Jewellery Fit for Gossip Girls

Well, I am an absolute sucker for jewellery inspired by jewels in historical portraits. Actually there are lots of historical portrait inspired things I know both Heather and I just love. This ranges from a desperate need to own a set of these wine glasses ->, and our undying appreciation of Project Runway Season 4 Episode 11. <3>



Anyway! So I came across these and had to share. Jewellery based on the gems worn by Mrs. Graham in her portrait in the National Galleries of Scotland. They are beautifully made, and I adore the gold detail around the garnet- and I usually don’t care for yellow gold! This just works. I included a close up so you can see the detail in the portrait, they are quite close! I will probably be posting more historical pieces like these in the future!

The Honeymoon is over!

After the wedding décor was taken down and married life began, husband and wife were happy as could be. But...of course! Of course there were little problems here and there. Louis XVI did not always agree with her fashion sense and he did not agree with some of her hair styles either.

He also had little tendencies that bothered Marie. One was his over eating at meals! And you know she hinted to it and let him know, because that is what ladies do! But one day Louis had terrible indigestion and Marie, ‘had all the dishes containing pastry removed from his table and peremptorily forbade any more pastry to be served until further notice.’

Ha!

Quotables: Mirabeau

"France will always need an aristocracy."

FROM SOUVENIRS ET PORTRAITS

Belles and Sleighs: Could it be Marie Antoinette?

France suffered a harsh winter in 1775. When the New Year began there was plenty of snow covering the streets and gardens at Versailles and through Paris. The weather caused hundreds of people to catch the flu, and made necessities hard to obtain. Things were not at all easy.

The fluffy bed of snow did provide some pleasures, however. There was enough on the ground for sleigh-riding, and this was a fun tradition in Austria. Marie Antoinette was very happy at this opportunity to take pleasure in a familiar childhood activity. The tradition also existed in France, as Louis XVI’s father use to enjoy a winter sleigh-ride from time to time and there were an abundance of sleighs brought out during French winters. That January Marie wrote about it:

“There is so great a quantity of snow here that nothing like it has been seen for years; so we go in sleighs as we used to do in Vienna.”

Marie’s sleigh was decorated with feathers and little bells that jingled with the horses movements through the park at Versailles.

“We were driving yesterday, and to-day there is a great “course” in Paris; but as they have never yet seen a Queen take part in one, they would invent stories, and I would rather give up the pleasure than be bothered by more stories.”

MARIE ANTOINETTE, VERSAILLES 14 JANUARY 1776

Well she had right to worry about stories because it was not long before women of many different classes were taking masked sleigh-rides through Paris at night. People of course began to talk as sleighs drove by at night with masked passengers.

It could have been the Queen!
Did you see her!
Was that the Queen?
Who was she with!!

And a general idea that every sleigh that went by contained (or could have contained) the Queen incognito made fuel for troublesome stories of frivolity and fault.

It was not long after this Marie stopped going out on sleigh-rides.

Just for fun!

Just because I am a big Vivien Leigh fan, and Mythosidhe pointed out the fabulousness of the hat in the below post, I am putting these up of Vivien as Lady Hamilton from That Hamilton Woman.

They're off in Saratoga! Hats off That is....

A Sunday Tradition in these parts is to go to the horse races dressed to impress. And that means don’t forget the hat. Heather and I chose hats from the 1780’s, and they were quite the buzz last Sunday.

Fashionable ladies from the past were, clearly, known to grace the tracks! In 1779, in England, few lady-patronesses graced the turf, but among the few you could sill find Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire!

In 1776 a horse track was built in France, near Fontainebleau, modeled after those in England. In a letter to Maria Theresa, Comte de Mercy described it as, “a puerile parody,’’ and goes on to explain that a special stand was built for Marie Antoinette to view the races from. Her stand was surrounded by a, “concourse of unsuitable persons, young and ill-clothed, making much confusion and noise.”

Well he was just not a fan of races!

"I went to the first race-day on horse back; and I took great care to keep in the crowd at some distance from the Queen's pavilion, into which all the young men entered, booted and en chenille [riding dress]. In the evening the Queen, who had perceived me, asked me, while at play, why I did not come up into her pavilion at the races. I answered, loudly enough to be heard by the many feather-pates present, that the reason I had not come was that I was in riding boots and dress and that I had never been accustomed to imagine one could appear before the Queen in such attire."

He was just as miserable on the second race-day, appalled at the Queen and Madame Elisabeth being there and at the Comte d'Artois (right) who was running about placing enormous bets and whining about how sick he was of always being cheated at both races and cards.

But how devoted were our fashionable ladies?

“Of Balls at the Opera, where the Queen stayed all night, came back to Versailles at half-past six in the morning and went off again at ten to the races.”

COMTE DE MERCY

Dedication!

Well, I am off to the races now, (with a bit more than 3 ½ hours of sleep!)

About Her...

"The Queen liked to be surrounded by the most agreeable young men that the Court could offer; she was far more willing to accept the homage that was offered to her as a woman than that which was offered to her as a Queen."

COMTESSE DE BOIGNE

Femme of the Week: Princesse de Lamballe

Marie Thérèse Louise Carignan, Priness of Savoy was born on the 8^th of September 1749. She was just a little girl when her marriage was arranged to the Prince de Lamballe. His parents, the Duke and Duchesse de Penthièvre were more than excited to have secured this marriage.

The Duke asked the little girl if she would like to be the consort of the Prince Lamballe and she replied ‘Yes, I am very fond of music!’ ‘No, my dear, I mean would you have any objection to become his wife?’ Being a carefree child she cheerfully replied ‘No, nor any other person’s!’

Well her story is a well known one beginning with friendship with the Queen and ending in tragedy. And after gathering my 'Femme' resources I decided I cannot put her whole story here. So I am going to start with the early years!

When she was but 17 she was to marry the Prince de Lamballe. The wedding was set for Janurary 17, 1767. The Prince was so excited to see his future wife, that he rode out to where she was staying before the ceremony, Montereau, and introduced himself as a page or something of that nature. He offered her a bouquet in the name of the Prince, and all the while could hardly contain his excitement. For she far exceeded the expectations he had of her, she had clear blue eyes and golden blond hair, a darling figure and she was funny and spontaneous. The two hit it off, and need not mention the puppy love surprise she held when she saw her page at the alter.

They celebrated for 10 days after the wedding and the two were indeed happy. Not long after however, the Prince fell into wild ways. Infact, his father knew of his 'wild' behavior before the marriage and hoped the Princess would straighten him out. Well she did at first but he slipped! He was in need of money and sold his wifes diamonds (wedding diamonds!) and then he left! His father found him soon after, but he was not himself. He was dying.

“He [the Prince] soon became prey of every refinement upon dissipation and studied debauchery, til at length his sufferings made his life a burden, and he died in the most excruciating agonies both of mind and body, in the arms of a disconsolate wife.”

Now according to her memoir's, she became close friends with her sister-on-law Louise-Marie de Bourbon Penthièvre. Louise-Marie’s husband, the, dare I say sleezy, Duc De Chartres made it known to Princess Lamballe that he wanted her. The young princess rejected his advances, and in retaliation for being humiliated, the Duc de Chartres allegedly re-exposed or rather encouraged the Prince de Lamballe to a life of debauchery.

16 months after their wedding the Prince died of venereal disease. At the impressionable and emotional age of 18 years old the Princess was a widow, completely stressed out, heart broke, and just crushed. Things were not going right and that is the opening to the pathetic story of the Princess de Lamballe

Royal Rings

Louis XVI removed two rings before he was executed 21 January 1793. Each ring he had always worn, one he wore ever since his wedding to Marie. The other was a silver seal.




The gold ring opened and inside it was inscribed with:

M.A.A.A., 19 Aprilis, 1770, jour des fiançailles, à Vienne, de Marie-Antoinette, Archiduchesse d’Autriche, et de Louis-Auguste, Dauphin de France

The other ring was a seal. It was silver and had three openings. One displayed the letters L.L., one the helmeted head of the dauphin, and the other the shield of France.

Some Feathers and Bows Never Hurt!

I hope everyone enjoys the new Gossip Guides! (Georgie & Marie) We have upgraded and will continue to share fun tidbits from the past! We had some helpful advice from Mozart, whose fabulous site inspired us to update things. If you have any suggestions or comments for either of the sites please send them to either:
MarieAntoinetteGossip@gmail.com (Lauren) or
GeorgianaGossip@gmail.com (Heather).

Okay back to the gossip ..... *waves fan*