Category Archives: Toni O
The Power of a Gaze
It was at the Petit Trianon that I’d met the artist Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun. Elisabeth, after the royal family’s arrest, wisely left France taking her young daughter with her. At the time of Marie-Antoinette’s execution, she was in Vienna … Continue reading
Guillotined Styles
Charlotte Corday was just beginning to blossom as a woman when the French Revolution broke out. She saw nothing liberating about the aftermath of the Revolution and its atrocities. Believing Jean-Paul Marat to be a blood thirsty monster who sent … Continue reading
Born to be A Natural Woman
Sitting here with pen in hand, I ask myself if one can ever really know what they want from life. Because what I want in this moment may be true today but, by tomorrow, unforeseeable events can totally change my … Continue reading
Fabriqué en France
Marie-Antoinette was only 14 when she married Louis-Auguste who was 15. They were not in love, they didn’t even know one another. They married simply to create a political alliance between France and Austria. Once engaged, the French snobs imposed … Continue reading
Crumbs from a Cake
The day Marie Antoinette was beheaded, I was standing by the side of the road when the cart taking her to the guillotine passed by. People in the street were screaming insults and shaking their fists at her. She was … Continue reading



