1857 Jean-François Portaels - Charlotte of Belgium, Empress consort of Mexico wearing the costume outfit of a peasant woman from Brianza
(Miramare Castle)
I was scrolling through the posts while at a certain point this portrait of Empress Charlotte caught my eye. Something in the attire looked familiar. The hair ornament reminded me of the one of Lucia Mondella from “I Promessi Sposi”(The Betrothed) by Alessandro Manzoni. People who are not familiar with Italian literature might not know this is one of the most famous Italian novels and one of the pillars of the Italian language along with Dante’s works. Lucia Mondella is the protagonist, a young woman who’s fiancée is the good Renzo, but was constantly stalked by the local Spanish lord, Don Rodrigo, that wanted her for himself. The day before their wedding, Don Rodrigo with the help of the Bravi his guards and local bullies, “advises” the local priest to not officiate it or…there will be consequences for him. The priest, who is basically a coward and egoist(a priest!!!), calls sick on the wedding day and it’s the beginning of the sad adventures of the two lovers that during the plague of the 17th century, are separated and have to walk different paths that will change them forever. What is amazing about this novel, apart from the used language, are the people that Renzo and Lucia meet during their journeys. Each of them with their own personal story. The description of the plague and the consequences of the desease for the poor, the divine intervention and the sacrifices…but okay let’s go back to the main point. The headpiece in the portrait. That triggered me a lot!
Now, women in Brianza used to wear the raggiera/guazza/sperada, and it looks like little tea spoons put together to form a crown. I’ve been upset and amused when I found out comments that judged Charlotte for considering what she is wearing a peasant girl clothes with a crown although she never expressed such a though. She was a brilliant and smart woman too ahead of her times, that had utopian views and dreams of how governments should work and this led her to have an unfortunate life. Her husband as well when met her jested and said she was too intelligent for his taste…
I think people misjudge her for the choice of her outfit because of the poor choice of words in the translation of portrait’s title which is quite misleading and I would have called it “Empress Charlotte wearing a traditional Brianza outfit” and not a “peasant”. Now when this portrait was made in 1857 this part of Italy was still under the Austrian rule, and Charlotte was Archiduchesse of this region, so I suppose it was normal to dress in traditional clothes. Obviously she’s a noble, therefore she’s wearing a silk dress but still in the folk/traditional way.
history-of-fashion