Featuring personal correspondence, lavish illustrations, and a wealth of unpublished material, this handsome slipcased volume reveals an intimate portrait of Marie Antoinette, her personal collections, and Versailles. Marie Antoinette was a mirror of her time. Never has a queen been so passionately admired and adulated, then hunted, vilified, and defamed. Spanning her tragically brief yet passionate life—from the young queen playing a shepherdess on stage, unaware of the turmoil in the capital, to France’s guillotined “martyr queen"—the author demystifies the legend, unveiling the woman behind the queen, and the wife and mother behind the sovereign.  
Readers will experience the palatial luxury of the queen’s Versailles by tracing Marie Antoinette’s footsteps through the royal residence, as well as discovering her voice through rare letters and encountering little-known works in her private art collection.

About The Author

Hélène Delalex is Heritage Conservation Manager at the Château de Versailles. She has curated exhibitions, contributed to numerous books, and appears regularly on television history programs in France. Francis Hammond’s photographs have been published in Martha Stewart Living, Elle Décoration, and Historic Houses of Paris (2010), Versailles: A Private Invitation (2011), Entertaining in Grand Style (2013), and A Day at Versailles (2013).