In the Middle Ages, a small, fine cloth or toilette (towelette) was used to cover clothing as a protection from insects and dust. The various and sundry articles necessary for a woman's or a man's personal grooming and embellishment were also wrapped inside such a small cloth and tucked away when not in use, to be laid out in the morning when it was time to dress.
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| Abraham BosseLes Cinq Sens, v. 1638 : La Vue |
By the 17th century the "little cloth" might be of plain or decorated linen, or it could be a luxurious silk or sometimes even a small tapestry served as a wrapper for these necesary items. Now, the cloth, its contents, as well as the process were known as la toilette.
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"J'avais ce matin un Provençal, un Breton, un Bourguignon, à ma toilette,"
Mme Sévigné.
Mme Sévigné.
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| Boucher |
Little by little, in the 18th century, the piece of furniture supporting the toilette
very naturally became known as the table de toilette.
Elle passe des heures à sa toilette!
Clothing and all manner of finery being part of the process from the start,
a lady's dress once worn took on the same expression, la toilette.
The room cabinet de toilette and toilettes (ladies'/men's room) came later
but then someone put a halt to the spreading of the word before everything was called toilette!
Avec le rare sentiment d'harmonie qui les caractérise, les femmes ont compris qu'il y avait une sorte de dissonance entre la grande toilette et la figure naturelle.
a lady's dress once worn took on the same expression, la toilette.
The room cabinet de toilette and toilettes (ladies'/men's room) came later
but then someone put a halt to the spreading of the word before everything was called toilette!
Avec le rare sentiment d'harmonie qui les caractérise, les femmes ont compris qu'il y avait une sorte de dissonance entre la grande toilette et la figure naturelle.
Avec le rare sentiment d'harmonie qui les caractérise, les femmes ont compris qu'il y avait une sorte de dissonance entre la grande toilette et la figure naturelle.
With the rare feeling of harmony that characterizes them, women have realized that there was a kind of dissonance between the elegant toilette and the natural state.
Théophile Gautier La Peau de tigre
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| photo St Tyl |
Embroidered linen toilette from 1640 , Musée de la Renaissance at Ecouen
for another cloth that gave a name to a piece of furniture, here
and a very particular table de toilette, here
