La Toilette
During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the toilette held a central role in the daily lives of women in the upper echelons of society in Europe and the United States. The toilette or toilet has multiple meanings, including: the act of getting dress, the place where one gets dressed, and dress attire.
Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell reveals the evolution of the toilette from the seventeenth century into the eighteenth century in the Getty exhibition catalog, Paris: Life and Luxury in the Eighteenth Century. Chrisman-Campbell explains that the aspects of performance that characterized the eighteenth century toilette can be traced to Louis XIV (1638 - 1715, reigned from 1643) and his mother Anne of Austria (1601-1666); together they, "had instituted the custom of the toilette or lever (rising), during which courtiers would gather in the royal bedchamber while the king or queen dressed. This royal ritual was imitated by women (and men) of nobility and haute bourgeoisie who, in the eighteenth century, transformed it from a formal ceremony of etiquette into a vital exercise of taste and sociability" (2011, 53). Women and men of the nobility and the bourgeois participated in blending the realms of intimacy and performance during their morning toilette.
Many women began their day sitting at the vanity grooming their face and hair; in addition to putting on essential undergarments such as a chemise and corset, along with the appropriate morning attire including a négligée or a chemise gown. During the second half of the toilette women would entertain intimate friends and visitors while being dressed. It was generally difficult for women to dress themselves due to the multiple layers of undergarments, large skirts, and elaborate bodices, they often needed the assistance of chambermaids and servants. In the 1800s, the act was commonly associated with coquetry and concentrated on the display of luxury items such as lace, silks, furniture, and other decorative items.
Godey's Lady's Book. c. 1850s.