, 1870-11-06
8f0ndHse

It is an uudoubtea fact that the fashion for
golden, yellow, and light auburn hair Was i'm
ported into this country (London) from par,s,
where it was set BY ladies' Of = class whose
only BY our gtAn1mothats and great-grand-
mothers. but BY the bevy Of beauties Who at
tended the first drawing room OF Queeu Veto
ria And Jet it might b traced far back to
Classic. romantic, pictorial. OF poetic source;
it Was equally irresistible in Rome when Rome
Venice wAs the recognized Queen Of the Adsi-
attic; We ind it illustrated or recorded BY tho
pens OF Ovid aud Catullug. and the pens Of
Titan and Giorgione. The Chloes, PhyTrhas
and Cynthias, a. we'll a. the Lauras, tucra-
fias, aud 1eonoraa, were blondes; and the
manner in which they acquired or increased
their Indispensable Attractiseneas In this re-
epect has supplied materials for many curl
Gus chapter in the history OF morals and Innn-
mere.
When the Able de Bernis arrived at Ven
ice TO fuldl his functions ~ Ambassador, he
Immediately eet about looking and inquiring
for the famous blondes, 80 warmly and va
1iou.ly tinted, Of the Venetian school OF pain
tcra, from Casplccio dovuwards, q type differ
ing widely from what passes under the desig-
nation Of "fAir" in this country. Judging
from the rortrAita and historical masterpieces
1ast paradise OF blondes, from the 1ighteat
shades OF gold or aa1en 10 those little re-
moved from auburn, chestnut, or red. 70
hia inelAble disappointment and surprise, he
found living blondes as rars Is gardens and
flowers 1t Venice; and instesd Of them he was
everywhere encountered by bruuetten, With
gh - ebon tresses and complications en-
Drowned and enriched BY their sun. 4'1u
vaiu.- rays II. Feuiflet de Conenes, "did
he frequent the popular fairs Of the
parishes; in vain did he attend with the
discriminating glance Of eonuo:s.eur those
ro13tri 49,
which reused the whole population, ana
brought forth from the old quarters Of Cas-
tello and Cauareggio these types, preserved
as ii we're nrder glass. Of antique Venice
10 LAriniA. neither IN the churches, NOR ia
The circleR. nor under the mysteries Of the
| goudo1a, nor in the Place It. Marc, where
teauty manifetted itself in the good o'.l
| time az traditional product Of the sun.
| Ha.dly snETbere living sample Of those an
Gent lnatses Of yellow hsir f.darescs,'ies)
with which every one OF the women OF the
supper Of Paul yeronese (now in the
Louv.s) was adorned, as we'll as the other
| feminine creations Of the master"
The came Lively writer, whom We have
| rather pAfAphrARed than translated, goes OF
to sek whether this seeming chtnge Or trans,
formation Was owing to an exceptional caprice
Of nature. No, Assuredly; the canse musi
be Fought in the variations Of fzsLion II
which women delight, in their levity and mu
liability. Tariun, ct ,nutabtle semper.' II
the sixteenth century. those who weze no
naturally blondes became 30 azti6ciatly. Ths
Venetian painters of the period did no NOR
than reproduce what they had constantly be
szanng them 10 paint only blondes is ! suH
Gent proof that in this country Of brunstte
there were no longer brunettes- To be b1oad'
bad become IN art :; and what ut first. unde
Carpaccio, Ut the end OF the fifteenth eeatu
r, VAS ntill but cspEiee Of coaoetrJ, hss
I tG1a nj N37,3 n
yaronese, the dream and the necessity OF th
generality Of Venetian women. Every trav
elle1 learned IN art, arriving for the hsat tim,
in Venice, must hlye felt the alme surprise =
the Able de Berpis- We ourselves, vene
tians, in order to explain far you the past il
led to the study Of the origin. the means, an
the results Of this episode in our manners
| and the documents, the evidences Of Ill sort
that We then collected on this subject, n
calculated, va think, especially At this time
10 interest public su1iosity in France e"-an
he might well add in England. where ii
flahiou has been revived in its most exlrzya
CANT and rnischievous form, to the terror Q
| husbands And f1shete. whose purae5 are 1Ait
under heavy contribution to pay for wha
oHends their notions Of p1opriety and tnei
TASTE.
Il 4 single extract from the many curiou
books cited to throw hight On this topic VII
| suffice to shoH how the dx1uee Of Venice se
to work to scquire the coveted attraction, an
what dangers they incurred. what p1iT2sion
they endured in the attainnaent Of 1t. tn
Ss1ssbourg goose, fastened to the foor befor
) lre to enl.xge its liver, affords the closes
parallel to the fair, or wuuld-be-fair, Tant
| tim, With her dripping head exposed TO th
| sun. g Ceaare Veeellio, Wihng IN 1889, pit
. 1nres her: The houses OF Venice are coz
., monty crowned WITH little constructions
| | wood; resembling turres without TOO
. On the ground these lodges or ba1ee Il
formed Of mssonzy, hoorcd like Whist n
! called serdui 1t Florence and Naples, m
) covered With cement OF sand and lime
: protect them from the rain. II Is In thet
. md. indeed, oftener than IN their chan
i / be1s; it is there that. with their ha1I
= exposed to the foil srdot Of the sun dEin
!, whole dxys, they sn1in eEarT nerve to au1
ment their charms. ~ Il they needed 1t: - :
: to III did not expose their natural be4u
n l TO paea for no better than artificial Durir
j. the hquys when the suu darts its most rer
: cal and soozchiog rays they repair TO the
j. boxes md cordeun themselves to btoil
). on westing their hair with spongn dipp
X in SONS e!i1ir Of youth prepared NTH TIL
Il own hands OF purchaaed. They moist
10 then hair afresh IL fast - it is dried By t
It sun, and it is by the unoeAsins Eenswal
g. this operation thAt they become VT
y il they throw orer thar o.
Il u.1y d1ess \ peignotr or dressis
- royu at the daest white mix. WHICH ii
il ea1l sehiaronetso,. They wear On their has
r. a straw hst without crown, 20 that I
hair, drzun through the opening, my
u spread upon the borden. This has. dol
. double duty Il drJing-ina for the hair m
n. par1sol to protect the- neck atd facn, ,
se called solnna-" In winter, or when the g
IN failed, they visited md dried thsir hair bes
IA fro. TIE prectee duration Of thta ptacs
- i = "a T. a. Hnx R..A ~