One story about Marie Antoinette’s attitude to the common people has survived all others. When told that French workers were deprived of bread, legend has it that Antoinette replied: “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” (“then let them eat cake”). It is doubtful she said anything of the kind. The same remark was attributed to several apocryphal queens and “great princesses”, long before Antoinette had even arrived in France. The same remarked had also appeared in the works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau when Antoinette was still a child. Extant sources suggest the queen was actually more cautious and measured with her remarks. She often showed a measure of concern for the poor, at least in comparison to others of her rank. When hearing of food shortages in one French town, the queen is reported to have said: “It is quite certain that in seeing the people who treat us so well despite their own misfortune, we are more obliged than ever to work hard for their happiness.” When LucasArts employee Elyse Regan stepped into the spotlight at the ILM-Lucasfilm-LucasArts 2006 Halloween Costume party, little did she know she’d be the Belle of the Ball. Her impressive custom-made dress was breathtaking, but it was her sky-high wig topped with a French sailboat that made everyone gasp in complete awe. Elyse Regan talks about how she was inspired by the misunderstood, but stylish queen.

Antoinette’s hair was a sort of palette for power: one hairstyle even featured a model ship to celebrate a French naval victory. Zweig Stephan & Marie Antoinette 1938, p.121 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFZweig_StephanMarie_Antoinette1938 ( help) Samuel, Henry (12 January 2016). "Marie-Antoinette's torrid affair with Swedish count revealed in decoded letters". The Telegraph.

How to get the ‘Marie Antoinette look’…

In the United States, expressions of gratitude to France for its help in the American Revolution included naming a city Marietta, Ohio, in 1788. [227] Her life has been the subject of many films, such as Marie Antoinette (1938) and Marie Antoinette (2006). [228] This portrait was criticised for showing improperly informal attire for a queen, and was repainted with a blue silk dress [65] In 1783 the queen was busy with the creation of her " hamlet", a rustic retreat built by her favoured architect, Richard Mique, according to the designs of the painter Hubert Robert. [92] Its creation, however, caused another uproar when its cost became widely known. [93] [94] However, the hamlet was not an eccentricity of Marie Antoinette's. It was en vogue at the time for nobles to have recreations of small villages on their properties. In fact, the design was copied from that of the Prince de Condé. It was also significantly smaller and less intricate than many other nobles'. [95] Around this time she accumulated a library of 5,000 books. Those on music, often dedicated to her, were the most read, though she also liked to read history. [96] [97] She sponsored the arts, in particular music. Marie-Antoinette preferred to hold her musicales in the salon of her Petit appartement de la reine in the Palace of Versailles, or in the Théâtre de la Reine. She limited the audience to her intimate circle and a few musicians, among them the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. "Admitted to perform music with the Queen," [98] Saint-Georges probably played his violin sonatas for two instruments, with Her Majesty playing the fortepiano. She also supported some scientific endeavours, encouraging and witnessing the first launch of a Montgolfière, a hot air balloon for the first time in human history; this extraordinary feat which represented a turning point in human civilization was done by Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier. [99] Marie Antoinette continued to hope that the military coalition of European kingdoms would succeed in crushing the Revolution. She counted most on the support of her Austrian family. After the death of her brother Joseph in 1790, his successor, Leopold, [173] was willing to support her to a limited degree. [ citation needed] Upon Leopold's death in 1792, his son, Francis, a conservative ruler, was ready to support the cause of the French royal couple more vigorously because he feared the consequences of the French Revolution and its ideas for the monarchies of Europe, particularly, for Austria's influence in the continent. [ citation needed] While from late 1787 up to his death in June 1789 Marie Antoinette's primary concern was the continued deterioration of the health of the dauphin, who suffered from tuberculosis, [130] she was directly involved in the exile of the Parlement, the May Edicts, and the announcement regarding the Estates-General. She did participate in the King Council, the first queen to do this in over 175 years (since Marie de' Medici had been named Chef du Conseil du Roi, between 1614 and 1617), and she was making the major decisions behind the scene and in the Royal Council.

Marie Antoinette really was bearing the brunt of a level of public indignation coupled with misogyny that had traditionally been channeled toward these mistresses,” Weber says.Castelot, André (1957). Queen of France: a biography of Marie Antoinette. trans. Denise Folliot. New York: Harper & Brothers. OCLC 301479745.