Tea at Trianon: The Glamor of Elizabeth Taylor

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

Tuesday, May 16, 2023

The Glamor of Elizabeth Taylor

From Tatler:

A pioneer in film, fashion and fabulousness, Elizabeth Taylor’s enduring legacy is one of unbridled glamour. The original Hollywood darling, Taylor’s penchant for lavish extravagance has informed and influenced generations of elegant aesthetes who look to the star for lessons in chic. Now, as Tatler’s June issue cover star Tuppence Middleton portrays the icon in The Motive and The Cue, Taylor’s teachings have never been so relevant. Right up until her death in 2011, and having struggled with a litany of illnesses throughout her life, Elizabeth Taylor was never seen in anything less than an excellent ensemble. And, as the red carpet invitations still came rolling in, Taylor was sure to don her most fabulous finery when at an A-list event. Who ever said sparkle was a young person’s game anyway? (Read more.)