Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice book in great condition. Pages in excellent condition. Images are beautiful bright and vivid. Some very slight tanning to page edges and a cover page but otherwise book excellent. No notes or highlighting. See images. Fantastic book.

About the book >.>.> The years 1789 to 1815 marked one of the most tumultuous periods in French history. After the Revo- lution which destroyed the monarchy of Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette the French attempted to create a republic of citizens who applauded the democratic values of the ancient world. Out of the anarchy caused by opposing forces that struggled to control the new government arose a great military hero whose ambition would make him first a political leader and ultimately emperor. Napoleon Bonaparte brought political stability to his country and he achieved for a time military domi- nance in Europe. He also reestablished a court where grandeur and magnificence held sway where lux- urious fabrics elegant clothing and personal style once again put France at the forefront of international fashion. This beautiful volume illustrated with photo- graphs of costumes paintings and fashion plates explores the dramatic changes that occurred in French clothing during this explosive period. From the court of Louis XVI where aristocratic style was both delicas and lavish fashion shifted to the aus- terities of revolutionary France when what one wore indicated one’s political affiliation. With the Direc- toire and its emphasis on republican virtues grew a taste for Neoclassicism as women adopted high- waisted white dresses and other Roman- and Greek- inspired costumes with accessories ? l’antique. The Consulat and then the Empire ruled by a a man who instinctively understood the importance of image saw a great renaissance in the luxury industries which had languished without an aristocratic clientele. period ecclesiastical (MP)