Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and it just puts me in that girly sort of mood…
I brought out a set of my antique French letters and added a few of my favorite
18th century French fashion plate photos to them and printed them out…
Would make great wrapping paper for some sweetheart. More on that
trend setting hairstyle via Surroundings here
The queen of decorating with gorgeous antique French script
is Carolyn Quartermaine. Photo above from her book Revealed.
Her website shows the latest she’s up to but I’m still entranced
by where she’s been. An earlier post I did of her Pink and Gold
I framed nine of my favorite antique letters and set them
above a console in the master bedroom. Though stock
frames, I switched out the glass with archival glass.
Below is a set of ho-hum books I painted a few shades of blue
From Framing a Wall here (yes that’s a Quartermaine
script pillow in Stephen Shubel’s Paris apartment)
Love the packaging on these bars of soap…
Script, 18th century fashion plates, flowers…
Tokyo milk
Old garden roses from last fall with
a simple Japanese anemone…
Doesn’t everyone want to be pampered on Valentines day?
Love the elegant posture, brilliant yellow, the careful application
of powder to her high and heavily pomaded hair…
more 18th Century Hairdressing here
Silky yellow, lace, bow…
From Last Honeyed Drips of Summer here
One of my first posts…from peony border
to Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette ‘s delicious shoes
Treasure Hues here
Hmmm…what do you get the menfolk for Valentine’s day?
Cravat, shoe buckles, walking stick?
More script (what can I say… I love letters)
and wonderful video of Carolyn Quartermaine here
Shoe photo from Marie Antoinette Style by Adrien Goetz
Most of the Fashion plates come from the “Galerie des Modes” 1778-1787
From my dogeared edition of Eighteenth century French Fashion Plates
in full color edited by Stella Blum
Special Note
Mélanie from the wonderful French blog Le Petit Cabinet de Curiosités will have
the Grand Opening of her boutique tomorrow. She has around 200 antique French letters.
Some are 19th century and are letters to a “Comte”. Others are contracts from the
beginning of the 19th century with crowns on them, which she will put up first.
She has around 10 that are from the 17th century.
