''Première femme de Chambre'' ('First Chamber Maid') was an office at the royal court of France. The ''Première femme de Chambre'' was in charge of the preparing of clothes, cosmetics and other things in the queen's wardrobe for the dressing and undressing ceremony, and supervised the ''femmes de chambre'' ('Chamber Maids'), who often reached a number of 16 per annum. The dressing and undressing of the queen was in turn supervised by the

dame d'atour ''Dame d'atour'' () was an office at the royal court of France. It existed in nearly all French courts from the 16th-century onward. The ''dame d'honneur'' was selected from the members of the highest French nobility. They were ranked between th ...

. A Première femme de Chambre was not formally ranked as a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting (alternatively written lady in waiting) or court lady is a female personal assistant at a Royal court, court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking nobility, noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was o ...

but rather belonged to the chamber staff and as such (as formally a servant and

lady's maid A lady's maid is a female personal attendant who waits on her female employer. The role of a lady's maid is similar to that of a gentleman's valet. Description Traditionally, the lady's maid was not as high-ranking as a lady's companion, who wa ...

rather than a

) did not need to be a member of the nobility. The Première femme de Chambre was the only one of the women of the queen's household except the ''

dame d'honneur Dame d'honneur (, ) was a common title for two categories of French ladies-in-waiting, who are often confused because of the similarity. Dame d'honneur can be: * Short for Première dame d'honneur, which were commonly shortened to Dame d'honne ...

'' to be in possession of the keys to the queen's rooms and in permanent access to the queen. This gave her the opportunity to filter requests of meetings, audiences and messages to the queen and made her a de facto powerful person at court, where she was often flattered and bribed by the courtiers. In 1775, the office of Première femme de Chambre was split in four, between Julie Louise Bibault de Misery and her three deputies

Henriette Campan Henriette Campan (Jeanne Louise Henriette; ''née'' Genet; 2 OctoberMadame Campan, ''Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France'', 1752 16 March 1822) also known as Madame Campan, was a French educator, writer and Lady's maid. In t ...

, Marie-Élisabeth Thibault and Quelpée La Borde Regnier de Jarjayes, who took turns serving: they were all still in service when the queen's household was dissolved in 1792, at that time in supervision of six chamber maids (femme du chambre).

Examples

* Antoinette de Jorron, Demoiselle du Boucquet, to

Anne of Austria Anne of Austria (; ; born Ana María Mauricia; 22 September 1601 – 20 January 1666) was Queen of France from 1615 to 1643 by marriage to King Louis XIII. She was also Queen of Navarre until the kingdom's annexation into the French crown ...

in 1616–1618 * Genevieve Robert, Dame du Bellier, to

in 1618–1636 * Marie Chesneau, Dame de Filandre, to

in 1636–1646 * Catherine Bellier, to

in 1646–1666 * Barbara Bessola, to

Maria Anna Victoria of Bavaria Maria Anna Christine Victoria of Bavaria (; 28 November 1660 – 20 April 1690) was Dauphine of France by marriage to Louis, Grand Dauphin, son and heir of Louis XIV. She was known as ''la Grande Dauphine''. The Dauphine was regarded a "path ...

* Maria Molina, to

Maria Theresa of Spain Maria Theresa of Spain (; ; 10 September 1638 – 30 July 1683) was Queen consort of France, Queen of France from 1660 to 1683 as the wife of King Louis XIV. She was born an Infante, Infanta of Spain and Portugal as the daughter of King Philip IV ...

. * Julie Louise Bibault de Misery, to

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette (; ; Maria Antonia Josefa Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last List of French royal consorts, queen of France before the French Revolution and the establishment of the French First Republic. She was the ...

. *

Jeanne Louise Henriette Campan Henriette Campan (Jeanne Louise Henriette; ''née'' Genet; 2 OctoberMadame Campan, ''Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France'', 1752 16 March 1822) also known as Madame Campan, was a French educator, writer and Lady's maid. In t ...

, to Marie Antoinette.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Premiere femme de Chambre Ancien Régime office-holders French monarchy Court titles in the Ancien Régime Gendered occupations French royal court Ladies maids

Examples

See also

References