The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-08


woman OF fashion refused to use any cOsmeuc
that did not have Gret name attached 70 u,
The utmost bition of the belle OF Pompeii was
10 look like Greek woman, to walk IKE 2
Greek woman, to lisp like Greek woman, ana
like Greek woman to enchaut men with the
se6uctiveness of her sensuous beauty.
Among the most remarkable OF the arucieS OF
luxury which more recent excavations have
gwen 10 the world, are the Germs or JeWel-
boxes, used by wealthy women to keep their
adoInments. Some OF these 9ozes % are M Two ,r Ieet
surpd within their chiselled circumference. The
Jewels 10 not materially diher from modern
ones, cave In Workmanship and design brace
let's rings, earrings, gold and pearl ornaments
for The head buckles for the belt, and clasps to
fasten the flowing draperies over the shoulder;
these, ard the most marvellous Of COMBS, neck
laces, tOotbpiCks and even cr0chetneedles,
formed part of the valuables which the Roman
woman of fashion considered as her own special
property, and upon which her thoughts so
londly dwelt when she asked herself;-"How
We feel that she looked beautiful, when we
remember what were some of the ornaments she
wore, and low proiusely she introduced the
glitter OF gold in her full-dress costume. Inc
Roman ladies were excessively fond of Jewels.
Pearls and precious stones had Tor them the
same cham which they have Tor us. When en-
gT0nde toiehe, the lady OF Pomper covered her
whole person with Jew elry. Herluxuriant hair,
her neck, her shoulders, her hos ON, her ankles
and arms and hands flashed with the imprisoned
fires of the opal, glittered with gold, or were
1t seems that in this particular fashion of wear
ing Jewels, The "pmple women" OF Pompeii took
the lead Dignifed matrons at once adopted the
eXtravagant taste, and the fashionable pointers
soon decked their divipities with the new in
sigma.
4 nude Venus recently discovered upon the
walls Of Pompeli, wears golG bend around her
head two bracelets on each wrist, long gold
chain dropping IN her bosom, and rings on every
hnger; thus giving us another picture of the
rage that prevailed at the time when, perhaps
she was painted from some lair living glrl or
woman.
II we closely compare some particular fashion
Of those remote days with the fashion OF our
own time, we shalt be su prised 70 notice the
shghtness OF the difference In taste. Take,
for instance, the node of arranging the hair.
But before all, take the hair itself. Yes, take
II, touch it, handle it, look at it long,
till you make sure of its color. 1t
is the very color we admire so much
today-red hair; blonde hair and blonde women
were then as much admired, as much sought
after, as the choicest blonde blossoms of our
drawipg-rooms of to-day. So great was the pre-
terence given to blonde and yellow and red hair,
that all sorts OF toilet articles were resored to
to obtain from drugs and ointments the one
color which painters and poets still delight to
picture in their soitest dreams of fair women.
We beg par don OF all the magnificent Junos
whose black tre.ses match the night. Had they
lived in that carnival OF luxury they would, no
doubt, have done what some of them try TO do
now. The would have used dyes.
The Pompeian women obtained from the East
an unguent with which they saturated their
hair, and then sat for hours in the sun until the
foreign substance was dried in, and the hair
was transformed. Sometimes the process took
days to be perfected, and then, If the lady had
so large a circle OF acquaintances that she could
secure no privacy in her city house, she betook
herself TO the country, and remained there till
her hair was made mole silken and more rich
with golden hue.
The mode OF dressing the hair varied as it
varies with US, fashion being more OF an arbi-
tress tan taste in that important detail of womans
costume. RATS" aud cushions were skiiully
adjusted by the slave cobeuSe to the head OF
her ms tTess, and we find some traces Of the
waterfall. Curls seem to have been the favorite
style of dressing the hair for time--curls
thrown back of the head and flowing on the
neck, such as we call Grecian curls. Wearing
| the hair IN a large knot on the summit of the
| head or in short ringlets around the forehead,
| was also tavolite mode with the eXquisltes OF
| those days of exquisite elegance. But what
adorned most the head OF the Pompeian belle
were the iewelled combs and the iewelled pins
| which they used 10 tasten their hair. Some OF
| those are marvelously beautitul-not in color
| only, bur in poeteal design. One of those pins
| found in Herculaneum, and about seven or
| eight inches long, is surmOunted by Venus
| chiselled IN gold she is twisting her hair, and
| looks at herself in mirror held by Cupid.
! Another is ornamented with a small figure of
| Psyche kissing Love. Another is still more
Leautilul, being the workmanship OF
some Greek eNeller. 1t represents the
Goddess, of Plrnty. caressing a dolphin,
hons, symbols Of consecratiou to the Goddess
Isis. These iewelled pins are, perhaps, the most
interesting feature of a WOman's pdrure. They
seem to have been selected with such dainty
care as best harmonized with the occasion in
which they were worn; sho wing at once that
the symbols they represented were not over
ooked, nor their poetlcal meaning unremen-
beTed.
We moderns cannot admire those pins with
out wonder at the perfect tase which the
aean artists used in forming the least trihe.
Would IL be possible 10 use with more effect or
with more grace, so small asp ce as the head OF
pin Tor the han? Could any more graceful idea
be expressed than that OF the God OF Love
rendering to his mother the same service that
slaves and infatuated lovers render to their mis-
uesses?
Our agrettes, our diamond consultations and
our koh i-noors arc very beautiful, but among
all our modern designs tor Jewels and paTUypS
none awaken in our mind associations OF ideas
O." ego" s'fe as those suggested by the taste Of
tho,c graceful paeai,si
YOUNG girls in Pompei wore nets, and exer-
| cised the charming caprciousne OF Their tickle
taste in choice o. color, texture and style.
| SCme OF them were made Of god thread studded
| with pearls and o!her precious stones.
When looking into the profuse luxury o. that
| vanished i've OF centuries ago, we must acanow-
| ledge the superiority in inventive fancy and
| elegant taste OF those pagan men and women.
| For even the most insignificant trihes that
.etmtd TO decor ate heir houses or adOrn their
| persons rev eal in the graceful variety OF their
| tolms richness ot fancy that shames our
| modern refinement INTO silence. What are the
| crystal arrows, the crystal drops, the inlaid
| combs or hlagree butterflies that our women
wear compared with the elegance OF the orna-
ments winch made the Pompeian women so
beautiful. and so glad in their beauty? And
how can We wonder at thar, when we think that
the State disdalned not to give laws in regard TO