Marie Antoinette, the wife of Louis XVI and the last queen of France, was many things. To the French libelles—the scandalous pamphlets that circulated widely—she was portrayed as profligate, promiscuous, a thief, and a liar. During the French Revolution, she earned the nickname Madame Déficit, and was blamed for the country’s financial collapse. Marie was also avant-garde, a tastemaker who revolutionized court fashion. She abandoned the heavy makeup and rigid silhouettes of Versailles in favor of softer, more feminine styles such as the robe à la polonaise. She advocated for property rights, hoping to bequeath her belongings “to whichever of my children I wish.” Her glamour both inspired and irritated. In 1793, she was executed by guillotine. This exhibition explores the rise, fall, and fashionable legacy of an ill-fated queen. —Elena Clavarino