Tea at Trianon: The Banyan

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, November 7, 2010

The Banyan

What every fashionable eighteenth century gentleman wore in his leisure hours. To quote:

The banyan, a fashionable and loose man's indoor garment made with exotic fabric, is thought to have originated from the gown worn by the Hindi in India. From the seventeenth century it was used for indoor wear over the shirt and breeches with a cap instead of a wig and was also apparently worn for receiving close friends at home or for morning walks. [Historical Fashion in Detail, by Avril Hart]

Bad Catholic said...: Looks comfortable! Maybe this garment should make a fashion come-back.; November 7, 2010 at 7:51:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: I think so!; November 7, 2010 at 8:45:00 AM EST
Julygirl said...: I was just thinking the opposite....that none of the clothing of the time look comfortable.....but are beautiful, unlike todays T-shirts and jeans which are comfortable but look awful, and are definitely not flattering to most of today's bods.; November 7, 2010 at 3:44:00 PM EST
P. M. Doolan said...: Where can I get one?; November 8, 2010 at 4:55:00 AM EST
Leah Marie Brown said...: Bonjour Elena ~

It looks like we posted similar blog entries again! Great minds really do think alike ;)

PM Doolan asked where they might get a Banyan. If you would not mind directing them to my blog entry, I list two places to purchase them.

http://leahmariebrownhistoricals.blogspot.com/2010/10/tuesdays-titillating-treasure-banyan.html

Can you see George Clooney or Clive Owens in a Banyan?; November 18, 2010 at 6:17:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Yes! This post is linked directly to yours, Leah.; November 18, 2010 at 7:00:00 PM EST