A Multi-Faceted Myth: Versailles in the Collective Memories of Europe and Beyond

• Published in: Bulletin du Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailles Vol. 23
• Main Author: Spangler, Jonathan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bulletin du Centre de recherche du château de Versailles 01.01.2023; Centre de Recherche du Château de Versailles
• Subjects: Biltmore; Gilded Age; Lunéville; myth; United States; Versailles; Gilded Age; myth; âge d’or; United States; Versailles; Biltmore; États-Unis; mythe; Lunéville
• ISSN: 1958-9271; 1958-9271
• DOI: 10.4000/crcv.27265

This brief afterword pulls together the various strands of the research presented in the chapters of this volume to generate a synthesis of the varieties of experience across Europe (and beyond) of visitors to Versailles in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. A common theme is that the influence of the myth of Versailles varied greatly from individual to individual, and was re-packaged and re-presented back home usually according to the visitor’s own desires. In other words, there was no one single vision of Versailles. Some made use of their experiences in visiting Versailles to balance their own political affiliations between France and Germany, others to reflect their own status through display of their personal connections there, or to show off their good taste in the objects they collected. Some viewed Versailles as the best embodiment of state authority and moral order, while others saw it as a symbol of the worst excess and decadence. Visitors to Versailles from the United States imported elements of its myth, such as its concern for etiquette and exclusivity of access, and the value of its sheer size and splendour. But in the end, these influences were varied: Americans emulated not just Versailles, but other French palatial residences as well. The myth was perpetuated, but it took on many forms.