Saint Paul weekly Minnesotian., 1859-05-14

A Partisan Lady's. Bed.Ch amber Re.
ception !...ss The Fools are not all
Dead YETI,

A Parisian Lady's. Bed.Chamber Re-
ceptiOn !..." The Fools are not all
Dead YETI,
| Correspondence of the N. Y. Express.
| PARIS, April 14th, 1859.
The wife of a well known Partisan banker,
has lately made an attemptto revive one of
the fashions of the seventeenth century, in
establishing boudoir receptions of visitors,
| the lady herself being in bed. Once a
week, therefore, Madame v, after going
out in the morning to make purchases, visit
her intimates, and take drive for her health
returns home and goes to bed, for all the
world as if she had not been up since last
| night! Great care is taken in the recumbent
| toilet, in which lace plays a profuse and i'm
portant part /; the lady puts on the requisite
air of languor, and, everything being prepar-
| ed, the MajordOmo is informed that Madame
| is ready to receive"
Now, dare say, you expect you cores
pondent to stop here, and do not imagine for
| moment that he is about to be guilty of the
indiscretion of describing lady's bed cham
| Der But he is, nevertheless because he
| knows the description cannot fail to amuse
many of your readers, and because the lady
herself has invented the comedy for no other
| earthly purpose than to maka gossip and find
her name in the papers, So here goes, after a
| fashion.
From the ante-chamber, the visitor passes
into drawing room, which communicates
| with the bed-chamber, which is light and spa
| cions- The ceiling, walls, and bed itself, are
| festooned with blue quinse-seize, with heavy
Cords fringe, tassels, and accessories of silver
white silk. The winter carpet is entirely
made Of white lambs skins, imported from
Persia. The furniture is of amaranth wood,
inlaid with ebony, edged with ivory, and Or
namented with gilt bronze. Each panel in
| the doors is decorated with slab or plate of
old Sevres porcelain, in Gliaceous cameo, re-
presenting childish sports. The curtains
and door hangings are of white silk, wadded
and quilted in small diamonds, and lined with
blue satin. The counterpane is an Indian
cashemere, of blue ground, with rose, orange
and green palms, quilted upon wadding, like
the curtains
Four fiutcd columns, around which curtains
are draped in large folds, in imitation of the
Venetian bed chambers painted by Veronese,
are crowned by four tufts of white ostrich
feathers as upon a dais, or resembling "a
but we will omit lugubrious comparisons.
These plumes, it must be remarked, are the
object of violent discussions, criticisms or
praises on the part of everybody admitted in
to this sanctum-sanctorum, or rather, this
uanitas-uanitatuna of the parvenue lady who
boasts its proprietorship. The canopy ter
inmates in four fappets in diamond point,
united by countess crown, the tongues of
which are ornamented by large pearls. The
entire interior of the hangings is Of white dam
| ask, embellished with antique designs of
Ao,Uorc Tbic ocly &c of
inc luxury, from the fact that it soon grows
dingy, and must consequently be frequently
removed A large mirror, upon which are
reflected the curtains, here and there between
the folds, occupies the wall side of this
what out it to be called bed, temple, alter or
theatre.
Upon the mantlepiece is clock bearing a
marble statue of female at her toilet The
trinkets with which she is adorned are genuine
jewels. This beautiful work of art is from some
hand who refused to sign his chef doeuvre
and preferred to remain unknown. But none
but true artist could have conceived such
design. Jewels, gloves, pieces of money, watch
| es aristocratic letters left there purposely to
be seen, fill the Japanese salver placed upon
the queridon by Gouttierees. Add to all this,
(and much more if l could find terms to
describe IT'D great variety of seats, lounges,
vOltaires, and other comfortable inventions of
the past and present, and you will have a
general idea of this bed room and reception
room.
Now for the actress Taking advantage of
the late fine weather, Madame has been out
to Neuilly and purchased profuse quantity
of flowers, which are to garnish her pier ta-
bles Upon returning from her drive, she
lies down for short time-not here, but in
another apartment, really intended for priva.
cy and repose. Before the hour of reception,
she rises and makes her official toilet, which
consists principally of gauze, lace, and tender
se-colored ribbons. In carefully arranged
disorder, laced handkerchief mingled with
her golden locks. On the left side of the head
is small comb, cunningly fixed by the lady's
maid, to be suddenly taken away at a certain
moment, so as to permit really fine mass of
| hair to escape from confinement, and fall in
rich profusion on Madamc's shoulders. This
| manoeuvre is kept in reserve for the visits of
particular ladies, with the charitable inten-
| ton of driving them distracted with envy, by
the exhibition of natural gifts which are tol-
erably rare among the. Partisan women, who
possess every charm, when in full dress, and
not much to speak of in the seclusion of pri-
vate life, if we except an immense deal of art,
and scarcely less wit.
OF course, Madame wears no trinkets but
her finger rings and a bracelet of plain gold,
which encircles her arm and sets off its white
ness to great advantage. Upon the bed,
within easy reach, is pile of newspapers,re
views, new novels in green covers, and bags
of sugar plums. In her hand she holds a
small mirror, which she used to disarrange
and readjust her hair, in the midst of the hor-
rble headache which she hasn't but which is
the pretext of this horizontal and oriental re
ception. She has "passed dreadful nigh" "
She knows she "looks wretchedly." Madame
pretends not to believe a word of the compli.
ments addressed her, but at the same time is
thoroughly convinced that thus bolstered and
shaded, she is irresistibly delicious and be-
witching
Such are the Wednesdays of Madame v
The gentlemen approve the idea OF again
bringing into vogue the modes Of 1900
whilst the ladies are unsparing in their crit
cism-perhaps because they were not them.
selves the first to hit upon the refreshing &C
centricity