Marie Antoinette in a red hunting costume 1771

Joseph Kreutzinger painted this portrait of Marie Antoinette, the Austrian-born Queen of France, sometime in the late 18th century. The painting presents Marie Antoinette in a red hunting costume, an activity traditionally associated with the aristocracy, but we can appreciate the ways in which the queen is borrowing a masculine style of dress. This was a moment when gender roles were being renegotiated, especially at the level of aristocratic and courtly fashion. We could say that it challenges the rigid social structures of the time. To understand this work better, research into the fashion of the French court, pamphlets and journals, and other portraits can offer valuable insights. These resources help us contextualize the image and reflect on how art is so contingent on social and institutional contexts.