Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-13


in his Vieomte de Florac's earlier London ex-
Derience, after the last disastrous campaign OF
den-Baden, Thackeray has given a truthful
and characteristic Illustration of the French
genius for making the best of adversely, and
even mparting kind of royal grace TO it. Cur
rent reality presents vivid companion picture
in the ready resort of Madame la Princess Pierre
Napoleon Bonaparte 10 dressmaking in the En-
gliSb metropolis, where, on the firSt floor of No.
" Bond street, shepresides with liveliness and
dignity over choice selection of young Paris
ian mediterranean. Her husband, be il recalled.
was that prince of the French Caesars who, in
the last DAYS of the empire, received tempest
uous Visit,in his modest mansion at Auteuil, from
Young Victor Noir and his friend De Fonyielle,
and was compelled, in defence of his own mem
anced,l life, to shoot the former. The ensuing
trial, 1t may he remembered, resulted in yer-
dict iustilying the sorely badgercd princes act,
although no device of appeal to the passions of
the mob was spared to excite popular rage
against him. He had long been known as
kind OF theOrizing republican or conservative
red himself, and the quarrel whence resulted
the shooting of N0ir could not be made to APP
pear as anything more uncommon than one of
those elashings of rival egotisms which are
pretty sure of frequent occurrence when DEM
ocratic aristocrats and aristocratie democrats
undertake the plotting of republican utopias to-
gether. The idea that the imperial court exerted
any influence in favor of the prisoner at the
trial was probably but chief piece of demagog-
ism, as the emperor had always looked askance
at his democratic" relative, and even repeat
edly refused him permission-in the Crmea, in
Italy, and even during the recent fatal Prussan
war-to take service in the army He was, in
fact, most pointedly Snubbed by the court; yet
when, after Sedan, the whole under world of
Paris arose against everything NapOeOnic, the
poor little mansion at Auteuil was ruthlessy
sacked; and the subsequent demonstrations
against its fugitive master by French refugees in
Switzerland and Belgium are later indications
of what patrician may gain by playing at pie
biaRism. Not to discuss further, however the
political or moral qualities of Prince Pierre, it is
plain enough that he is the poorest of the exiled
Bonapartes just now, and that his wife is show
ing true French versatility in making the best of
their impecuniouS exile by conduct dress
making establishment in London. An editor of
the Echo, who lately did himself the honor to
call upon madame la princess at her magazine
of fashions on fashionable Bond street, yields
distinguished approval to the perfect taste and
unpretentiOuS practicability of the establish
ment. A sober page in buttons conducts the
visitor TO a room arranged with taste and an
elegance which English mode-makers- adopts
in the art OF catch-pennY decoration-would do
well to initiate. Quiet tones in the coloring of
carpet and curtains not too many mirrors nor
a redundancy OF gliding, and three or four valu-
able prints and paintings, as substitutes for the
usual garish pink and yellow Here presides
the princess-a tall, very handsome woman
had obtained for her purpose from Paris, and
whose unchignoned heads and plain neatness of
dress are admirably in keeping with the prac-
tical business objects of the place. Having
adopted dressmaking as a vocation, the princess
enters earnestly into its mercantile spirit, and
desires the custom of the poor as well as the
rich.
The great defect, she says, of the English
toilet is that there is no medium of good taste
in it between the elaborate Studies" OF the
and tkao ,,f
end botcheries. There should be established in
England, she thinks, good middle-class
school of dressmaking" same as that
which, in Paris, makes grsette as neat, dainty,
and tasteful of Dress in her way, as any peer
ess. To exemplify and profit by this school in
London are what Madame Bonaparte has made
her aim, and she even hopes to cure some aris-
tocratic LADIES Of their sins against the aesthetics
OF dress. THE English woman does not make
confidant of her dressmaker, the French
woman does. The Enghshwoman orders
the Parisenne consults. They are char
mantle andi grdciedSe, your compatriotS;
but they will not take advice. What think you,
that lady, forte and broad shoudered, actually
ordered square-cut body here the other day
| tried to tell her, without wounding, that the
round form was universally known to narrow
shoulders, and that she needed narrowing-but
nothing would convince her. She had made up
her mind and ordered her silk and tullc solecsm
buy dresses-a thousand francs each is cheap
-Oi NortnI ana, by using them as models for
my own workwOmen, can give exact counter
parts of his masterpieces at less than half his
prices. Mine is democratic dresS-making, you
perceive, and am not afraid of the word" The
ladies may be able to tell just how sound
this speech is in art, and how much of good
suggestion it may have for New York, as
for London; but how thoroughly French is the
whole tableau Of princess turned "modisteP'
With full-length portraits of the parents OF her
husbands great ancestor, Napoleon L., among
the few pictures decorating the walls of her
modest wareToom, this formerly naughty lady
OF Anteuil not only adopts dressmaking with
ierVor, but expounds its art with a grace almost
perSuading the nearer to imagine that there
may be really something princely in it. Ger
tainy the French above all other people in the
world, know how to bear adversely gracefully,
and, while like spoiled children or lunatics nm
der merely sentimental crosses, can endure and
adon tie sternest necessities till the latter
seem but transparent masks of the happiest of
fortunes