Dear Followers, 

I was very busy this last year firstly for conferences and guest lecturing then researching and finally writing my thesis. I can say that it will be finished by the end of september and I will be writing again new posts for my blog starting from october :) 

Send me your good wishes to finish my thesis as soon as possible...I am so excited to re-start again. Are you not? ;) 

Madame du Barry's bedchamber

The last and according to some, the favorite official mistress (maîtresse-en-titre) of Louis XV was born as Jeanne Bécu in 1743. Like her predecessor she was born from a beautiful mother who had many affairs and thus her paternal father was unknown. Again like Madame de Pompadour, her education was sponsored by one of her mother's lovers (by that I mean that she was sent away to a convent,nothing comparable to Madame de Pompadour's superior education!) If you compare their social classes, Jeanne Bécu is nothing next to Pompadour because she was coming from a well-to-do bourgeois family whereas Du Barry was coming from a much more modest milieu. Her mother was a dressmaker and Jeanne worked in many jobs to earn her life when she came back from the convent at the age of fifteen. She started to "know the ways of life" in this age. She had a relationship with a hairdresser for whom she's been working as an assistant and it is said that she had a child from this relationship. I won't get into details of how she worked in low paid, rabble business but there is one which I can not ignore here and which changed her life completely. I am talking about her career in 'entertainment' business, I mean in brothels!!! When her beauty was noticed by Jean-Baptiste Du Barry literally a pimp (but high society! ;) ) she was employed and sponsored by Du Barry as a mistress in high society of Paris. Eventually she had a 'clientele' from Versailles, from the aristocrats and even from ministers of the king (Richelieu being one of them).The king himself had heard of her (how could he not in a place like Versailles, a spot of gossip!)

In the meantime she was married off to her procurer's brother, Comte Guillaume du Barry and she was given a fabricated noble birth certificate making her an aristocrat although she was coming from ragtag and bobtail! Although she was installed in a chamber at Versailles she was not allowed to be seen publicly with the king. The rules of etiquette commanded that she must be officially introduced to the king in front of the eyes of everyone at Versailles. The much awaited occasion was postponed by some accidents/incidents such as the fall of the king from his horse while he was hunting...But better late than never! The official introduction to the king took place  in the Hall of Mirrors in 1769 which was in itself a victory for her. During her stay at Versailles she has found friends from aristocracy to sponsor her, to pamper her, to give her every luxury she wanted. Madame Du Barry was fond of ostentatious dresses and jewelry heavy in ornamentation and price. On the occasion of this introduction for instance she was wearing a flamboyant dress and jewels which were respectively ordered by her loyal admirer Richelieu and the king especially for the day.

The position of maîtresse-en-titre was vacant after Madame de Pompadour passed away (for about five years) and many were looking forward to be the next official mistress including the sister of Duc de Choiseul the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France. Maybe that's why Choiseul disliked Madame du Barry so much and she has become so "anti-Choiseul"! It is true that after she has become the official mistress, King Louis was taking her to almost everywhere even political meetings. So, she must have some influence over political matters, decisions...However, she was never so clever or political like Madame de Pompadour as she lacked her knowledge and education. Du Barry was more interested in having pompous hairdo's, dresses and jewelry. She was spending so much that her income was never enough for her even though it was very high. The Comtesse was also given servants including an African boy whom she liked to dress up. (Then she dismissed him because he was supporting revolutionary ideas).

Have you ever heard of the famous Necklace Affair? No?? A very expensive flamboyant diamond necklace was prepared with the hopes of selling it to Madame du Barry (or some say that it was commissioned by the King to please her favorite). Anyway the famous court jewellers Boehmer and Bassenge were left unpaid when the King died of smallpox and his mistress was sent away from Versailles. They offered the necklace to Marie Antoinette but she was not interested in that necklace which was designed for Du Barry who liked to show off with such enormous jewels. Being rejected and left alone with a huge financial burden, the jewellers were so happy when they have heard later that the Queen has changed her mind. She made Cardinal de Rohan her intermediary to buy the necklace for her. Of course this was a lie, a huge fraud. The story and plan was made up by a woman "a con artist who called herself Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois, a.k.a. Jeanne de la Motte". She persuaded Cardinal de Rohan that the Queen finally made up her mind to forgive the cardinal (the Queen disliked him and he was so desperate to win her favor). Jeanne de la Motte found a look a like of Marie Antoinette and arranged a secret meeting late night in the gardens of Versailles. Cardinal Rohan believed that woman with a rose in the shadows was Marie Antoinette and he bought the necklace for her. When everything finally came out, Mme. de la Motte was arrested and put into trial. However, this scandalous case created more dislike for the French Queen and nobody believed her except for her husband Louis XVI. The con artist was made a scapegoat and while Marie Antoinette added to her self-image as Madame Déficit, spending huge sums of money when France was bankrupt...

I couldn't keep myself but tell this long story (though this was a very short version) to prove that it wasn't Marie Antoinette who was spending France's treasury into ruins but rather it was Madame du Barry (OK! I admit that the Queen was not completely innocent! :) )

to be continued...;) Madame du Barry will return with more fun facts and more art history in part two...

Madame du Barry and King Louis XV 

                       
                                                    Jeanne Bécu later Madame du Barry

Madame du Barry

                                             
                                               

                                 Madame du Barry depicted in her dressing ceremony

     
                                          Madame du Barry's bed in Versailles

Just for fun: Real Du Barry was blonde. Asia Argento (who plays Du Barry in film Marie Antoinette-2006) may not look like her but she has the air of the passionate (!?) mistress... Du Barry was caricaturized and exaggerated in the film.

Madame de Pompadour vol.2

Dear Followers, 

Let me, first of all, apologize for not posting anything for two weeks. I've been really busy, trying to finish some readings, prepare some notes, abstracts etc. for scientific research projects and conferences... Don't be mistaken by this blog's frivolous entries, in my semi-respectable academic life I have serious concerns and deadlines which make it harder to prepare a new entry for my blog...Anyway I am here now to complete my unfinished story about Madame de Pompadour.

Hmm...Where I have left? Ah yes...She was given a land together with an aristocratic title...So our Mme. d'Etoiles has become Madame de Pompadour now. As she acted really cleverly to meet the French King (remember that she was strolling around in the forest so charmingly where the king was hunting, then she met him at a masked ball in Paris...), she was also acting very wisely toward the French Queen. After she was invited to stay in Versailles and had become a lady-in-waiting for the Queen (so that she may spend time freely with Louix XV!) she was very respectful to Marie Leszczynska (her name is so difficult to write!!! so many consonants!!!so please forgive if I write a different name every time :) ). The French Queen liked this so much because former mistresses could be quite a nuisance since they were not respectful to the Queen. She was quite aware of the fact that Louis was not interested to get into bed with her (and believe me she was ok with it!) and if there has to be a mistress let it be a respectful one like Madame de Pompadour. 

When they were introduced for the first time, everybody in the audience was expecting a spectacle of jealousy and uneasiness, but contrary to expectations they behaved very well with an understanding of their positions. So the courtiers were very disappointed seeing the Queen smiling and conversing with the mistress. Madame de Pompadour was given the apartments of the former mistress Mme. de Chateauroux in Versailles but she was free to redesign and redecorate it as she liked. In time other places (in fact little palaces or chateaux seem more correct!) were given at her disposal such as Fontainebleau, Choisy,Marly,Petit Trianon etc... What is more, Madame de Pompadour's uncle M. Tournehem (or possible paternal father) has received the important position of Intendant Général des Bâtiments du Roi (superintendent of the royal buildings) that gave her more freedom and privilege to redecorate as she liked. After his death the post was given to her brother once known as Abel-François Poisson then with King's grace, Marquis of Marigny. The Marquise de Pompadour brought her cousin Madame d'Estrades to Versailles to live with her. She became a natural part of her life (eventually also Louis' life so that he took a fancy to Madame d'Estrades). They dined and sit together for years in Versailles. Yet, we don't know for sure that there was something beyond admiration?!.. Madame de Pompadour's husband, the father of her only child Alexandrine remained civil and calm, he did not create a scandal but he did not speak to her again. (I guess he was right to do so!) But yet his sister Madame de Baschi paid visits to her former sister-in-law, now friend Madame de Pompadour (interesting family relations!). 

Madame de Pompadour did not give up routine, her meetings with the philosophes, the great intellectuals of the time, Voltaire being certainly among them. They were even invited to dine together with the King. She had enormous libraries full of rare and precious books. She commissioned great artists and sculptors like Boucher and many others. She acted as the guardian angel, a protector of men of science or letters such as Diderot and D'Alembert (the authors of the famous Encyclopédie), the physiocrats (François Quesnay being the leader of this school). She was so powerful that she also played a role in appointing men to important positions such as Duc de Choiseul. He was brought into office by her support and remained there with her guidance and encouragement. 

However, such power creates enemies as you may well expect. Although being on good terms with the royal family (except for the dauphin) and the Queen, she had enemies within the palace among the courtiers such as Duc de Richelieu ( not Cardinal de Richelieu of the time of Louis XIII!). She was also blamed for military defeats, France's bankruptcy and losses.
(France had lost her American colonies to the British and emerged banktrupt and weakened from the Seven Years War)

In the meantime, she had two miscarriages and she has lost her only living child Alexandrine. She never fully recovered from these events. It is known that she had arranged other women to "entertain" or "to give pleasure to" the king in her place. In her last years, she was more like a friend than a mistress to Louis. She was spending more time with her books and pet animals (crazy cat lady?) than with Louis. But he remained "loyal" to her. In other words, he let her keep the position, "the official mistress" and he did not replace her with other women. When she died in 1764, at the age of forty-two from tuberculosis, she was still holding the position...

Madame de Pompadour with her daughter Alexandrine

Madame de Pompadour with her brother Abel-François Poisson, the Marquis of Marigny

Abel-François Poisson, the Marquis of Marigny

Her bedchamber in Versailles

The Marquise de Pompadour in 1763 (one year before her death)

Madame de Pompadour's bedchamber

I am quite sure that almost all of you have heard about Madame Pompadour. Perhaps you also knew that she was the mistress of the French King Louis XV. Good! I am here to tell you rest of her story which you might not know already. 

She was born as Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson in 1721 (Yep another Antoinette and another Louis! ). She had no royal blood, she wasn't even an aristocrat. She was coming from a bourgeois family that had links with Paris financiers and military provisioners. Her mother Mme. Poisson was a remarkable character since she was a real beauty and had numerous lovers while she was married to M.Poisson. So, Jeanne-Antoinette's education was sponsored by one her mother's lovers (M. Tournehem, probably her paternal father). After one year at a convent she started to take lessons at home and I should tell you that she was educated very well indeed! She could act, dance, sing and recite whole plays by heart. She could paint and also play the harpsichord very well (which was considered as a remarkable gift those days). Plus, she was a gardener, a botanist and so on. ( I got tired of writing her accomplishments! :) ) Our Mlle. Poisson had a great knowledge of art and its forms and she was taught everything necessary(!) to a rich bourgeois of 18th century France and these accomplishments will bring her advantages later (when desires of the flesh decrease, you can only impress people with your knowledge and wit...) 

When she was nine years old she went to a fortune teller who said to her that "she will one day reign over the heart of a king". ( if she were still alive I would like to go to that fortune-teller! ) After this event she was called as "Reinette" by her family especially by her mother. (It means 'little queen'). 

As for her appearance there are sources which give choppy information about her looks and if you look at her portraits they all differ so much that you may think they are portraits of several different people. Some say that she was white as snow, very tall, had light brown hair and eyes neither blue, nor grey or black (but eyes that changed color according to light). What was certain is that she was very charming and pretty. She was bewitching people with her good looks and her intelligence. At the age of 20 she was married to the nephew of M. Tournehem, the young M. D'Etoiles who at first did not like the idea of this arranged marriage but then fell in love with his wife, 'reinette' Mlle. Poisson. ( The fact that M.Tournehem offered him a huge dowry, a lifelong guarantee of their expenses and his inheritance must have played a role ;) ). No, no seriously he really was amazed by her wife (He would be devastated when he found out that she was 'seeing the king and practically almost living with him). Their first child, a little boy has died in infancy but they had a second child Alexandrine. (So, she was married and had a child when she became the King's mistress at the age of 24!) 

As Madame D'Etoiles, she was arranging intellectual meetings in her Salon that has become quite the fashion of the time. She was inviting the philosophes, the intellectuals such as Voltaire, Vauvenargues, Montesquieu, Marivaux, Fontenelle and Helvétius. She has earned the respect and admiration of the bourgeoisie and the intellectuals. But inviting and receiving them in her home was not enough. She wanted to enter to a higher society and she wanted to be invited. But there was an obstacle to that: Her mother! Her reputation was not good and people did not want to invite her to their Salon. ( No! you haven't forgotten what I have wrote so far! She had affairs, lovers that sort of things, remember?) God has brought a solution to that. She was taken ill and was forced to give up society. Our 'reinette' was really lucky so far..But how could she meet the king? Louis was already informed of her name and even her looks because she was widely spoken of in Paris and in Versailles. In addition, she was smart enough to show herself  a couple of times riding in her carriage looking very chic and beautiful as always when he was hunting in the woods. Luckily he has lost his last mistresses ( yes, she was neither the first nor the last mistress of Louis XV!) and his wife the Queen Marie Leczinska was leading the life of a nun. She was so boring that he could not keep himself from yawning in her presence. Everybody in Versailles (including himself) was curious about a single question: Who would be the next mistress? 

Louis and Mme. D'Etoiles met in Hotel de Villes and after that they began to see each other so often that people began whispering. But it was unbecoming to take a mistress from bourgeois background. She was not from the court and she was not an aristocrat. But yet Louis realized that she would never bore him since she was amusing, smart and knowledgeable and as a bonus she was pretty. The king was also tall, handsome and had a charismatic voice which enchanted women and made them easily fall in love with Louis XV. Mme. D'Etoiles was no exception. She worshiped Louis. Can you imagine a greater aphrodisiac for a man than having a woman who worships the soil he steps on? 

So, she remained at Versailles in a little flat that was once belonging to his former mistress and was connected to the King's room by a secret staircase. He was sending letters to his beloved mistress when he was away for a campaign. At first the letters were addressed to Mme. d'Etoiles, later one night it was addressed à Madame la Marquise de Pompadour! It enclosed title deeds to an estate of this name and an extinct Marquisate revived in favour of 'Reinette'.

I will write soon what has happened later in Madame de Pompadour Vol.2 :) stay tuned...

Portrait of King Louis XV

  Madame de Pompadour-Painting by Francois Boucher

Another painting by Boucher portraying Pompadour

Madame de Pompadour's bedchamber in Versailles

Most famous painting of Madame de Pompadour-by Boucher

The French Queen's Bedchambers and Boudoirs

We have talked about what was happening in Marie Antoinette's bedchambers (or maybe what wasn't happening) but we haven't talked about the rooms themselves, how they were decorated, by whom, for what purposes and how they were used by their owners. Let's take a closer look into Marie Antoinette's private spaces.

Let's start with the most important one, her official bedchamber among the state rooms in Chateau de Versailles. Her state rooms in the court were in fact firstly produced for the previous French Queens, wives of Louis XIV and Louis XV, Marie Therese and Marie Leszczinska respectively. Marie Antoinette did not touch her rooms' decoration as she first arrived to the palace as a fledgling ( and a foreign!) dauphine. She accepted what was imposed on her (all the court etiquette and obligations that she saw as ridiculous). The only thing she added to her official bedchamber were the two medallion portraits of her beloved mama and brother, namely Austrian Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Joseph II. 

The ostentatious royal bed had a rich fabric with floral patterns which was so matchy-matchy! with that of the walls. Its canopy was decorated with gilding, an eagle which has extended its wings and a bouquet of large a bird's feathers ( You should note that these feathers were exotic items at the time, hard to find and expensive. So they were a symbol of luxury and privilege). 

You are curious about what were the ridiculous things that she had to accept right? (No??) These were traditional ceremonies such as lever and coucher that became parts of the daily routine of the French Kings (and the Queens) especially since Louis XIV. Lever is the french equivalent of 'getting up' or 'rising' whereas 'coucher' meant 'laying down' or 'sleeping'. Although the succeeding French Kings were not as enthusiastic as Louis XIV himself, they respected the tradition and they continued to 'entertain their audience'. Their morning ablutions, dressing ceremony or the handing of the nightgown were all taking place in front of courtiers and with their participation to this theatrical scene.

Coming from a completely different courtly atmosphere all this theatrical non-sense was so irritating and uncomfortable for Marie Antoinette. The Austrian Royal Palace was a place of 'courtly family bliss'. The royal couple Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen were taking care of their children's education (they had 16!) and they could enjoy their own private and intimate time together where they could lead an informal lifestyle ( at least compared to the French Court!). So, after a while Marie Antoinette was looking forward to escape from all of that etiquette and enjoy quality time on her own or with her close circle of friends (which she chose apparently not according to their ranks or merit but simply how much she enjoyed their company). Becoming the French Queen, then being the mother of Madame Royale, but especially after 'fulfilling France's wishes' ( that is giving birth to a health baby-boy, a Dauphin!) she was able to buy that relative freedom by either adding new rooms to her apartments (and decorating them according to her own taste), or by ordering the construction and redecoration of separate buildings such as the Hamlet (Hameau) or the Petit Trianon.  

She not only hated the strict  and ridiculous rules of the French Court but also the decoration of the State Rooms with its dark colors and flashy ornaments. In fact, Marie Antoinette enjoyed very much decorating her private rooms situated at the back of her official state rooms. She employed very famous and successful cabinet makers Riesener and Jacob, also other gifted artisans and craftsmen to be able to share her private moments in a delightful place. It seems to me from what I've seen in these places and read from the sources that she liked soft pastel colors especially light blue and green with the accompaniment of white and gold. The private rooms Cabinet Doré (The Golden Room), the Cabinet de la Meridienne (Meridian Room) at the back of her State Rooms in Versailles and the Sliding Mirror Room in the Petit Trianon are surviving examples of her good taste(Personally I adore the latter, like the second one, but the first one eeh not so much!). These private rooms adjacent to her official bedroom by secret passages were called boudoir ( it does not necessarily mean something sexy! Don't think immediately about boudoir photography :) it means private rooms for ladies which were used for different purposes such as a dressing room or a drawing room).

After one of the pain-in-the-ass aunties of her husband Louis XVI has died she added her apartments to hers and as you may well expect redecorated them. Her famous bathroom is infact here in the ground floor apartment that she took the possession at the death of Madame Sophie. The Queen's bathroom was again simple but elegant with its light blue paneling and black&white marble tiles. It was the first time that a Queen was given double apartments in a French court where she could live undisturbed, alone or with her close friends. The three private rooms I have talked about in the previous paragraph could be locked from inside which gave her absolute privacy. The keys of the Petit Trianon was also given to the Queen by her husband as a symbol which meant that she was now the owner of that chateau! This practice of making a Queen the owner of a royal palace has never been seen in French History. ( Let alone a foreign queen, the Autrichienne!) All of these private places, this freedom came at a cost. They created a discontent among the courtiers, the high aristocracy who has been accustomed to be entertained by the King and the Queen ( by watching their daily routine such as when they were having their lunch or eating their macarons! ) Louis was staying at Versailles, even he could only enter Queen's private rooms or her domain with her invitation only. Living on her on terms, by herself or with her friends (with a reputation!) made people think that she was leading a scandalous life. But hey let's admit that they were not too unfair if you consider that she was giving closed parties, inviting young good-looking gentlemen like Count Fersen etc... If you are still not satisfied take this event into consideration:

Once she has fallen ill with chicken pox and decided to stay in at her beloved Petit Trianon until she recovered. During her illness she chose four of her close friends to look after her: Messieurs Besenval, Coigny, Guines and Estherazy! Enough reason to raise some eyebrows I think! ;)) 

By the way I must add that although it was officially accepted to have mistresses for French Kings and it was quite fashionable even for married women to have affairs, Louis XVI has never had a mistress. There was only one woman for him: Marie Antoinette...

                                                 Marie Antoinette's royal bed 

                    covered by a huge canopy with gilding, eagle and feather bouquets

                                                           Cabinet Doré

Cabinet Meridienne 

Sliding Mirrors Room inside Petit Trianon

     The room had a special mechanism which allowed the mirrors to slide upwards or downwards. These mirrors were closing up the two windows with a view of her 

          garden and the Temple of  Love. This complex exquisite system of sliding mirrors was           commissioned from renowned engineer Mercklein.

View from the terrace of Petit Trianon -English Garden and The Temple of Love

                                               
                             Queen's Bathroom in Ground Floor of Chateau de Versailles

 Famous Bathroom in Sofia Coppola's film Marie Antoinette (2006)

Marie Antoinette-images

Dauphine Marie Antoinette and Dauphin Louis Auguste

( future queen of France and Louix XVI ) 

                         Young Royal Couple first time in bed together ( from the movie Marie Antoinette)
                                               

    Famous womanizer Count Axel de Fersen from the Swedish Army

  Some examples from the libelles (satiric pamphlets which included pornographic 

caricatures of the Queen)

Marie Antoinette's bedchamber

Throughout history one of the most sensational bedchambers which aroused so much curiosity that it became an inexhaustible source of gossip was beyond doubt the official bedchamber of the French Queen Marie Antoinette (1755-1793). At that time, the bedchamber was not yet so private as it is in our modern day understanding. On the contrary, in keeping with the etiquette of Versailles it was highly public and you had to live your life from the moment you wake up in front of a multitude of curious spectators which consisted of royal servants of many different ranks including charges, also members of the royal family and aristocracy. 

Maria Antonia, the former the archduchess of Austria was married at the age of fifteen in 1770 to the Dauphin Louis Auguste, the grandson of  the French King Louis XV. As her marriage was an arranged marriage to "cement the Franco-Austrian alliance", great things were expected from it and it was a great responsibility for a fifteenth year old girl. Her mother, the empress of Austria, Maria Theresa,  had arranged marriages for all her children except her favorite daughter Maria Christina. (She had 16 children! and she said once that she was almost always pregnant throughout her life). Maria Christina was the only lucky child who could have a love marriage with her beloved mother's consent whereas all her brothers and sisters were forced into royal or dynastic alliances (sorry marriages :) ) The Austrian empress Maria Theresa was so authoritarian and controlling that she was expecting detailed letters from her daughters informing their 'indispositions' or periods which she nicknamed as 'Générale' ! Of course the arrival of the générale in a letter was not welcome by the empress since it was a sign that she was not pregnant. However, there was a much bigger problem than the arrival of the générale: The news of Marie Antoinette's unconsummated marriage!

Everything went as expected and according to the strict etiquette of Versailles until these two younglings who have met only days before were left alone. That is to say the Archbishop blessed the nuptial bed, Louis XV gave his grandson his nightgown and Marie Antoinette has received hers from Duchesse de Chartres when everyone who had the Rights of Entry was present in the bedchamber ( a very large number of spectators I must say!). They were handed into the bed again by the king and Duchesse de Chartres. Everyone bowed or curtsied and withdrew. On the next day, everyone was talking about the newly married couple and that they had not fulfill the expectations! Naturally, it was a huge disappointment for the empress who valued the marriage bed so much that all her life she has slept with her husband Emperor Francis Stephen. It was also quite a shock for the French king Louis XV who was always known to have a big appetite (for you know...)
Despite their warnings and encouragements(!) this situation continued like this for a long time. (I mean seriously a very long time-7 years!!!)  Marie Antoinette had to cope with her mother's sharp tongue in her letters which was actually nothing compared to her audience she had to see everyday in Versailles. Her mother was saying her letters that it was her inability to 'inspire sexual passion in her husband' and 'everything depended on the wife'. As long as their marriage was not consummated their marriage could be annulled and the French king could favor instead dauphin's brother if his wive becomes pregnant before Marie Antoinette. She was quite aware of the seriousness of the situation and wanted to please her mother and the French king. For that end, she was trying to be tempting and to show interest in things her husband liked such as hunting. Marie Antoinette was indeed very patient towards her husband always loving and encouraging but never showing ill-humor. 
There were different stories about their bedchamber. Stories that were claiming that Young Louis was impotent or physically disabled to 'perform the great accomplishment' and that the 'Autrichienne' was a frigid. The most widely known rumors that claimed she had lesbian tendencies or had affairs with other men (or women) were actually erotic fantasies which were made up stories in which you could not find a grain of truth. Cartoons and pornographic engravings that showed her alleged lesbian or heterosexual promiscuity were widely distributed in Paris. Actually these cartoons and pamphlets grew in number and became more aggressively accusing after the serious financial crisis in France on the eve of the revolution. 
Actually Louis was paying visits to her wife's bedchamber and he was even attempting 'penetration' but somehow these attempts were not successful. So, imagine a young attractive girl aroused every-time with his husband's attempts but never reaches a happy ending. (lol) Neither court physician Dr. Lassonne's visits nor Empress Maria Theresa's warnings could bring victory. Meanwhile, Louis XV has died and the young dauphin became the new French king but the Queen was 'not deflowered yet'. The great work! was accomplished after Emperor Joseph (Antoinette's elder brother) paid a visit to Versailles and shared some advice with his brother-in-law Louis XVI. Since sources differ on what was Louis' problem I cannot say precisely what has changed in his situation. (Some say he was refusing to have an operation to get rid of his physical inability). 
Their first child was a baby-girl Marie-Thérèse Charlotte. She was born in the famous bedchamber of the Queen which was very crowded at the time and had little oxygen for the queen herself. Marie-Thérèse was named after her grandmother the Austrian empress and given the honorific title at birth of 'Madame Royale'. 
With the arrival of their first child, Louis XVI had presented her wife a new gift which meant 'freedom' for her: The Petit Trianon. She has redecorated this chateau which was actually built with the order of Louis XV for his mistress Madame de Pompadour and then occupied by his later mistress Madame du Barry (I'll write new entries for each of them). Although it was on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, it was still far enough from the formalities of the court. She ran away to her beloved Petit Trianon at every turn. Later she also had ordered the construction of the Hameau, a rustic retreat in the park of Versailles which was a recreation of model village with its farmhouse, dairy, mill etc. These places served as a meeting place for  the Queen and her friends such as Princesse Lamballe and Duchesse de Polignac. As you may expect, this has caused an increase in rumors and pornographic pamphlets known as libelles. Louis XVI's own brother, Princesse Lamballe and Duchesse de Polignac were among her supposed lovers but none of them actually was. But, Was she really completely innocent and devoted to her husband? I guess not :) It was widely known that she had an affair with handsome Count Axel Fersen from the Swedish Army. They first had met when she was still the dauphine of France and we know from his letters sent to his father that he was really attracted to the beautiful dauphine. Later when he has returned to France and she has become the new Queen they probably had an affair. There is no evidence of the consummation of this love. Yet especially the fact that the Queen has delivered her second son nine months after his visit is highly suspicious. 

Additional info: The famous phrase " Let them eat cake" was never uttered by the Queen Marie Antoinette. The original French phrase "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" was taken from Rousseau's Confessions claiming that it was uttered by 'a great princess'. Later it was attributed falsely to Marie Antoinette. Thus, do not believe everything you read or hear about Marie Antoinette ! She may not be an angel or an example of great virtue but she was not that bad. She was 'an average woman' as Stefan Zweig portrayed her in his biography. She had no clue what was happening outside of Versailles...

                                            Marie Antoinette's bedchamber in Versailles

Marie Antoinette's bedchamber in Petit Trianon