Marie Antoinette's Birthday, let's have a giveaway!
It is that time of year again, Marie Antoinette's birthday! 256 years ago today the lady was born in Austria. Twenty years later she was having fabulous parties to celebrate in France. Really, is there any better time for a giveaway? So read on and enter my Birthday giveaway and of course *passes champagne*
One lucky reader will will a copy of Le Salon de Musique de Marie-Antoinette
A second winner will receive a copy of Sofia Coppola's 2006 movie, Marie Antoinette:
If you haven't seen it yet, this movie is so lovely to watch. I often keep it on in the background when doing busy things around the house. The fashions, shoes, fabrics, interiors...all visually stunning!
Lucky readers, here is how to enter:
Leave a comment here with your favorite thing or bit of gossip about Marie Antoinette by Tuesday November 29th.
The winners will be selected at random and announced on Wednesday November 30. Everyone is eligible!
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is that she really revolutionized fashion during her time. She was a foreigner in a court that gave her anything but a warm welcome and instead of sitting in a corner and lowering her head at them, she started dictating the new rules of style.
(Please excuse my poor English. I do hope Brazilians are welcome in this giveaway!)
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is how genuine and down-to-earth she really was. She may have had glamorous taste, but she was not really a fan of ostentation and preferred things like simple broths and a day spent in the garden to lavish banquets.
My favourite thing is her love for fabrics and provocating with fashion and i love baroque dances (doing by myself and being a viewer)... ...and ofcourse i love eating cake ;)
My favorite thing about was her strength. She came to France a young girl scorned by the rest of the court for her nationality and "inability" to bear a child, but still managed to defy conventions, change the way of court life, and become a fashion icon. She was brave enough to stay in France with her husband to show she was Queen and French to people who hated her.
I find her journey from Austria to France to be fascinating. I can't imagine traveling as a young girl in a carriage away from my friends and family to become the wife of a man I had never met. So amazing!
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her relationship with Elisabeth Vigee Lebrun. In reading Lebrun's memoirs you get a sense of how personable the queen was. You can tell the two had a close relationship. That is what I love most about Marie Antoinette she wanted to be normal, there are many portraits where Lebrun depicts the queen in a humble way.
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is the love she held for the French people. Even though she was treated poorly during the Revolution (and wasn't even French, technically), Marie Antoinette never stopped thinking of France as her country. While most nobles tried to escape the horror of revolution, she continued to hold on to the hope that her people still loved her and things would eventually return to normal.
What I find so fascinating about Marie Antoinette is... All she wanted was to be loved. By her family, her husband, and the French people. Most of the outragous iconic Marie did was so someone would love her.
My favorite thing about Her Majesty, Marie-Antoinette, was that she was a kind and loving person, contrary to popular belief. She was a gentle mother to her children, a loving wife to her husband, and a generous friend to her favorites. She was the kind of woman I aspire to.
My favourite thing about Marie Antoinette: That she didn't like the colour orange. At least it was forbidden to wear orange ribbons at Trianon (probably as decoration). I don't like orange as well. But that's just the first thing that came to my mind, when thinking of the various charming little anecdotes around the queen.
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is the fact how she stayed strong and elegant during the revolution, and didn't show signs of panic when she was killed on quillotine. I think that she was more queen then than ever before.
Gosh...I love everything about Marie Antoinette! I can't pick just one! I've been completely obsessed with all things MA since I was 13. I suppose the most prominent, generalized trait about her that I admire is her perseverance and independent spirit. She's just the best. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! xxxx
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is the balance of her grace and strength to remain true to herself as well as her beautiful taste. The negative ways in which people view her do not give justice to this true lady! Joyeux Anniversaire!
My favorite tidbits about our lovely queen are the sides of her revealed in her correspondence with her mother. She may have been fabulous and brave and tragic and beautiful, but she was also a girl with a mom, which I think it wonderful.
Without being cliche and remark about how Marie Antoinette took French fashion at the helm, and owned it like no one else could in her time (in my humble opinion), my favourite thing about her was her tragedy.
She was a victim of circumstance, and nothing could have prevented the cataclysm that befell her family. But still, even amidst such turbulent times that broke down the monarchy, she remained stoic until her dying day. I admire such strength in women, only because I can't imagine going through such a thing myself.
Marie Atoinette was so genuine--I know this sounds funny, because she really was all fluff and jewels, but she did what she knew how to do, and she really did try to do her best. Her life was much more difficult than most people realize, yet she managed it with grace and, of course, flair.
My favorite thing is how she wanted to be a country/farm girl...but without any of the actual dirt. I love how the real farm maids used to gather the eggs at Petit Trianon, carefully wash them, then replace them in the nests for the Queen to find. :)
what I admire about Marie Antoinette is her devotion to her Christian faith, even in the time of great pain. I feel that this is what helped to sustain her throughout her life in France. And also the devotion to her mother. She did all she could to assist the alliance between the two countries. Although she is often portrayed as frivolous and decadent, I know there was much more to her. I hope to meet her in Heaven some day.
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her love for dogs! Of course, there is a lot of other qualities to love about her, but her love for dogs is my favorite because I am very close to dogs as I am autistic. Dogs are very special to me.
(Oh, I love that movie! I own it and seen it a thousand times!)
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her bravery and dignity at the moment of her death. She never portrayed fear and acted with great dignity throughout all her hardships.
Another thing I love about Marie Antoinette was her generosity to the poor and love for her friends, family, and the people of France. Her devotion as a mother and wife are also quite admirable. She was an extremely loving person in general but especially around those who were closest to her. She was loyal to her husband and stayed with him during the Revolution when she could have escaped.
I also value her devotion to her religion. Catholicism was very important to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. They were good and charitable Christians. And they stayed true to their faith even during the Revolution and time in prison despite the atheist movement that was spreading in France via the revolutionaries.
Truth be told there are many qualities that I find endearing and admirable about Marie Antoinette. The reasons above are only a few, however, I consider them to be the best qualities of this much maligned Queen of France.
This music ist so great!I love,love, love your blog and Marie <3<3<3 Okay and now sorry for my bad englisch...
In my opinion one of her bests things is her style and how beautiful she always looks, but my favorite thing of marie antoinette is, that she stood behind her husband and children and protect them so much, when they were in distress. She payed with her own life for the people, she loved. Everybody always accused her to be a bad mother, now she proved the opposite.
My favourite thing about Marie Antoinette was her loyalty.
She was loyal to her husband in his hours of need.
She was loyal to her son, even though forced to testify against her in her final days.
She was loyal to her reputation of frivolity, sporting the latest fashions, setting trends and inspiring generations, even in 2011 we are STILL idolising her!
She was loyal to her close circle of friends, lavishing gifts upon them. She was also very hurt by the diamond necklace scandal as she was made to appear dishonest before her subjects.
She was loyal, finally, to her beloved Austria, as she produced heirs to France's throne and fulfilled her mother's wish to become a great Queen of France and solidify the Franco-Austrian alliance.
I love that fact that she had apparently had her children play with poorer or working class children to break any social barriers. She believed everyone was equal, and I respect that. I also like how she apologized for stepping on her executioner's foot as she walked up to the guillotine. I think this shows how she kept her composure and accepted that she had to pay for everyone's unhappiness. She understood what had to be done, and did not lose her cool. She was elegant, polite, poised and down-to-earth despite her regal status, and tragic turn of events. -Catherine
I love that she tried to give her daughter a more of a childhood than she herself had. She tried her best to be a good mother to a child of France which could be very difficult as we all know.
I love that she tried to do the best she could with what resources that she did have. I believe she tried to make lemonade out of lemons. Or in her case dazzling headwear out of pads and horsehair lol.
My favorite bit of gossip about Marie Antoinette is her affair with Count Fersen. I like that idea that she found someone who loved her, even though they couldn't be together. *siff*
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is the fact that she triggers good childhood memories for me--I read the Royal Diaries book about her as a kid and it was really my first brush with France's history. We've gone on to deal with a lot of the Napoleonic Wars in our novel, and I think that comes from reading things at an early age about Marie Antoinette. It turned me on to other aspects of history.
Marie Antoinette was a proud, beautiful, and wise woman, who kept her dignity and charm till her very end. I wish I had her courage. She is my heroine, and I definitely look up to her :)
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is that she really revolutionized fashion during her time. She was a foreigner in a court that gave her anything but a warm welcome and instead of sitting in a corner and lowering her head at them, she started dictating the new rules of style.
ReplyDelete(Please excuse my poor English. I do hope Brazilians are welcome in this giveaway!)
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is how genuine and down-to-earth she really was. She may have had glamorous taste, but she was not really a fan of ostentation and preferred things like simple broths and a day spent in the garden to lavish banquets.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite thing is her love for fabrics and provocating with fashion and i love baroque dances (doing by myself and being a viewer)...
ReplyDelete...and ofcourse i love eating cake ;)
lots of greetings! maren
My favorite thing about Marie: her love for fashion.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette was her gift for friendship and for love. Katherine Louise
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her dignity and royal bearing. She never gave up.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to our Queen -- long may she reign in our hearts! Katherine Louise
ReplyDeleteI admire her for her faith and courage and dignity with which she endured such a horrible fate.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about was her strength. She came to France a young girl scorned by the rest of the court for her nationality and "inability" to bear a child, but still managed to defy conventions, change the way of court life, and become a fashion icon. She was brave enough to stay in France with her husband to show she was Queen and French to people who hated her.
ReplyDeleteI find her journey from Austria to France to be fascinating. I can't imagine traveling as a young girl in a carriage away from my friends and family to become the wife of a man I had never met. So amazing!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her relationship with Elisabeth Vigee Lebrun. In reading Lebrun's memoirs you get a sense of how personable the queen was. You can tell the two had a close relationship. That is what I love most about Marie Antoinette she wanted to be normal, there are many portraits where Lebrun depicts the queen in a humble way.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is the love she held for the French people. Even though she was treated poorly during the Revolution (and wasn't even French, technically), Marie Antoinette never stopped thinking of France as her country. While most nobles tried to escape the horror of revolution, she continued to hold on to the hope that her people still loved her and things would eventually return to normal.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find so fascinating about Marie Antoinette is...
ReplyDeleteAll she wanted was to be loved. By her family, her husband, and the French people. Most of the outragous iconic Marie did was so someone would love her.
Marie Antoinette was like an anarchist of her time, and I love her attitude! This quirky queen also is one of the greatest fashionistas in history<3.
ReplyDeleteGreets from Finland! :)
My favorite thing about Her Majesty, Marie-Antoinette, was that she was a kind and loving person, contrary to popular belief. She was a gentle mother to her children, a loving wife to her husband, and a generous friend to her favorites. She was the kind of woman I aspire to.
ReplyDeleteJoyeux Anniversaire Votre Majesté, Marie-Antoinette!
My favourite thing about Marie Antoinette: That she didn't like the colour orange. At least it was forbidden to wear orange ribbons at Trianon (probably as decoration). I don't like orange as well. But that's just the first thing that came to my mind, when thinking of the various charming little anecdotes around the queen.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her fashion sense- so gorgeous! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteRachelhwallen@gmail.com
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is the fact how she stayed strong and elegant during the revolution, and didn't show signs of panic when she was killed on quillotine. I think that she was more queen then than ever before.
ReplyDeleteGosh...I love everything about Marie Antoinette! I can't pick just one! I've been completely obsessed with all things MA since I was 13. I suppose the most prominent, generalized trait about her that I admire is her perseverance and independent spirit. She's just the best. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! xxxx
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is the balance of her grace and strength to remain true to herself as well as her beautiful taste. The negative ways in which people view her do not give justice to this true lady! Joyeux Anniversaire!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite tidbits about our lovely queen are the sides of her revealed in her correspondence with her mother. She may have been fabulous and brave and tragic and beautiful, but she was also a girl with a mom, which I think it wonderful.
ReplyDelete~Lylassandra
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWithout being cliche and remark about how Marie Antoinette took French fashion at the helm, and owned it like no one else could in her time (in my humble opinion), my favourite thing about her was her tragedy.
ReplyDeleteShe was a victim of circumstance, and nothing could have prevented the cataclysm that befell her family. But still, even amidst such turbulent times that broke down the monarchy, she remained stoic until her dying day. I admire such strength in women, only because I can't imagine going through such a thing myself.
My favorite thing: She inspires me every single day, in fashion, decoration, even when I make my food ♥ :)
ReplyDeleteMarie Atoinette was so genuine--I know this sounds funny, because she really was all fluff and jewels, but she did what she knew how to do, and she really did try to do her best. Her life was much more difficult than most people realize, yet she managed it with grace and, of course, flair.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing is how she wanted to be a country/farm girl...but without any of the actual dirt. I love how the real farm maids used to gather the eggs at Petit Trianon, carefully wash them, then replace them in the nests for the Queen to find. :)
ReplyDeletewhat I admire about Marie Antoinette is her devotion to her Christian faith, even in the time of great pain. I feel that this is what helped to sustain her throughout her life in France. And also the devotion to her mother. She did all she could to assist the alliance between the two countries. Although she is often portrayed as frivolous and decadent, I know there was much more to her. I hope to meet her in Heaven some day.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her love for dogs! Of course, there is a lot of other qualities to love about her, but her love for dogs is my favorite because I am very close to dogs as I am autistic. Dogs are very special to me.
ReplyDelete(Oh, I love that movie! I own it and seen it a thousand times!)
My favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her bravery and dignity at the moment of her death. She never portrayed fear and acted with great dignity throughout all her hardships.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I love about Marie Antoinette was her generosity to the poor and love for her friends, family, and the people of France. Her devotion as a mother and wife are also quite admirable. She was an extremely loving person in general but especially around those who were closest to her. She was loyal to her husband and stayed with him during the Revolution when she could have escaped.
I also value her devotion to her religion. Catholicism was very important to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. They were good and charitable Christians. And they stayed true to their faith even during the Revolution and time in prison despite the atheist movement that was spreading in France via the revolutionaries.
Truth be told there are many qualities that I find endearing and admirable about Marie Antoinette. The reasons above are only a few, however, I consider them to be the best qualities of this much maligned Queen of France.
This music ist so great!I love,love, love your blog and Marie <3<3<3
ReplyDeleteOkay and now sorry for my bad englisch...
In my opinion one of her bests things is her style and how beautiful she always looks, but my favorite thing of marie antoinette is, that she stood behind her husband and children and protect them so much, when they were in distress. She payed with her own life for the people, she loved.
Everybody always accused her to be a bad mother, now she proved the opposite.
http://avec-passion.blogspot.com/
My favourite thing about Marie Antoinette was her loyalty.
ReplyDeleteShe was loyal to her husband in his hours of need.
She was loyal to her son, even though forced to testify against her in her final days.
She was loyal to her reputation of frivolity, sporting the latest fashions, setting trends and inspiring generations, even in 2011 we are STILL idolising her!
She was loyal to her close circle of friends, lavishing gifts upon them. She was also very hurt by the diamond necklace scandal as she was made to appear dishonest before her subjects.
She was loyal, finally, to her beloved Austria, as she produced heirs to France's throne and fulfilled her mother's wish to become a great Queen of France and solidify the Franco-Austrian alliance.
http://comeawayin.blogspot.com/2011/11/walking-in-maries-footsteps.html
I love that fact that she had apparently had her children play with poorer or working class children to break any social barriers. She believed everyone was equal, and I respect that. I also like how she apologized for stepping on her executioner's foot as she walked up to the guillotine. I think this shows how she kept her composure and accepted that she had to pay for everyone's unhappiness. She understood what had to be done, and did not lose her cool. She was elegant, polite, poised and down-to-earth despite her regal status, and tragic turn of events.
ReplyDelete-Catherine
I love that she tried to give her daughter a more of a childhood than she herself had. She tried her best to be a good mother to a child of France which could be very difficult as we all know.
ReplyDeleteI love that she tried to do the best she could with what resources that she did have. I believe she tried to make lemonade out of lemons. Or in her case dazzling headwear out of pads and horsehair lol.
My favorite bit of gossip about Marie Antoinette is her affair with Count Fersen. I like that idea that she found someone who loved her, even though they couldn't be together. *siff*
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is the fact that she triggers good childhood memories for me--I read the Royal Diaries book about her as a kid and it was really my first brush with France's history. We've gone on to deal with a lot of the Napoleonic Wars in our novel, and I think that comes from reading things at an early age about Marie Antoinette. It turned me on to other aspects of history.
ReplyDeleteericajmcfarland@gmail.com
Marie Antoinette was a proud, beautiful, and wise woman, who kept her dignity and charm till her very end. I wish I had her courage. She is my heroine, and I definitely look up to her :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about Marie Antoinette is her love for fashion,cakes and her friends and family.Also her braveness at the end of her life.
ReplyDeleteMarinette-mama