you say you want a revolution
ladyreading.net/marieantoinette
hi guys, how’s your weekend going? i hope it’s a perfect july saturday wherever you are! i’ve been obsessing for the past hour on the french revolution. it’s something i just never knew much about, a french holiday… certainly didn’t know details but googling for illustrations i came across so much it’s mind boggling. first and foremost, it’s official: marie antoinette did not say ‘let them eat cake’.
straightdope.com-did-marie-antoinette-really-say-let-them-eat-cake
i wonder how french women feel about marie antoinette? how could she possibly be as revered and beloved as she is here? her fate was so tragic but she gave so much to france. i honestly don’t know. i don’t see how to view her except as a scapegoat. she was dropped off to be married in another country at 13 and completely sheltered forever after. she had no idea what was happening outside the walls of her world. her only crime was not seeing the real world or knowing enough to try and find out about it. but as kurt cobain said, ‘all we know is all we are…’
well, she left her beautiful way of life behind for us to judge
was it a charmed life or a gilded cage?
definitely full of pretty days
howstuffworks.com-french-revolution
who knew the charge for revolt would be led by the ladies? women initiated storming versailles when the price of bread got just too damn high.
wikipedia.org-Womens-March-on-Versailles
it’s hard to believe anyone would ever trash paris but they said we’ll burn it down before we starve!
our beloved city, once almost lost
revolts in the street at the hotel de ville
accidentalmommies.com/historic-uprisings
fire in the center of the city! they demanded change.
i had never read the rights of man and woman before today.
among other things, equality began to emerge from the chaos
but that was just the beginning! the good fight had to be fought again and again.
i wish you happy bastille day, france, whatever it means to you personally and as a nation!
wikipedia.org-Paris_Commune-(French_Revolution)
spaceinvaderjoe.wordpress.com-female-badasses-in-history-nathalie-lemel
fireworks-in-front-of-the-hotel-de-ville
tonight when you watch the fireworks and stroll the gardens it will seem surreal. like it’s always been this way. let’s hope it always is. have a great night!
tumblr_llfceydylh1qda29ko1_1280.png
the paris apartment 
Nikon replied:
You did a great job of researching artwork! Very nice visuals.
I hope that everyone has a happy Bastille Day!
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July 14, 2012 at 7:51 pm. Permalink.
The Paris Apartment replied:
hi paul, it was like a novel! but so real! hope you’re having a weekend fantastique!
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July 15, 2012 at 12:22 am. Permalink.
Peggy Braswell replied:
Have many french friends I have sent this to..living in France or in the States. Grand post. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
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July 14, 2012 at 8:25 pm. Permalink.
The Paris Apartment replied:
i’d love to know their thoughts on MA!
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July 15, 2012 at 12:22 am. Permalink.
Rhonda replied:
Very informative, I’ve seen the movies and read the books about Marie but this post had more to tell. I cannot get enough of her and Versailles stole my heart when I went. To walk where MA walked, to touch the gate of her Petite Trianon, I was in dreamland.
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July 14, 2012 at 9:04 pm. Permalink.
The Paris Apartment replied:
i have a soft spot for versailles too. it is a sort of fairy tale land now…
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July 15, 2012 at 12:23 am. Permalink.
Paris Rendez-vous replied:
Fabulous post Claudia.
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July 14, 2012 at 11:40 pm. Permalink.
The Paris Apartment replied:
thanks paris, i appreciate that!
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July 15, 2012 at 12:24 am. Permalink.
Jullie Joy Dodds replied:
Love this i never knew the story behind the face being in Australia she is just a lovely figure that i like to use in my art,I love your posts,
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July 15, 2012 at 12:07 am. Permalink.
The Paris Apartment replied:
hi joy, she’s still a wonderful muse isn’t she!?
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July 15, 2012 at 12:24 am. Permalink.
Jan Dolphin replied:
A great Bastille Day posting – Merci
Jan Dolphin, author:” Paris From The Heart”
http://www.parisfromtheheart.net
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July 15, 2012 at 12:33 am. Permalink.
The Paris Apartment replied:
hi jan great to hear from you, we’ll finally host the giveaway for your book. i’ll post it tomorrow!
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July 15, 2012 at 1:08 am. Permalink.
Rebecca Grace replied:
Claudia, did you read about the gross sexual cartoons about M.A. that were in the press just before the sh* hit the fan? There was an ugly misogynistic undercurrent to the French Revolution, a sense that undue female influence had “corrupted” the monarchy, and she was the ultimate scapegoat. In her trial, they even tried to accuse her of having a sexual relationship with her own son, totally unfounded and so outrageous that even the unfriendly crowd of revolutionaries wouldn’t buy it. In one of her last letters she wrote “mes pauvres enfants, mes yeux n’ont plus delarmes pour pleurer pour vous. Adieu!”. The whole thing was such a tragedy.
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July 15, 2012 at 2:25 am. Permalink.
The Paris Apartment replied:
i honestly couldn’t believe some of the drawings, so vicious and brutal, i can’t even say what they were doing in celebration…it’s amazing anyone ever got over any of it. i guess all we can do now is learn from those who came before us so we don’t do the same things. it was supposed to be the dawn of the age of enlightenment but it was definitely still on the cusp between brutality and civility!
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July 15, 2012 at 3:32 am. Permalink.
viva replied:
There’s so much to love about this woman and she continues to fascinate me. She wasn’t as heartless and frivolous as she’s made to be : In her beloved Hameau, she employed local workers and families, thus provided roof and work for them. It wasn’t merely an escape from her regulated life at the Court, it was a place where she would take her children to teach them about nature, animals and appreciation of the simpler things in life. I love visiting this place and also admire her love of arts and her playful nature.
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July 16, 2012 at 9:31 am. Permalink.
designchic replied:
What wonderful research and such an informative Bastille Day post!!
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July 17, 2012 at 2:44 am. Permalink.
christine95037 replied:
The Bastille. My mom, who was an ex-nun, used to call her years in the convent “the Bastille”. As a kid I got very confused when I heard about the French Revolution.
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July 17, 2012 at 11:29 pm. Permalink.
arod replied:
wow great post & pics and info thanks so much for sharing
hope your having a wonderful week
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July 18, 2012 at 1:29 pm. Permalink.