Marie-Antoinette: A Life in Letters and Art

Marie-Antoinette, queen of France, has long captured our imagination. Her glamorous lifestyle at Versailles and dramatic downfall at the hands of revolutionaries fascinate us even today.

Join Lady Antonia Fraser, acclaimed author of Marie-Antoinette: The Journey, Professor Catriona Seth, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford, and Alexander Collins, Curatorial Assistant at the Wallace Collection, as they explore the queen’s life through her letters and the artworks linked to her in the museum.

About the Speakers: Lady Antonia Fraser is the author of many widely acclaimed historical works which have been international bestsellers. They include two studies of French history – Love and Louis XIV, and Marie Antoinette: the Journey, the bestseller which was used by Sofia Coppola as the basis for her film in 2006. Must You Go?, a memoir of her life with Harold Pinter, was published in 2010, and My History: A Memoir of Growing Up in 2015. She was made a Companion of Honour in 2018 for services to literature.

Catriona Seth FBA MAE is the Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow of All Souls College. She has worked extensively on 18th-century France and published widely (in French) on the literature and cultural history of the period. Along with editing Marie-Antoinette's letters to count Mercy and a large anthology of texts about the French queen, she has been involved in the curation of several exhibitions.

Take part at the Museum: Join us at the museum for this special talk, followed by drinks.

Watch Online: This talk will also be broadcast live from the museum.