The cover for the new edition of Ribeiro's "Fashion in the French Revolution." Coming June 2026!

Darbazi St George church built in the 13th century, before and after renovation. georgiantravelguide.com/en/darbazis-...

An engraving depicting the first son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Louis Joseph, being presented to his father.

Marie Antoinette, the former queen of France, was executed on October 16th, 1793. According to a revolutionary journal, as she walked up the steps to the scaffold, she stepped on the executioner's foot, uttering: "Pardon me, monsieur. I did not do it on purpose."

At her trial, Marie Antoinette was accused of becoming "master over [Louis XVI’s] feeble character," forcing him to "do anything bad," and that he followed her destructive advice to the letter. Her response: "I never knew him to have that character you are speaking of."

On October 14th, 1793, Marie Antoinette was brought to trial. The conclusion of the trial had already been decided upon--the hand-picked jurors were told "national vengeance is in your hands." The trial lasted 2 days, ending in the early hours of the 16th.

I hope bluesky lets us schedule posts soon...

"You have to be a mother and have heard your children ask for bread you cannot give them to know the level of despair to which this misfortune can bring you… her pain makes her capable of doing anything..." Élisabeth Guénard on the Women's March on Versailles of 1789.

The White Rose: "Why does the German people behave so apathetically in the face of all these abominable crimes...? Hardly anyone wonders or worries about it. It is accepted as a fact and put out of mind... [This] encourages these fascist criminals [to] carry on with their savageries..."

Also reading the ARC! Or should say, I received it, haven't had a chance to dive in yet.

Yes, they bathed at Versailles... and had toilet facilities, too.

Ordered my copy of the exhibition book!

Another myth for the book, as I've seen it a few times now. Marie Antoinette was not dressed in only a chemise at her execution. She was wearing a white gown over the fresh chemise that she kept, this was not a forced "sexual humiliation" as the author's suggesting here.

A 19th century cabinet card of a woman and her cat. Taken at W.E. Service, of Bridgeton.

Aileen Ribeiro's "Fashion in the French Revolution" is getting a new edition next year!

From a 1902 study on the history of smallpox in Europe. According to the study, prior to the development of the vaccination, smallpox accounted for an estimated 65% of all deaths in Berlin. Those percentages dropped to 2% by 1822, as the vaccination became widespread.

Royal families were at the forefront of vaccine support in the early 1800s. Frederick William III of Prussia, on vaccinations: "...one of the first duties of fathers, mothers, guardians, educators, masters, and all authorities that are entrusted with lives of children is to give them this blessing."

The Iron Maiden Never Existed – But Louis XI’s Medieval Prison Reforms Did www.medievalists.net/2025/05/iron... #History

"To Trianon tonight? It is my pleasure." The first card in a "costume fantasy" postcard series telling the story of a couple visiting the Petit Trianon for a romantic rendezvous. From my collection.

RR auctions listing a letter where Marie Antoinette gives two servants extra money for food as "Marie Antoinette Document, Ordering Payment for Extravagant Royal Household Expenditures Amidst the French Revolution" is extra funny to me.

‘Storming of the Tuileries on 10. Aug. 1792’ by Jean Duplessis-Bertaux, 1793.

A portrait of a woman by Pierre-Louis Bouvier Genève, circa late 18th or early 19th century.

An allegory of poetry by Elisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, 1774. Set to be auctioned by Artcurial.

I do love how easily accessible the Versailles plans are nowadays... you can access them with a few clicks of a button and see all the toilet rooms.

Sometimes people get really mad when you point out that Schama's 'Citizens' is considered notorious in French Revolution historiography and I think that's pretty funny.

"... today I wondered: Will anybody ever be able to understand what it was like to live through this appalling tempest at the age of twenty, at the age when you are ready to grasp life’s beauty, when you are completely ready to trust in humanity?" Oct 1943, Hélène Berr.

From the opening of Edith Blackman's "War Time Cookery," a book designed to educate American readers how to create wasteless meals and substitute out ingredients "most needed by our men and Allies, without radically changing the daily menu or method of living."

A short review of "Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers": www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

A c. 1781 table predicting childhood survival, based on a study by R. Bland of 1872 women; Bland's intent was to study data regarding "...the great mortality of the human species, particularly in infancy, and the small chance a child has to attain the years of maturity..."

A fabric brooch based on Jacques Fabien Gautier d'Agoty’s (1716-1785) study of a female spine. It was sold around 2014 at the Chateau de Versailles boutique, sadly I missed out on it!

An anti-revolutionary engraving ("The Sieve of the Revolution") which depicts various members of clergy and nobility (including the duc d'Orleans) falling through the 'sieve' of the revolution while others, including the royal family, remain above.

Sophie Hélène, the fourth child born to Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, died on 19 June, 1787. The infant girl died after a series of convulsions. After her death, Marie Antoinette referred to her as "my little angel." The image on the left is the only confirmed image of Sophie.

A miniature of Marie Antoinette by an unidentified artist, 18th century. Set to be auctioned by Libert & Associés.

"... Marie Antoinette creates a parallel court in her own orbit, with a relaxed etiquette and courtiers chosen by affinity rather than birth. But in keeping the court at a distance, Marie Antoinette is closing herself in. The Petit Trianon ... becomes a world in itself."

Going down the 1900 Paris Exhibition American employee salary rabbit hole... a very specific rabbit hole, to be sure.

"The Bum Shop," a caricature from 1785, satirizing women's fashion.

Members of the Third Estate asked to see Louis XVI on the day of his son Louis Joseph's death and the two days afterward, which he refused. When they insisted on visiting him on June 7th, he said bitterly: "So there are no fathers among the Third Estate?"

Louis Joseph Xavier François, the second child and first son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, died on June 4th, 1789 due to complications from tuberculosis. He was seven years old.

A unique business card of Titanic survivor Hamad Hassab, who worked as a guide for Henry and Myra Harper in Egypt and was invited to accompany them back to America on the Titanic. All three (and the couple's dog) survived. Set to be auctioned by Swann Auction Galleries.

A pink diamond that belonged to Marie-Thérèse Charlotte, and which may have been part of Marie Antoinette's collection before the revolution. The current owner had the piece re-set by Joel Arthur Rosenthal ("JAR") into this current setting. Set to be auctioned by Christie's.

A miniature of Marie Antoinette by an unidentified artist. Set to be auctioned by Guillaume Le Floc'h SVV

Two dresses designed by Lucille: a black velvet dress and a delicate white silk chiffon dress. These designs were featured in a 1925 edition of 'Très Parisien...La Mode, Le Chic, L'Élégance.'

"To the Memory of the Titanic," a poem written by 11-year old Hazel Eastlick in 1912. It was published in the "Evening Capital News," alongside a short article noting that the local schools were exploring types of curriculum they'd never done before.

From 'The Daily Arkansas Gazette,' 1892.

On the morning of his execution, Louis XVI removed his wedding ring and handed it to his valet, Jean-Baptiste Cléry, saying: "[Give] this ring to the queen; tell her that I part from it with pain and only at the last moment."

On May 16th, 1770, Marie Antoinette of Austria and Louis Auguste of France were married in a lavish wedding ceremony at Versailles. The wedding of the couple marked a renewed alliance between their respective countries. The pair were 14 and 15 at the time of their marriage.

I hope bluesky will let you schedule posts soon! I know there are third party apps that can apparently do it, but I prefer integrated scheduling...

An interesting book coming in October 2025 from Bloomsbury Visual Arts! 'Versailles Mirror: The power of Luxury, Louis XIV to Donald Trump.'

On May 10th, 1774, Louis XV died--leaving his grandson, Louis-Auguste, as the new king. On May 10th, 1794, Élisabeth de France, the sister of Louis XVI, was guillotined alongside more than two dozen others.