Bodice said to have belonged to Marie Antoinette (1755–1793

This bodice, which laced in the back, was not boned. Instead, an interior gusset at the center of the bodice held a wooden busk, which stiffened the front. The back lacing, low neckline and short sleeves make it similar to the stays used for formal court wear. It was probably used on unofficial occasions, or when fully boned stays could not be worn for health reasons. Apart from the writings of her memoirists and the letters she exchanged with her mother Maria Teresa of Austria, little documentary material exists regarding Marie Antoinette's fashion leanings: only the Gazette des atours (1782), the Etat de la garde-robe de Marie Antoinette by her lady-in-waiting Madame d'Ossun, the account book of Madame Eloffe, one of her marchandes de modes (Paris, Archives Nationales) and this blue silk bodice bought at auction by the City of Paris. It was found pressed between the pages of Madame Eloffe's account book. This valuable archival material confirms the queen's passion for fashion, and the importance of the marchandes de modes, notably the famous Rose Bertin, among her suppliers. In addition to embellishing garments with lace, gauze, feathers and artificial flowers, the marchandes de mode made bonnets and other headgear and sold lace and fans. Dotted with pinholes, this bodice was given, as was the custom, to Madame Eloffe for experiments in ornamentation.

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