Marie-Antoinette 

Richard Brookshaw made this engraving of Marie-Antoinette in the late eighteenth century, a medium that allowed for the wide distribution of royal images. This portrait, like others of its kind, presents the Queen of France as a figure of beauty, wealth, and refinement. Consider the ways in which Marie-Antoinette is depicted. Her elaborate hairstyle, fashionable dress, and delicate features conform to aristocratic ideals of beauty at the time. Made in England, this print speaks to the obsession with the French aristocracy among the British upper classes. Prints like these were commodities that helped to fuel the celebrity of the French royals across Europe and in North America. But we can’t ignore what happened next. Marie-Antoinette’s perceived extravagance became a lightning rod for popular discontent. The French Revolution would topple the monarchy and usher in a period of radical social change. Art historians can consult sources such as fashion plates, political pamphlets, and accounts of the French court to better understand the complex relationship between images of Marie-Antoinette and the politics of the era.