Fêtes and Folly: The Tea Party

7:00 AM

Frederic Soulacroix, The Tea Party, date unknown

By MADELINE VASQUEZ 

As I sit and admire
Tea Party, by Frederic Soulacroix, I think to myself, “Wow, these women sure do seem like they are having a fun time!” It reminds me of when I was little and used to have my own tea parties with all my stuffed animal friends. But, obviously these are adults, not children, and they are having an exciting, sophisticated time in their elegant attire while drinking out of their ornate teacups. I, on the other hand, had a rad time with plastic toys. 

GASP! What could they possibly be talking and laughing about? Well, we all know how women are and how much they love to gossip. It appears as if the women in the chic silvery, green dress has done something that she regrets, but cannot take it back. She sits slouched in her chair and just laughs it off as she tells her friends what she has done, thus trying to hide her embarrassment by shielding her face with her lovely feathered fan. TYPICAL! Not surprised. Everyone makes mistakes. But what better way to bond with one another than spending time with a couple of friends and some delicious tea! 


Frederic Soulacroix does a fabulous job making the women in the painting look so realistic and eye catching with every inch of detail on their faces, dresses, and the beautiful furniture. A lot of his paintings were for private customers, and he painted a few tea party scenes with these exact women. So maybe he knew them on a personal level! But all in all, now I want to have my own tea part
y.

*** Editor's Note: Students developed the topic of Fêtes and Folly to chronicle elegant celebrations, bad dates, late nights, or other things related to that time in Spring where barbaric yawps can be heard from backyards, beaches, or the more familiar rooftop. Enjoy their revelry, cheeky overstatement, and occasional tales of ribaldry over the next couple of weeks.


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