The iconic images of Marie Antoinette are often those of extreme beauty; dresses wider than doorways, hair that reaches the heavens, luxury beyond belief. But there was another side of the French Queen that I love to imagine, and that is her time spent at Le Petit Trianon. Marie Antoinette had a country home that included cottages and gardens.
She could escape from court life and enter her pastoral environment where she could let her hair down and truly love. Away from the prying eyes of the courtiers at Versailles, Marie wore a scandalous white chemise dress, like in this 1781 painting, that was soft and simple. The scandal came from the lack of layers and coverage; not wearing her wide panniers and other normal undergarments made for a much more revealing garment.



