The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-03-25
Letter from Boston.

Spring Openiegs-AU about Dolly Vardeas and
other inscrutable mysteries of the Feminine
Adornmemt-Art Notes-De Haas Great Ma
rine Painting-Art Club Rooms-TheatricM
10 BOSTON, March 23d, 1872.
Yesterday, Jordan, Marsh & Co. invited the
attention of the ladies to their Spring opening
Now have always had curiosity to see what
one of these Spring openings was like and so
when the ladies of the household announced
their intention to accept counted myself in as
escort. The first thought that strikes the male
mind on entering the immense dry-goods ware
house is -a-r i.-s. sa.e-
WHERE DO ALL THE WOMEN COME FROM"
From the syoung schoolgirl of ten or twelve
summers up to those who have passed that
point where, like the Angels, time is not and
age is unknown, the female forms come and
go, crowd the spacious aisles, cluster on the
broad stair-cases, forms an impenetrable Gordon
around the counters block the show-rooms dig
their elbows into each others sides, keep one
eye on the silks or poplins they are examining
and with the other take in the full measure of
their neighbors' toilettes. Out at one door and
in at the other from early in the morning till
late in the afternoon, ceaseless ebb and flow
of shoppers. And not alone for one day, but
week after week, month after month"; until the
baffled male biped exclaims with Patrick-fresh
from the Emerald isle-t'is there SO many
women in the world But while 1 am moral
izing, the ladies are busily inspecting the new
goods that the attentive clerks seem never
weary of displaying. y q
''oH HOW PRETTY" .a.-. 81
H. - y
small coil of bonnet tabs made of muslin and
lace, that she graciously informs your benighted
correspondent are double ruffles and the latest
style, used instead of collars. A little farther
on there is a jam of women about table in the
rear of the store, and as the crowd surges to and
fro you catch occasional glimpses of male
creatures arms violently saving the air like the
sails of windmill, the hands grasping folds
of cloth with large worked figures thereon
That is the cretone or
-p DOLLY WARDEN lfl1i g 'r4a.
table. The ladies, after some little effort, sue
coed in inspecting the same, but give express
sion to the oracular statement ethat the pretti-
est ones are too light in colors to wear for a
season without washing, and the stylish ones
in dark tints have not been received vet and
won't get along till the middle of April Up
ward and onward the party moves slowly along
till the large apartment is reached where the
Spring millinery is on exhibition. am not
going to infiict upon your readers swhat 1
know about ladies' head-gear" 1 went into
that room with the idea that there was nothing
the man of average intellect couldn't learn if
he would only put his mind to it. 1 came out
MI orr Ivy cI1l
tiers and my brain buzzing with disappointed
fragments of a language to which the Musco-
vlte is a mere bagatelle. To man in such a con-
dltion, it was an unspeakable relief to hear the
ladies say, after all there vast much satisfac
ton in looking at Boston millinery. There was
nothing natty or coquettish about it as there
was in New York or Partisan modes. Even
Portland could give the Hub points and then
beat her easy" In the room devoted to suits
there were some very stylish garments offered
at really very low prices, say $50 or $40. The
head of this department is Portland man
MIR. Mckinney, a brother of McKenney the
photographer-who is an extremely obliging
and courteous gentleman.
At Elliot, Blakeslee & Noyes's, formerly
Childs, there is painting on exhibition that
in itself is worth the trouble of a trip to Bos-
ton. 1t is entitled
SUNSET AT CAPE ANN .L
by the celebrated marine artist, NJ +. II. De-
Haas 1t is very large canvas, about the size
OF Hills white Mountain Notch now on ex-
hibtion at Hale's in your city. On the right of
the picture, in the middle distance, is a high
bluff with rocks, gradually decreasing in size
extending down to the foreground, giving a
semi-circular shape to the coast, the rocks on
the extreme right of the fore ground low
and almost fiat. On the left huge rock rises
above the waves that beat about its base in
cloud of spray, its jagged summit tinged with
the rays of the declining sun, as is the
case with the crest of the high bluff on the
right In the perspective can be seen the faint
line of the land, and the white houses of
little village can just be discerned in the strong
light, In the farther distance the white sails of
an outward bound vessel catch the ruddy hues
OF the dying luminary. The effect is superb
The clouds, with their vermillion tnts, look like
real clouds. The waves possess that blush
green color so often seen at sunset on, summer
evenings off our coast. The rocks are a sort of
orownsh slate-if there is such a color-and
look as II you could step ON them and gather
cookies IN the crevices. Atmosphere, drawing
and colorlng are all exquisite and we wish
Hale or Schumacher would induce the artist to
let them exhibit it at Portland. also saw
some
EASTER OFFERINGS
that were very loyely-a very graceful cross of
white azalias painted in water colors on a dead
gilt ground, and another of fleur-de-lis on the
same. Es
The Boston Art Club have just closed their
exhibition at their rooms on Boylston street.
By the polteness of a member l cast hurried
glance at the collection during spare half hour
the other day. If / was a Boston artist 1
wouldn't have picture hung in those rooms
unless it was good one The collection was
cheap enough. There was very curious little