The Colour Palette of Fashion: Red

The court of Louis XIV was definitely not a stranger to a variety of strong, red colours. The Sun King himself made the red heels on shoes not only fashionable but a mark of distinction. He would even pass a sumptuary law in the 1673 which meant that only those aristocrats who had the king's permission could use the signature red heels.

While the colour was very much in vogue during Louis XIV - and before - its popularity did not fade with the dead of the king. The greatest revolution in the use of red is attributed to Madame de Pompadour by Amanda Sikarskie. According to the author, the royal mistress promoted the use of softer fabrics of cotton and chintz over the traditional velvet. The consequence was that the red became less vivid than hitherto which fit perfectly with the marquise's taste for rococo delicacy. It was not until pastels took over that bright red was exchanged for a more delicate pink; but still, the colour remained a firm fixture of both royal dress and décor. 

Marie Leszczyńska, Marie Antoinette, Marie 
Adélaide of Savoy and Madame Henriette

Red is one of the tones that is found in a wide array of natural sources, although not all of them were available to the 17th or 18th century markets. One of the oldest in Europe was madder which was widely used by textile manufacturers in this age. It had the definite advantage of being found naturally in France which meant that the cost of import was avoided.

Kermes were insects that was originally found in Asia but was brought to southern France specifically with the intention of harvesting them for use as dyes. For this particular reason, oaks were planted in this region since this is what the insects fed on. Once the system was in place, it also avoided the expensive taxes placed in imported goods.

Mademoiselle de Blois, Elizabeth Charlotte of the
Palatinate, Richard Middleton and Duchesse de
Montbazon

However, with the increasing influx of goods from the Americas meant that there were soon competitors to the traditional source - including cochineal beetles. While there were already cochineal in Eastern Europe - Albania was a hotspot for it - the cochineal coming from Mexico gave amazingly brilliant red hues. Other more available sources were iron oxide which was readily available in rust. The English created so-called India red in the early 17th century by using just that.

Robe à l'Anglaise 1760's, Robe à l'Anglaise 1770,
Mantua 1740 and Robe à la Française 1760's

Naturally, imported cochineal made fabrics dyed with this very expensive. This also contributed to making it - initially, at least - reserved for the wealthy upper class.

However, cheaper red dyes were used for uniforms within the royal households. The king's royal bodyguards were blue and red uniforms throughout the Ancien Regime. Marie Antoinette and Marie Leszczynska also had that colour incorporated into their own households. For instance, the household of the queen's bedchamber included several femmes rouges who assisted the femmes de chambre. Their name was derived from their bright red uniforms. Marie Antoinette herself has been painted several times in a deep red hue - including the famous portrait of her surrounded by her children. 

Another familiar sight at court was the bright red of the cardinals' robes. As a powerful Catholic country, the first families of France usually produced cardinals, some of which remained at the French court or travelled between Paris and Rome. Soldiers, too, were often dressed in red. Particularly the French hussar regiments were decked out in red uniforms.

Suit 1730, suit 1750-75, suit 1755 and waistcoat 
1750

The very interior of Versailles was not unfamiliar with crimson tones. The king's state bedchamber is famously adorned with red fabrics brocaded with gold thread. Even through history, the colour continually reappears in the reports by contemporaries. For instances, the jewellery cabinet containing the royal jewels was handed over to Marie Leszczynska on her wedding day - but not before being carefully covered with a red cloth. Likewise, Marie Antoinette had a carriage with crimson upholstery and Madame de Pompadour (as mentioned above) favoured the colour in her own furniture - she apparently died on a bed of red-and-white striped fabric.

The fascination with the Far East from the middle of the 18th century, also contributed to the popularity of red. Symbolically, red has long held an honoured in Asian cultures, particularly in China. Several of the pieces of Chinese lacquer-wares brought to Versailles were adorned with brilliant red. Louis XV received several such pieces in 1763, including a secretaire (writing desk) decorated in red and gold. 

Top left: Salon of Mars, Top Right: brocade from
the king's bedchamber and Bottom: Salon of Apollo

Considering that red was so clearly favoured by the monarchy, it is quite odd that the revolutionaries would so readily embrace it. Not only did red feature in the tricolore-ribbons worn by supporters of the revolution. The Phrygian cap, too, became a fashion symbol of the new world order. The cap is completely red with a tassel; a pamphlet during the last years of the monarchy shows a defeated-looking Louis XVI wearing it.