Housing the Help

A natural part of most households - aristocratic or not - was the presence of servants. Naturally, when the courtiers moved to Versailles their households followed them. However, that presented a new issue. The apartments within the palace proper were often quite small even for the nobles. This meant that it was downright impossible to bring more than a few servants. 

The greater families had purchased a plot of land in the village of Versailles where they had erected their own hôtels. One could imagine that it would be far more pleasant to reside in a more spacious and private place than the apartments of the palace. However, the courtiers would strongly disagree. Particularly during Louis XIV, a successful courtier was one who was seen by the king - literally. Even those who did not have a position in the royal households could catch the king's eye or exchange a few words with him; and that is where the opportunity for advancement lay. Yet, to be constantly in attendance meant being as close as possible. For this reason, the majority of the aristocrats preferred to make do with a few rooms until/if a better apartment became available. 

For the servants of the aristocratic household this could have a direct influence on where they themselves lived. The vast majority of the household was housed in the family hôtel in Versailles but a few came to call the palace home. A gentleman or a lady could not go through the daily routines without the assistance of either a valet or a chambermaid - and these had to be at hand during the night as well. But where did they stay?

Most apartments consisted of a bedchamber, a cabinet and perhaps a wardrobe. The lucky ones could add a few antechambers or had rather large rooms. In this context, the servants' quarters were in the wardrobe. Today, the word would usually mean a space for storing clothes but the wardrobe - or garderobe - had a wider term in the 18th century. The room was often quite small and used to store a variety of household necessities including clothing, toilet articles and often the chaise percée if it was movable. Likewise, this is where the valet or chambermaid slept, usually on a bed that could be put aside during the day.

Photo of a cubbyhole used as a bed for a servant.
Taken by Sally Christie in 2015

Naturally, this also meant that a servant's room was typically incredibly small. For instance, the Duc de Saint-Simon's servant was housed in a tiny room which had such a low ceiling that a man could barely stand upright. While unpleasant it should be kept in mind that the room was not meant for actually living in. The servant would only sleep in the room while the day was spent almost entirely elsewhere. Still, it cannot have been particularly pleasant sleeping in a cramped room with no air circulation or heating.

For those nobles who had managed to get a hold of a particularly spacious apartment, this could be an improvement for their staff as well. In such cases, it was not uncommon for their room to have its own stove for heating but they were then obliged to share.

The natural consequence was that the master and servant lived very close together which came in handy in regards to the service itself but could easily become cramped. The lower ranking servants - such as pages or footmen - were often given field beds which were erected in the antechamber. Every morning they would store these away and go about their duties. Compared to the smaller, inner wardrobes these were at least more spacious. 

Dressing the Ladies: Madame Eloffe

While Rose Bertin has become known to history as Marie Antoinette's unofficial "minister of fashion" she was far from the only one to supply the queen - and her ladies - with finery. The direct rival of Madame Bertin was Adélaide Henriette Damoville better known as Madame Eloffe. She was highly favoured by the queen who often ordered her accessories and trimmings from her. 

Unlike Rose Bertin, her original accounts have survived the revolution. We are therefore able to directly see who ordered what which gives a unique insight into the fashions of the day. For instance, Madame Eloffe was a popular go-to for ladies - including the queen - who wished to have existing dresses altered or repaired. As it happens, such alterations are by far the most common in her accounts. If the ladies did not chose to have Madame Eloffe herself fix their stuff, then they would often order smaller pieces which could be added to existing garments. These are a few chosen examples of deliveries made to ladies of the court.

A black velvet gown sent in for Madame Eloffe to work on for the Duchesse de Fitz-James in the early months of 1787. It had a petticoat of white satin trimmed with sable and cost 50 livres. 

The Marquise de Lostanges ordered what appears to be a grand habit on 18th February 1787. The gown had wide panniers and the fabric chosen was striped with blue, gold and silver. The gown was heavily adorned with embroidery, garlands at the hem of the skirt, two rows of silver tassels, ribbons and "embroidery with stones" - presumably this means gemstones (or replicas) sewn into the garment. With that came quite a deal of lace for the sleeves. The entire ensemble cost the marquise 1.436 livres.

On 11th March 1787, the Marquise de Marconnay was officially presented at court. She had ordered her gown from Madame Eloffe who produced a concoction of silver striped fabric and silver polka dots. While the gown was primarily done in silver fabrics, there were also spots of blue and gold. As could be imagined of a presentation gown, it was elaborately adorned. This included a 5-yard silver braid, gold ears of wheat, Alençon lace, gold garlands and a silver belt trimmed in gold. The entire deal cost 2.019 livres.

A grand habit from 1785

Madame la Duchesse de la Vauguyon had ordered two gowns in the first quarter of 1787. One was robe à l'Anglaise of blue gauze; its petticoat was white with pink and purple ribbons. The other was a lilac gown with silver polka dots and a white petticoat also with silver polka dots. When counting the accessories - which included white feathers - her total was 1.274 livres

When the Vicomtesse de Briqueville was presented at court in September 1787, she wore a white gown with a petticoat of violet gauze. The hem of the skirt was adorned with gold and silver tasseled fringes as well as striped ribbons. The sleeves were done in intricate lace while the gown was heavily embroidered. It cost her 1.428 livres

An English straw hat was ordered for the Comtesse de Bourbon-Busset. She wanted it adorned with satin ribbons of purple with chocolate-coloured dots.

Many court ladies ordered their chemises from Madame Eloffe including Mesdames Adelaide and Victoire and the Comtesses d'Artois and de Provence. These were typically made from linen but had occasionally a touch of lace. Likewise, fichus were a typical order. For instance, the Princesse de Lamballe ordered several of English lace.

Madame Adélaide in 1788

Madame Victoire ordered a new gown for the celebration of the day of Saint-Louis. It was a robe à l'Anglaise in purple English gauze with small, silver polka dots and Alençon lace. The account states that there were "a lot" of lace and ribbons - which is saying something! The king's aunt also ordered a black taffeta coat with English lace at the bottom. This might just have been the type of coat that Mesdames threw over their otherwise deshabillé to go see their father at his debotter earlier in their lives. 

The Duchesse de Narbonne ordered a mantilla shawl of black gauze embroidered with golden sequins. Each end of the shawl had golden braids and black tassels.

Madame Victoire had a dress of striped velvet in the colours blue, pink and white.

The Comtesse de Gand had a purple moire gown with white petticoat altered in the late spring of 1788. It would appear that a part of the skirt was raised slightly into a decorative knot.

While most of the other entries were for outer-garments, the Duchesse de Laval ordered a couple of panniers. One of them was intended for a grand habit and must have been of considerable width. It was covered with white and blue taffeta.

Several coats were ordered by the Comtesse d'Artois of white taffeta trimmed with English gauze. Either the Comtesse was planning ahead or it must have been some light coats because they were ordered in June 1788. A more curious item ordered by her was a wide belt in black velvet. Later in the year, an alteration was done to a robe à la Turque of rose taffeta.

A robe à la Turque

A good example of how gowns were reused is seen in the invoice written for the Comtesse de la Palisse in August 1788. A presentation gown was typically one of the most elaborate gowns a woman would have during her lifetime. For that reason, it is not surprising to see that she had hers altered for the reception of what appears to be an Indian ambassador. 

That very occasion caused several other ladies to rush to Madame Eloffe. One of these was the Comtesse de Pons whose gown was of silver - the entire gown seems to have been of silver fabric. The corset was covered in gemstones and a braid of silver and white bordered the neckline. 

On occasion, the accounts are somewhat vague. For the holiday of Saint-Louis Madame Victoire ordered a "magnificent gown and hat" - no particular description is given for the exact the design but it must have been elaborate as it cost 2.182 livres. Her sister, Madame Adélaide, was not to be outdone and ordered an even more expensive concoction. This one was of green and purple with a large headdress of blue gauze. It set her back just over 3.000 livres.