Marie Antoinette

Question: What was royal life like in France during the 1700s?

Before the French Revolution, what was the King/Queen's average schedule of a day? What cosmetics were used by the Queen (specific names)? What were people's reactions to King Louis XV's death?

Basically, I'm looking for the daily life of a royal in France. That includes nobles also. I'd like to write a short book of a fictional Maid of Honour to Marie Antoinette. If you know any of the names of her Maids of Honour/Ladies-in-Waiting, that would help, too.

Thanks!

Answer: A book that would be very helpful to you to read is Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Complete by Madame Campan. Madame Campan was a lady in waiting to Marie Antoinette, and her memoir of her time in the Queen's service is very interesting.

Madame Campan writes in her memoir that the King usually rose before the Queen. The Queen sometimes breakfasted in bed and sometimes when she was up. She would bathe some mornings, when she did she had breakfast in her bath. For breakfast she had coffee or chocolate. She would then choose what she wanted to wear for the day, from a large book which contained patterns of all her gowns, full dresses, undresses etc. The Queen would stick a pin in the patterns of the dresses she wanted to wear. For winter she had twelve full dresses, twelve undresses, and twelve rich hoop petticoats for the card and supper parties in the smaller apartments.

Her toilet (getting dressed that is) was an elaborate affair, and some ladies would be admitted to be present while she was being dressed. The king's brothers came to pay their respects while her hair was being dressed.

She would meet people who were formally presented to her, Ambassadors were pre3sented on Tuesday mornings, for instance. She would hear Mass with the King in the tribune. After returning from mass the Queen dined every Sunday with the King only, in public in the cabinet of the nobility, a room leading to her chamber. Titled ladies having the hnours sat during the dinner upon folding chairs placed on each side of the table. Ladies without titles stood round the table. The Prince nearest to the crown presented water to wash the king's hands, and a princess did the same for the Queen. At dinner the Queen ate only white meat, and drank water only.

The above is an abridged version of Madame Campan's description of part of the Queen's day. The Queen enjoyed dancing and card parties, and increasingly during the course of the reign, she spent more time at the Petit Trianon, the small palace in the grounds of Versailles, where she would spend time with her own friends.

In Memory of Marie Antoinette

Question: How would you describe this dress? (pic)?

It's for a story (takes place during the French Revolution). If you could give me a detailed description (the sleeves, the bodice, the skirt, etc) I would be very much appreciative.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/c/0/0/31/6/AAAADPDwvnwAAAAAADFiww.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/marie-antoinette-colonial-ball-gown-dress-costume-custom-made-to-fit-you&usg=__xRmxcDbB0ACsMHn9iqp5NlhGvg8=&h=300&w=225&sz=20&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Rpu4CtxSqT2K_M:&tbnh=116&tbnw=87&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcolonial%2Bdress%2Bkaboodle%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4GWYE_enUS368US368%26tbs%3Disch:1

Just copy and paste it into your browser, please.

Also, it's the blue one, not the pink one.

Answer: It looks good,but just change the flair part of the sleeves a little. Like make them end at the elbows. You'd have to have dark brown hair to pull it off. Try an old French wig.