tells, in Queen of Fashion, "When the Queen asked her husband how he liked the confection, which was made from taffeta of an odd pinkish-tan hue, he replied laconically: 'It is the color of a flea [puce].'" The plan backfired, and the queen (and everyone else with her) loved the nickname for the colour and it stuck.

When Lady Spencer visited France in 1775 she noticed the trend in full-force,

"I have no material intelligence to give you except that you can wear no colour that is not either dos de puce or ventre de puce, it is the uniform at Fontainebleau and the only colour that can be worn..."

A few days later she wrote again to Georgiana to tell her she bought her a coat of ventre de puce but had yet to find her something nice in dos de puce. The following month Lady Clermont wrote to Georgiana to tell her

"[Marie Antoinette] has desire'd me to wear the uniform, which is a polonaise, couleur de puce."

I'm guessing she did too! You can't reject fashion advice from the Queen of Fashion! It is probably safe to say that the Empress of Fashion (as Walpole dubbed Georgiana) had already sent in her order for a polonaise in puce as soon as these letters had reached her.

Happy Birthday Lauren!

I have to take this opportunity to wish my partner-in-crime, Lauren a very Happy Birthday! The only suitable party worthy of this Marie Antoinette aficionado would have to contain an elegant croquembouche served on these fabulous desert plates. Happy Birthday Lauren, party like an archduchess!

Powder Me

For those who are unaware, Lauren has posted her December giveaway and I think you will all just love it! We all know how essential powder was to the 18th century lady; well Lauren has a little side-project where she has been making her own. These fine powders are scented and each represent a different fine 18th century femme or tart. Head on over to her post and leave a comment in order to qualify to win your favourite lady's powder.

Vatene in Pace Alma Beata e Bella

As Lauren reminded us today, it is the sad 215th anniversary of Marie Antoinette's execution. For the best visual of how horrible this experience was for her I would recommend reading, My Lady Scandalous by Jo Manning, who paints a horrifying picture of how awful this execution really was (blood, guts, stink, the whole bit).

As you can imagine, Georgiana was distraught when she heard of her friend's death. She was haunted by the image of her final moments:

"The impression of the Queen's death is constantly before my eyes, how anxious I am to know how my dr sister will bear it.* Besides the admiration that is universally felt for her and the horror at the barbarians, her answers, her cleverness, composure, greatness of mind blaze forth in double splendour, and the horror of making the child appear against her is what one shd have hop'd that the mind of man was incapible of..."

*Harriet met MA while she got her education in a French Convent and was also close to the queen.

True Story

For the Francophiles and curiosity-seekers who may remember my review of The Affair of the Necklace, a couple of weeks ago you may want to venture to the sister blog for a bit. Lauren has posted the true background of the film's heroine, Jeanne de la Motte. I was surprised to find that Madame de la Motte really did faint in front of the queen in order to get her attention. Do venture over!



(For those who found this entry seeking the true story of The Duchess, I suggestion you click the link to the left)

Feather Fanatics

If you recall the post on feathers a few months ago detailing Georgiana's notorious love of feathers you might like what Lauren posted today. I am forever amused in the many ways Louis XVI passively attempted to curb Marie Antoinette's fashion appetites.

Tea for Two

Lauren and I were discussing the dinnerware of our favourite ladies which turned into an exchange of china. But why should we hog all this fabulous information to ourselves? There has got to be others out there who would also like to see Marie Antoinette and Georgiana's respected dining sets. The above is what I ran across at a visit to Chatsworth and you will find Marie's Petite Triannon set here.

Mother Knows Best

It is an understatement to say that there were many similarities between Marie Antoinette and Georgiana, in life, personality, and company. Maybe the reason for their parallel lives is their extremely similar mothers. Through their lives their mothers wrote to them frequently, bestowing their motherly advice. Both ladies struggled to please their mothers but found it hard, especially with all the wonderful temptations out in the world. So Lauren and I would like to present a new series so we can bestow the well-meant advice of Lady Spencer and Maria Theresa on you, so you can ignore it as well. While Marie Antoinette's Gossip Guide updates you on Maria Theresa's ideas for perfection, I shall relay Lady Spencer's.

But first, here is a little bit about the busy-body Spencer matron.

Born Georgiana Poyntz, she married John Spencer, the 1st Earl of Spencer in 1755. Their courtship was short, John was totally smitten with her. He proposed to her by quickly drawing her aside before she left for home one night and presenting her with a diamond and ruby ring, engraved inside it, in French, it read "My heart is yours. Keep it well." She was smart, fluent in Greek, and a lover and composer of music. She was also very opinionated. Georgiana was her first child, and Lady Spencer found herself totally in love with the baby girl (see the above Reynolds). She remained her favorite child of the couple's three. It is probably because of this over-affection that Lady Spencer put so much pressure on Georgiana to make the right decisions. This advice never ceased throughout Georgiana's marriage and to the end of her life.

"Here commences our correspondence, my dear Georgiana from which I propose myself more real pleasure than I can express, but the greatest part of it will vanish if I do not find you treat me with that entire Confidence that my heart expects."

September 25, 1774

History Repeats Itself

After I did my picture hat quotable this morning Lauren has done me the pleasure of taking it into her hands to compare the 1980s NYC club scene with 18th century court society herself. She did an excellent job and you can read it here, which you should definitely do because she drew some interesting comparisons.

Gossip: Hysterics

Hysterics is a hot topic with Lauren and I lately. Not only is it a great example of my personality in the last few weeks but something used to describe a female condition usually accompanied by "fits." I was telling her about a detailed account of Elizabeth Chudleigh's hysterics, of which the woman seemed to have mastered like an art form. She has a great post about them here.

me: I'm so sick of being upset

Lauren: what happened?

me: nothing

it's just driving me crazy

all these "emotions"

Lauren: hysterics. you need a snuff box