Follies of the Madmen #382

How long did it take her to assemble that rig? Did she need a crane?

Those dresses are usually a two-servants job, plus another servant to install the wig. The cake is also a two-servants job, and the flowers, a one-servant job. The tapestry and drapes were probably a three-servants job. So the message would be "Drink Coca-Cola, the sophisticated drink for aristocrats".

But you'd better just sip, and sip slowly. I can't imagine what it takes to go to the bathroom in that getup.

@Jessica -- What it takes is a bourdaloue. It's kind of like a gravy boat. Since panties weren't yet a thing, they simply pulled up the skirt far enough to slide the bourdaloue between their legs, relieved themselves, and handed it off to a maid to empty.

https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2015/11/10/what-was-a-bourdaloue/

Of course, the French of those times weren't very particular, and it was common for a woman to simply stand still for a minute, then step away from a warm puddle. That was considered much better than leaving a party.

Phideaux, the ladies didn't piss in front of everybody at parties, even before Marie-Antoinette's time. That's what the curtain is for. They went behind the tapestries, where the chamber pots were, to do their business. The King even had a throne for that ("la chaise percée", the pierced chair, hence the expression "aller sur le trône", meaning to go to the toilet), which was brought to him by a servant, who was also responsible for wiping the King's butt. Hence the term "lèche-cul", litterally "buttlicker", which means "asskisser".

Just happened to watch LET JOY REIGN SUPREME last week, in which servants with pails circulated at the court of Louis XV, allowing at least the men to pee while not leaving the salon.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072053/?ref_=nv_sr_1

@Yudith -- Some women would just let it trickle down their legs. It was such a common problem at Versailles that there was a standing reward for anyone who could concoct a floor polish for the ballrooms which wasn't eaten away by urine. Even though other facilities were available, going there took them away from the party and announced to all and sundry what they were doing.

I forget which king it was (probably Louis XIV, but might have been XV) who had the fleur-de-lis painted on the walls of the hallways to stop men from relieving themselves wherever, on the pretext that urinating on the royal symbol was treason. Many took it as an afront for even the king to stand between them and their bodily functions.