Robespierre the fop

Maximilien Robespierre, born May 6, 1758, has been accused of many things but rarely has “fop” been among them.* Yet what other adjective comes to mind when one reads the following letter, which was penned by Robespierre to Adélaide Labille-Guiard in February 1791 ?! The letter is his reply to Mme Labille-Guiard’s request to paint his portrait. At that time, she was painting a series of portraits in pastel of deputies to the National Assembly.

Paris, 13 février 1791.
On m’a dit que les Grâces voulaient faire mon portrait. Je serais trop indigne d’une telle faveur si je n’en avais senti tout le prix. Cependant, puisqu’un surcroît d’embarras et d’affaires ou puisqu’un Dieu jaloux ne m’a pas permis de leur témoigner jusqu’ici tout mon empressement, il faut que mes excuses précèdent les hommages que je leur dois. Je les prie donc de vouloir bien agréer les unes et de m’indiquer où je pourrais leur présenter les autres.

Robespierre’s defenders may point out that this poetic and somewhat pompous language—calling his lady correspondent “The Graces” and suggesting that a “jealous God” was hindering his activities—was standard fare in late eighteenth-century upper-class society. But that is just the point! Robespierre was like many others of his day, an ambitious, somewhat foppish young provincial seeking fame (if not fortune) in the new Assembly. He was unexceptional, and his flattery of Mme Labille-Guiard is uninspired.

In the Salon of September 1791, Mme Labille-Guillard exhibited her pastel portrait of Robespierre to the public. Although it was deemed realistic (“toujours de la vérité”), critics scorned the choice of pastels to immortalize the young deputy. “Auriez-vous par hasard mesuré leur gloire à l’éclat fugitif de ces couleurs. Ah ! peignez un Robespierre à l’huile, » wrote La Béquille de Voltaire.

Mme Labille-Guiard’s portrait of Robespierre is lost, but the replica I’ve reproduced here is said to be a close copy. Note the young deputy’s lacy sleeves, his silky jabot and cravat, and the tight-fitting vest and redingote. Note the smile flitting across his face. He looks pleased as punch.

This hardly seems to be the same man as the tight-lipped L’Incorruptible of ill-repute. I offer this reflection as a belated birthday tribute to Mr. Robespierre, lest we forget that this enigmatic man was many things and may remain forever beyond our ken. In his early years at the Assembly, as this letter and portrait attest, he was still quite attuned to the dandy-ish standards of ancien régime court society. And you must admit, he acted a bit like a fop.

*Fop: a man who is preoccupied with and often vain about his clothes and manners; a dandy.

References are from Anne Marie Passez, Adélaide Labille-Guiard, 1749-1803: Biographie et catalogue raisonné de son oeuvre (Paris : Arts et Métiers Graphiques, 1973), pp. 247-50.

Dolce & Gabbana’s “Hot Baroque” line: Recreating Napoleonic Attitudes for Today? by Chris White

Here for readers of “A Revolution in Fiction” is a collection of the photos and the news release on the controversial “Napoleonic” line promoted by Dolce & Gabanna in 2006-07—a controversy which extended far beyond the world of haute couture to incur the wrath of the British publishing industry and an official censure (see Reuters 1/10/07). Check out the bottom ones in particular for evidence of homicidal tendencies…

During a search of Dolce & Gabbana on the internet some time ago, I discovered the original posting on this site (“Weird Liaisons,” May 31, 2009), saw that the photo posted there was actually from a Christian Dior collection, and sent in a correction. (That photo and posting have now been updated to correct the error. –Editor) After a bit of research, I was able to locate the real Dolce & Gabbana photos, which are somewhat hard to find due to the short-lived and sexy/violent/controversial nature of the campaign. I have posted the official news release below. The clothing is gorgeous, as we all must agree. But it is interesting that the news release does not mention the sensational violence used in the ad campaign, nor does it make connections between the actual events of Napoleon’s reign (such as the 500,000 Frenchmen who died in the Emperor’s catastrophic attempt to conquer Russia in 1812) and the cruel, misogynistic poses of the models…

According to the Dolce & Gabbana news release: “The sophisticated charm of royal beauties, the amazing allure of imperial feasts and the romantic style echoing Napoleon’s gliding parades are the essence of this Dolce & Gabbana fall/winter 2006-07 collection that played around the Emperor, his famous wives, and his well known lovers.

Short jackets with metal buttons and military embroideries, à la Imperial Army, complement perfectly designed coats and fitted jackets in new proportions, which are worn over high-collared shirts. Tight knickers and jodhpurs accentuate the silhouette and create a long line when worn with high boots. Romantic capes and empire-waist baby doll dresses create a feminine counterbalance to the androgynous Imperial side of the collection. The result is a juxtaposition of Napoleon versus Josephine that celebrates the two sensual sides of a woman – a woman who plays with the symbols of power but knows that her real force is always found within.

The color palette and detailed accents of the collection are what truly define and distinguish each look. Sable, chalk, ice, and canvas are the most important colors that compose this serene palette. Touches of royal blue, deep red and emerald green, strategically used throughout the collection, add a regal opulence to the show. Detailed accents of gold-brushed chains, Napoleonic bees and gold laurel leaves create a strong statement of luxury, refinement, and elegance. In addition, over forty-three different kinds of intricacies (from archives of the most prestigious and historical Parisian couture atelier) glisten on coats, jackets, and dresses.

The “Miss Waterloo” bag is shaped like an antique coin-purse, with a round buckle and a short leather and metal handle; the same fastening enhances the “Miss Lise” bag, in velvet and fine leathers. The “Gloriosa” bag is also in velvet (in lots of colours) or in leather, and has a dense DG embroidered logo with imperial laurel and gold chains. The bijou “Etoile” bags, in velvet and encrusted with pearls and feathers, complete the grand finale look; but the real “it-bag” for this season is the “Hot Baroque”, embellished with baroque buckles and gilt laurel leaves, produced in ostrich, eel or leather.”

La Marquise, An II (Roche Bobois): Irony or amnesia?

What were they thinking? A lovely armchair it is, but why incur the wrath of fate by calling it a “Marquise, l’An II.” Did Roche Bobois Furniture forget that it was not such a good thing to be an aristocrat in 1794? Or is this an ironic reference to the survivors? (And why are the book titles in the background all so fuzzy!? We want to know what that marquise was reading.)

Juicy Couture does Marie-Antoinette

Marie-Antoinette mania strikes again, in a recent ad for Juicy Couture fashion and fragrance. What on earth could this image really mean? The teeny bopper with the pink Antoinettesque hairdo and avian companion seem an unlikely combination… unless one recalls the popularity of such portraits in eighteenth-century high society, and the delightfully wicked connotations associated with the death of a girl’s pet bird (as seen here in Greuze’s famous “Jeune fille qui pleure son oiseau mort”). Whereas the innocence of the Old Regime flew the coop long ago, it is amusing to see how the advertising world in the USA keeps the memory alive, and how the tale of the naughty queen and her coterie is ever reinvented in the hopes of selling luxury to a society of plebs.

Marie-Antoinette the Cake-eater, in perpetuity

Poor Marie-Antoinette. Will those wretched words never go away? Apparently not, if our popular culture is any indication. Check out the now famous, deliciously indulgent clip from Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film, and the New York Times Crossword puzzle of 7/14/09.

Robot models: a new bride for Frankenstein?

Thanks to Daniel Richter for contributing this great link about Mimu, the robot model recently unveiled in Japan. She is designed to look as life-like as possible, and the designer admitted being “as nervous as a father of the bride” at the fashion show in Tokyo where the cyber-bride walked the runway alongside flesh-and-blood women (or what passes for flesh-and-blood in fashion’s very thin universe). Is the Japanese bride-of-Frankenstein Mimu breaking down barriers between cybernetics and humanoid standards of beauty? Will this android lead the way to a paradigm shift, just as Nogaret’s automatons and Shelley’s creature did some 200 years ago? The models interviewed in Japan are anxiously waiting to see what will transpire. For our part, it seems like a humane intervention. Maybe automizing the process of selling clothes will help real-life women see through the beauty myth.

Weird liaisons: 18th-century fashions today (updated 2/25/11)

This ad is one of a series sponsored by Christian Dior in 2004, which appears to be aiming to exploit the “Dangerous Liaisons” look for the modern Valmont (perhaps a hedge-fund manager?)  A similarly perverse campaign was promoted three years later by Dolce & Gabbana (see posting of February 25, 2011): it was censored in the UK for the violent content.  According to a report from Reuters (1/10/07), one of the ads showed two men threatening a man in a chair while another lay on the floor with a head wound.  (It was printed in October 2006 next to an article about knife crime; a move that seems particularly tasteless, given the widespread concern over the level of violent assaults in Britain.)  A second advertisement featured two men supporting a wounded woman holding a knife.  The fashion label said the ads, which appeared in newspapers and magazines around the world, were heavily stylized and were meant to mimic early 19th-century art.  The pictures were designed to evoke the Napoleonic period of art, “emphasizing the theatrical effects of that genre.”  Seems like this theatricality should have been tempered by a bit more absorption with good taste…

Marie-Antoinette pager & Sans-culottes chic

This advertisement provided an excellent (and amusing) platform to describe how Marie-Antoinette's poor management of time and word-choice became the stuff of legend.

This ironic review by Cintra Wilson of a NY clothing store that caters to well-heeled wannabe artist-hippies (who can afford $265 for a sweater-vest emblazoned with a marijuana leaf) from the New York Times of 5/07/09, closes with a hilarious reference to the sans-culottes's threat to the bourgeoisie (long considered the prime motor of the French Revolution). Many thanks to Cintra Wilson for deflating the pretensions of those who think that dressing like a 1960s peacenik equals authentic political activism.

On integrating these sources in a class, see “Teach This!”