COMTESSE DU BARRY 2006 ⁞︎ MARIE ANTOINETTE

Theda Bara as "Madame Du Barry" (1917)

Madame Du Barry (1919) Directed by Ernst Lubitsch

Madame du Barry as Sleeping Beauty by Philippe Curtius, 1765 By now Jeanne had consolidated her position and her intrinsic kindness and willingness to help others less fortunate than herself gained her many adherents. On one occasion Jeanne saved the life of a young guardsman who, suffering from a bad attack of homesickness, had deserted from his regiment, taking with him his uniform and horse. He was sentenced to death, whereupon one of his officers took pity on him and applied for help to his commander-in-chief, the Due d’Aiguillon, who told him that the only person who could help him was the Comtesse du Barry. - JOAN HASLIP She was one of the prettiest women at a court which boasted so many, and the very perfection of her loveliness made her the most fascinating. Her hair, which she often left unpowdered, was of a beautiful golden colour and she had so much that she scarcely knew what to do with it all. Her wide blue eyes looked at one with an engaging frankness. She had a straight little nose and a complexion of a dazzling purity. In a word, I like everyone else fell immediately under her charm. - MONSIEUR BELLEVAL

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rose of versailles 50th anniversary book

tributes by kumiko saiki

Reputed as one of the oldest surviving wax from the 1770s, Madame Tussaud’s sleeping beauty is none other than Madame du Barry.

The plan for Madame du Barry's apartments in 1770. Note that she had both a chaise room (for toilet facilities) and a bain/bathroom for bathing. Du Barry's bathroom had running plumbing, a feature which Louis XV, who was known for being very strict when approving plumbing construction for bathrooms, denied to his own daughters before approving for his mistress.

Courtiers who lived at Versailles who had the space for dedicated bathrooms (which at the time were for bathing only, as bathrooms were meant to be luxury spaces, not somewhere you'd put your commode!) had to apply to the king for the construction of running plumbing.

Under Louis XV, running plumbing appeals from courtiers were rejected on the basis that he only intended to approve this type of construction for royal apartments due to the expense--except in the case of his mistresse. And he didn't always approve such requests for members of the royal family (ie, his daughters).

Under Louis XVI, approval for plumbing was notably looser. We know that the apartments of Marie Antoinette, Louis XVI, Madame Elisabeth, the comte and comtesse de Provence, the three daughters of Louis XV (Mesdames); the comte and comtesse d'Artois; and select courtiers, including the queen's favorites, the princesse de Lamballe and duchesse de Polignac, and apartments reserved for certain ministers had running plumbing. (Although Marie Antoinette's Versailles apartments did not have running plumbing until 1788-1789, and it's unknown if she ever ended up using them.)

For residents, royal or otherwise, without running plumbing but who had large enough apartments to allot dedicated bathrooms, tub bathing would have been done with tubs that were brought into these rooms and filled by servants. This is how Marie Antoinette bathed when she took immersion baths:

Campan:

... a slipper bath was rolled into her room, and her bathers brought everything that was necessary for the bath. The Queen bathed in a large gown of English flannel buttoned down to the bottom; its sleeves throughout, as well as the collar, were lined with linen.

For residents of Versailles who didn't have enough rooms for a dedicated bathroom, tubs were rolled into their regular room(s) and filled by servants.

For servants who had tiny apartments that were basically just small rooms often big enough for a bed, a desk and a drawer, they would have used wash basins for regular washing, as everyone (including aristocrats) did for daily hygiene.

Image: A well-to-do woman being washed by a servant using a wash basin.

I don't think it would have been impossible for some servants to have had standing rolling tubs that they might have split among others, as people of modest means outside of Versailles would have done. But since documentation of 'lower servant' life at Versailles is limited, it's hard to say. They could have also gone to nearby rivers or lakes to bathe if they wanted full immersion baths. Louis XIV was known for bathing in rivers, especially after the hunt.

People, particularly aristocratic women who could afford specialized pieces like this, would have also used bidets to regularly clean their private parts.

Oops I just meant to add the note about Du Barry getting running plumbing when Louis XV rejected his own daughters' requests for running plumbing, but have this other information too.

I am slowly working on a proper article about the myriad of popular culture myths about Versailles and hygiene, hopefully I will be able to sit down and force myself to finish it soon. Working on this particular article has definitely forced me to re-evaluate the general lack of solid historiography on the subject, even from historians that ought to be trusted to analyze and vet sources more seriously.

Maïwenn as the titular character in Jeanne du Barry (Film, 2023).

Dolores del Rio, Madame Du Barry, 1934

Period dramas dresses tournament: Black dresses Round 1- Group B: Abigail Hill, The favourite vs Jeanne du Barry, Marie Antoinette (pics set)

-Che vita vorreste?

-Una vita di curiosità...

Madame du Barry

Every Rose Has Its Thorns: Vilifying female ambition in The Rose of Versailles

The Rose of Versailles is a shojo classic with a reputation as an LGBTQ+ work, mostly thanks to Oscar’s character and their relationships with women like Marie Antoinette and Rosalie. While that’s one of the show’s main draws and much can be said about it, this time I’m looking into a less-discussed side of the show: its portrayal of female anger, ambition and power, and how they exist within considerable limitations.

The show—which takes place in France in the years leading to the French Revolution—blends fantasy with history, keeping major historical events and figures while taking liberties in the way they fit in the story. Historical accuracy doesn’t matter much beyond following key events that culminate in the revolution and eventual execution of Marie Antoinette. The layers of fantasy give the story flexibility not only in the relationships it creates and the subplots it follows, but in the way the characters are portrayed.

As a main character, Oscar is an all-encompassing figure who struggles with gender roles and love, duty and upbringing, loyalty to the Queen and a growing empathy to the people. But with Marie Antoinette and the women who act as villains, we see a more traditional exploration of female power, ambition, and anger. Meanwhile, Rosalie is a sympathetic character who offers a combination of kindness with anger that, notably, lacks the ambition associated with the female villains.

Read it at Anime Feminist!

⚜️ Preciosos detalles de la cama de Madame du Barry en el Palacio de Versailles, Francia ⚜️

©Antoine

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