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Marie Antoinette in a Muslin dress
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Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun painted this portrait of Marie Antoinette in 1783, depicting the queen in a simple muslin dress rather than the formal court attire expected of French royalty. The portrait, known as "La Reine en Gaulle" or "Marie Antoinette en chemise," caused immediate scandal when displayed at the Salon du Louvre. The queen's critics saw only a woman painted in her underwear.
The dress had multiple names, each carrying its own controversy. "En chemise" referred to undergarments. "En gaulle" pointed to the imported muslin fabric, seen as unpatriotic when French silk workers were struggling. "À la Creole" suggested colonial exoticism inappropriate for a European queen. Marie Antoinette's sister-in-law had been painted in similar attire without incident, but the queen's enemies seized on this image as evidence of her frivolity and disregard for propriety.
The backlash was severe enough that Vigée Le Brun painted a replacement portrait, "Marie Antoinette with a Rose," showing the queen in proper formal dress. Some historians now view this scandal as an early turning point in public opinion against Marie Antoinette, predating even the infamous Diamond Necklace Affair. The original painting now hangs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, a document of the moment when a simple muslin dress became political dynamite.
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About Marie Antoinette in a Muslin dress
This portrait hangs at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Vigée Le Brun also painted a replacement portrait, "Marie Antoinette with a Rose," after this one caused scandal at the 1783 Salon.
The queen's simple muslin chemise dress shocked viewers who expected formal court attire. Critics called it underwear. The imported muslin was seen as unpatriotic, and the informal style seemed improper for royalty. Vigée Le Brun had to replace it at the Salon.
The work called "La Reine en Gaulle," "Marie Antoinette en chemise," and "à la Creole." Each name reflects different criticisms: "gaulle" for the foreign fabric, "chemise" suggesting underwear, and "Creole" implying inappropriate colonial exoticism for a French queen.
Some historians believe this scandal marked an early turning point against Marie Antoinette, predating the Diamond Necklace Affair. The image of a queen in casual dress gave her critics ammunition, contributing to the narrative of royal frivolity that would intensify through the Revolution.
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