The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-05-05
How the Pompeian Women
Dressed.

Dressed.
The Pompeian women obtained from the
East, an urgent, 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 this
process took days TO be perfected, and then,
If the lady had so large circle OF acquaint-
ances that she could secure no privacy in her
city house, she betook herself 10 the eoun-
try, and remained there till her hair was
made more silken, and more rich with golden
hue
The style Of dressing the hair varied, rs il
varies with rs, fashion being more Of an ar
bitress than taste, in that important detail of
women's costume. Rats and cushions
were skillfully adjusted by the slave eoifear
to the head of her mistress, and we find some
traces of the waterfall.
Curls seem to have been the favorite style
of dressing the hair for a time-curls thrown
back of the head and flowing on the neck,
such as we call Grecian curls.
Wearing the hair in large knot on the
summit of the head, or in short ripglets
around the forehead, was also favoriie mode
with the exquisites of those days of exquisite
elegance.
But what adorned the head most, of the
Pompeian bellies, were the jeweled pins with
which they used to fasten their hair. Some
of these were marvellously beautiful, not
in color only, but in poetical design. One Of
these pins, found in Herculaneum, and about
seven inches in length, is surmounted by
Venus, chisled in gold; she is twisting her
hair. and looks at herself in a mirror, held
by Cupid Another, is ornamented with
small figure of Psyche kissing Love These
jewelled pins are, perhaps, the most interest
ing features of a woman's pdrlre They
seemed TO have been selected with such dain-
ty care as best harmoniZed with the occasion
on which they were to be worn, showing at
once that the symbols they represented were
not overlooked, nor their poetical meaning
aforementioned.
We moderns cnnnot admire those pins
without wonder at the perfect taste which
the pagan artists used in forming the least
trile. Would it be possible to use, with
more effect, or with more grace, so small
space as the head of pin, for the hairg
Our aigrettes, our diamond consultations,
and our ko1-i-noors, are very beautiful, but
among all our modern designs for jewels and
pdretrS, noae awaken in our minds associa-
lions of ideas so exquisite as those suggested
by the taste of those graceful pagaDs.
Young girls in Pompeii wore nets, and ex-
ercised the charming capriciousness of their
tickle taste in choice of color, texture and
style. Some of them were made of gold
thread, studded with pearls and other pre-
cious stones.
But with that same passion for beauty in
dress, which now, as then, lies at the very
heart OF woman's nature, nothing could be
more unlike our modern female costume than
that of the Roman women. Their ideal was
naturalness, and hence genuine beauty of
form. They did not wear eorsets, nor had
they the remotest idea of barreling up their
busts with whalebone and steel Next to the
skin, they wore garment of the very finest
cambria, very much like the modern chemise.
Then a straight band or scarf called strophitDn,
which served to support the bosom with that
grace We so admire in antique paintings.
The makers of that part of a woman's ward
robe were as much patronized by Pompeian
bellies as our French corset-makers are to-
day patroniZed by women of elegance. Over
that band was worn sort OF jacket, with
long sleeves, and made Of the finest white
wool.
When at home, the tunic covered the whole,
and the length of that ample flowing drapery,
measured, somewhat, the virtue of the wear
er, for it seems that the 'purple women" of
those days, preferred to wear their tunics
very short, to show their legs laden with
bracelets, while the Roman matrons length
ened the vesture by flounce, embroidered
with gold. The tunic was fastened around
the waist by belt, artistieally hidden under
the folds of the tucked-up drapery.
for the promenade, women OF lasnlon
wore mantle, the beauty Of which was best
displayed by the style in which it exposed
the right breast, and was thrown over the
left shoulder. These mantles were invariably
white, and so fine in texture, that the ineor-
rigible Petronius speaks OF them as being of
woven wind"
Fashionable Roman women wore white
kid boots. The "purple women" wore san
dals, so as to let their feet be seen-those
finely-shaped, large, Roman feet, which our
modern taste would admire more had they
been smaller.
Extreme care was bestowed upon the nails
of the feet and hands. There was one spe-
eial slave invested with the responsibility of
keeping the nails of her mistress properly
paired, cleaned and tinted. Women never
wore gloves, yet they delicately cherished
their hands and fingers. Theys kept them
beautiful, not by idleness alone, but by va
riety of cosmetics intended to render the
skin soft, smooth and fower-like. And, as
the customs of these days made the fingers
of women speak eloquently in gesticulation,
the beauty of the hand could not be over
looked.
Horace makes fun of some original wag,
who was independent enough to cut his own
nails, and dispense with the services of a bar
Der or slave.