13 The Queen’s Ladies-in-Waiting

Ladies-in-waiting were the personal assistants or companions to royal women or noblewomen, and in this context all the ladies-in-waiting were noblewoman. The number of ladies-in-waiting increased considerably over the centuries, and consisted of a hierarchy of 6 ranks: Surintendante de la Maison de la Reine, Première dame d’honneur, dame d’atour, dame d’honneur, filles d’honneur, and finally the première femme de Chambre which then outranked the remaining femme de chambres and lavandières.

Bibliography of Sources:

“Lady-in-waiting: France.” Wikipedia:  The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed May 22, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady-in-waiting#France.

Image Caption:

Fig. 1. Joseph Boze, Portrait of Jeanne-Louise-Henriette Genet Campan (Marie-Antoinette’s Première femme de Chambre 1768-1792). 1786, pastel on blue paper attached to canvas, 81.2 x 64.4 cm. Musée national des châteaux de Versailles et de Trianon. Available from: ARTstor. Accessed May 12, 2019. http://www.artstor.org.