In addition to her role as queen of France, Marie Antoinette (1755–1793) could justly claim to rule the 18th-century fashion world. Directly behind her throne stood a savvy dressmaker, Rose Bertin, who helped transform the young Antoinette from a foreign princess into the epitome of French fashion and the most glamorous woman of her era. Two figures portraying the queen and her dressmaker appear in this lavish paper doll collection, along with fifteen extraordinary costumes. These elegant ensembles attest to Rose Bertin's skills as a designer and her place as an innovator in fashion history. Her shop served as a center for the beau monde, and its displays of garments for an international clientele mark the first recorded showings of a couture collection. No one acted as a more conspicuous model than the ill-fated queen, who abandoned hoop skirts and monumental hairstyles in favor of her trademark style, magnificent renditions of the simple garb worn by shepherdesses and milkmaids. These dazzling costumes, scrupulously researched and meticulously rendered, come with detailed descriptive notes, providing a treasury of historic fashions for paper doll fans and costume enthusiasts.
Author
Tom Tierney was a prolific creator of paper doll books. He was trained as an artist and worked as an illustrator for department stores before turning to paper dolls in the 1970s. "Meticulously drawn and colored, and annotated with historical information, Mr. Tierney’s paper-doll books are not just for children—and some are not for children at all. His aim, he often said, was to contribute to the visual literature of costume history," noted his New York Times obituary. "Pope John Paul II, shown a copy of Mr. Tierney’s book about him by a visitor to the Vatican, blessed it and asked where he might get one of his own."
