Tea at Trianon: The Meaning of a Southern Home

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

Friday, October 30, 2015

The Meaning of a Southern Home

From Southern Lady:

“Well-curated collections amassed from items gathered over time, family heirlooms, and a particular flair for the interesting—there are always interesting little pieces to be found around old Southern homes; knickknacks with incredible origin stories and historic photos are some of the best things about families with roots in the South."

Dallas-based interior designer Elaine Williamson-Romero used a family’s shared love of bold color to guide the aesthetic of this home. Having lived in New Orleans before coming to Dallas, Elaine was well acquainted with the decorative allure of bright hues. “It’s New Orleans, but not in the way you’d expect,” she says. “It’s loud and classic but lacks the French flair present in so many of the New Orleans–inspired homes we see these days. I’d almost call it ‘Nouveau Orleans.’ It’s fun, and it’s engaging, but you won’t see fleurs-de-lis all over the place.” (Read more.)