James Madison University is hosting the “Women in French” conference on May 7-9, and I will be presenting my research on the representations of the late French Queen in popular culture during the opening ceremony. Part of my collection has been featured at the National Museum of the French Revolution in France, and also at Syracuse University (New York) this fall. In addition to exhibiting dozens of objects and images, this show will also propose a critical analysis of such items, and how they influence people's perception of historical figures.

This collaborative event includes my department, World Languages and Cultures (WLC) and a colleague from SMAD (Adrienne Hooker). Her students are using the exhibit as part of their assignment for her classes this spring. The collaboration also extends to the community as I am working with teachers and students from local high schools. One of the display cases will be used to feature the artwork of Harrisonburg students for an art competition called "Visions of MA". Several teachers are involving their classes to explore the different representations of Marie Antoinette under my guidance.

There will be a jury and prizes for both JMU and Harrisonburg high school students who will participate in this competition at the junction of art, communication, history and French. Winners will be announced at the opening reception on May 7th.

Our collection showcases a vast range of objects somehow based on a representation of Marie Antoinette, none of which have any historical value in the conventional sense: photographs, drawings, films and videos, dolls and figurines, advertisements (for underwear, beer and Coca Cola), cigar labels, books for adults and children, candy, teas, make-up palettes, candles and perfume, board and card games, video games, postcards (mostly from France, Japan and the USA), are among the almost innumerable products that relate, obviously or not, to Marie Antoinette. Although many of these are showpieces in and of themselves, and hardly require an explanation, our goal is not just to fascinate, provoke or amuse the viewer, but also to account for the ubiquity of the M.A. figure and make sense of it. Why have so many people felt compelled to refer to Marie Antoinette rather than to other much more historically prominent characters?

In this unique exhibition, we would like to demonstrate how this argument is embodied in the realm of pop culture by showcasing and analyzing various artefacts from our own collection of Marie Antoinette pop objects. With limited edition, out of production and exclusive items originating in France, Japan and the US, we would like to foster a conversation on the iconic aspect of "M. A.," a crystallized figure that often has very little to do with the historical character Marie Antoinette. In fact, this “entirely new Marie Antoinette” morphs and adapts to the time period and the country in which each object originates, revealing a society’s aspirations and mindset. In a world where consumerism and marketing rule, "M. A." (if not exactly the late French queen Marie Antoinette) has become the "Queen of merchandising."

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (in 1776, when Queen Marie Antoinette was just 20 years old), so this exhibit's timing is particularly fitting.

My collection of pop culture objects on Marie Antoinette will be on display from May 7-22, 2026 at JMU at Sawhill Gallery in Duke Hall and the talk is on May 7th, at 4:30pm in Miller Hall 1101 just before the opening ceremony starts at 5:30pm.