Tea at Trianon: Barbie in Paris

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

Monday, March 14, 2016

Barbie in Paris

For those of us who loved Barbies there is a delightful article from the Daily Mail:

The life and times of Barbie will be celebrated at Paris Fashion Week with a glamorous exhibition. 'Barbie, life of an icon' will see more than 700 plastic figures displayed at the Museum of Decorative Dolls from tomorrow. The colourful collection features models who 'walk' the catwalk in high-fashion creations from the likes of Christian Lacroix and Jean Paul Gaultier - as well as historical figures including former Queen of France, Marie Antoinette.

Barbie also becomes screen icons such as Scarlett O'Hara from Gone With The Wind, for which she wears a caped jacket and yellow gown with a glamorous feathered hat. The French museum will be setting aside 1,500 square meters for its tribute to the world-famous Mattel toy, with dolls starring in artworks, newspaper articles, photographs and videos. (Read more.)