Page:Republican Court by Rufus Griswold.djvu/187

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NEW YORK METROPOLITAN.

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present. "The collection of ladies," says a contemporary, "was numerous and brilliant, and they were dressed with consummate taste and elegance."^[1] The Assembly Room was on the east side of Broadway, a little above Wall street, and it was decorated on this occasion with tasteful and appropriate magnificence.

Among the most distinguished women at this ball were Lady Stirling, and her two daughters, Lady Mary Watts and Lady

↑ The costume of the time is very well illustrated by the portraits in this volume, but some readers may be interested in the remarks on the dresses of women which form a portion of Colonel Stone's description of the ball above referred to. "Few jewels," he says, "were then worn in the United States; but in other respects, the dresses were rich and beautiful, according to the fashions of the day. We are not quite sure that we can describe the full dress of a lady of rank at the period under consideration, so as to render it intelligible. But we will make the attempt. One favorite dress was a plain celestial blue satin gown, with a white satin petticoat. On the neck was worn a very large Italian gauze handkerchief, with border stripes of satin. The head-dress was a pouf of gauze, in the form of a globe, the creneaux or head-piece of which was composed of white satin, having a double wing, in large plaits, and trimmed with a wreath of artificial roses, falling from the left at the top to the right at the bottom, in front, and the reverse behind. The hair was dressed all over in detached curls, four of which, in two ranks, fell on each side of the neck, and were relieved behind by a floating chignon. Another beautiful dress was a perriot, made of gray Indian taffeta, with dark stripes of the same color, — having two collars, the one yellow, and the other white, both trimmed with a blue silk fringe, and a reverse trimmed in the same manner. Under the perriot they wore a yellow corset or boddice, with large cross stripes of blue. Some of the ladies with this dress wore hats à l'Espagnole, of white satin, with a band of the same material placed on the crown, like the wreath of flowers on the head-dress above mentioned. This hat, which, with a plume, was a very popular article of dress, was relieved on the left side, having two handsome cockades, — one of which was at the top, and the other at the bottom. On the neck was worn a very large plain gauze handkerchief, the ends of which were hid under the boddice, after the manner represented in Trumbull's and Stuart's portraits of Lady Washington. Round the bosom of the perriot a frill of gauze, à la Henri IV., was attached, cut in points around the edge. There was still another dress which was thought to be very simple and pretty. It consisted of a perriot and petticoat, both composed of the same description of gray striped silk, and trimmed round with gauze, cut in points at the edges in the manner of herrisons. The herrisons were indeed nearly the sole trimmings used for the perriots, caracos, and petticoats of fashionable ladies, made either of ribbons or Italian gauze. With this dress they wore large gauze handkerchiefs upon their necks, with four satin stripes around the border, two of which were narrow, and the others broad. The head-dress was a plain gauze cap, after the form of the elders and ancients of a nunnery. The shoes were celestial blue, with rose-colored rosettes. Such are descriptions of some of the principal costumes; and although varied in divers unimportant particulars, by the several ladies, according to their respective tastes and fancies, yet, as with the peculiar fashions of all other times, there was a general correspondence of the outlines, — the tout ensemble was the same."

[1] The costume of the time is very well illustrated by the portraits in this volume, but some readers may be interested in the remarks on the dresses of women which form a portion of Colonel Stone's description of the ball above referred to. "Few jewels," he says, "were then worn in the United States; but in other respects, the dresses were rich and beautiful, according to the fashions of the day. We are not quite sure that we can describe the full dress of a lady of rank at the period under consideration, so as to render it intelligible. But we will make the attempt. One favorite dress was a plain celestial blue satin gown, with a white satin petticoat. On the neck was worn a very large Italian gauze handkerchief, with border stripes of satin. The head-dress was a pouf of gauze, in the form of a globe, the creneaux or head-piece of which was composed of white satin, having a double wing, in large plaits, and trimmed with a wreath of artificial roses, falling from the left at the top to the right at the bottom, in front, and the reverse behind. The hair was dressed all over in detached curls, four of which, in two ranks, fell on each side of the neck, and were relieved behind by a floating chignon. Another beautiful dress was a perriot, made of gray Indian taffeta, with dark stripes of the same color, — having two collars, the one yellow, and the other white, both trimmed with a blue silk fringe, and a reverse trimmed in the same manner. Under the perriot they wore a yellow corset or boddice, with large cross stripes of blue. Some of the ladies with this dress wore hats à l'Espagnole, of white satin, with a band of the same material placed on the crown, like the wreath of flowers on the head-dress above mentioned. This hat, which, with a plume, was a very popular article of dress, was relieved on the left side, having two handsome cockades, — one of which was at the top, and the other at the bottom. On the neck was worn a very large plain gauze handkerchief, the ends of which were hid under the boddice, after the manner represented in Trumbull's and Stuart's portraits of Lady Washington. Round the bosom of the perriot a frill of gauze, à la Henri IV., was attached, cut in points around the edge. There was still another dress which was thought to be very simple and pretty. It consisted of a perriot and petticoat, both composed of the same description of gray striped silk, and trimmed round with gauze, cut in points at the edges in the manner of herrisons. The herrisons were indeed nearly the sole trimmings used for the perriots, caracos, and petticoats of fashionable ladies, made either of ribbons or Italian gauze. With this dress they wore large gauze handkerchiefs upon their necks, with four satin stripes around the border, two of which were narrow, and the others broad. The head-dress was a plain gauze cap, after the form of the elders and ancients of a nunnery. The shoes were celestial blue, with rose-colored rosettes. Such are descriptions of some of the principal costumes; and although varied in divers unimportant particulars, by the several ladies, according to their respective tastes and fancies, yet, as with the peculiar fashions of all other times, there was a general correspondence of the outlines, — the tout ensemble was the same."

[1]