Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1876-03-16

bic and painful to wear, as the belt
passed across the swell Of the bosom, con-
fining it uupleasantly A dress in those
days measured two yards and half at
the bottom OF the skirt, and was gored
upward until the little fullness that re-
NAMED was gathered in by drawing.
string at the neck.
There was one advantage about the
style--corsets we're unknown aud no lady
laced herself, as only the outlines Of the
figure appeared below the waist, and the
more natural they we're the more fash
iouable. Indeed, every pains was
taken to shsw the lovely proportions of
the women Of those days and the revela.
tloDs Of the modern "pull.back" are
nothing to the lavish display of that
period. ~.
No well dressed woman wore anything
but white muslin; winter and summer
those himsy dresses were always cut with
low or at the most only halfhigh necks.
Beneath them was worn only one scant
white petticoat; even in winter flannel
skirts we're avoided by the fashionables.
No starch was put into either dress or
petticoat; and some ladies', in order to
make the material cling the better to the
form one would think already sufficiently
revealed, actually had their dresses
dampened, as the last 6nishsng touch,
before starting for ball. Traly their
appearance must have justihed a rhyme
which was popular at that time:
Iodtao 20 - fhtc s.o - II d..r,.J -.
Look Eve.like, angel-like aud interesting.
One wonders that these bellies did not
positively freeze to death in the long se-
we're winters. The houses we're heated
only by open wood fires, stoves being
almost unknown. And in rooms only
half warmed these thinly attired ladies
lived. Worse yet, the "modiste" length
OF skirt was jrst to the ankle bone, and
silk stockings and slippers were the only
covering for the feet, even to walk on
Broadway in the snow and slush Of mid
winter. Pattens or clogs might be put
on to 60 out of an evening, but they
looked so "old maidish" that the gay
girls did net like to use them much.
There was one mitigation Of the hard
ships of this dress-tke outer garments
iu winter were worn long, and Mrs. d.
describes her street costume in one OF
those years when she was society
queen. Over the white muslin frock she
wore long scarlet broadcloth pelisse,
which was fitted to the figure and orna.
mebted with a small cape. Her hat
was very wide brimmed, made Of white
satin and crowned with ostrich feathers.
One would think that this style of
wearing white must have been very
troublesome, and | asked if it was abso-
lutely worn all the time2 Eyes" Mrs.
D. said, for dress always, winter and
summer. When she was a girl her
mother allowed her to have three muslin
frocks week in the wash; for morning
or housework French cslicoes we're worn,
but as they cost dollar yard, they
were quite expensive. Every lady had
also one dark silk TO wear to funerals, or
il by chance the muslins we're not in or
der
Itwas at this time when scantness of
drapery was at its extreme that Miss
Patterson married Jerome Bonaparte.
A cousin of Mrs. d. was at the wedding,
and when asked alterward to describe
the brides toilet, replied; "All the
clothes she had on could have put into
my waistcoat pocket.
Her dress was Of such muslin, only
richly embroidered and of extremely
fine texture, and it was said that be-
meath it she wore but single garment.
OF course, when white was 80 univer'
sally adopted any device was resorted to
in order to give variety to the dress Va
rious materials were used, null, Main
sock, bishops. lawn. and India muslin,
which was extremely soft and delicate;
none Of these fabrics at all resembled
our modern organdie or Swiss, as they
were neither stiff or wiry, softness being
a requisite of Style
There we're devices for covering the
neck, which fashion barred Three cor
nered handkerchiefs, of muslin or lace,
and small silk cspes or squares, were
thrown carelessly over the shoulders. A
very favorite wrap was the pelerine a
cape with long tab ends; this was made
for opera wear, in pink or blue silk
trimmed with swans s.down, and for the
street, of black silk with rufles.
Gloves were worn long, very much as
they are to-day, except that instead Of
buttoning all the way up, they were
made with split only at the wrist, and
fitted loosely on the arm. At the great
ball given at Castle Garden in honor of
the Marquis de Lafayette, the gloves
made for the occasion had a portrait OF
the Marquis on the back.
Another ball which Mrs, D. remem.
bered with pleasure, was one given in
honor of General Scott after the war OF
1912 was over. 1t took place about 1876
at the Assembly Rooms, which were dec.
GRATED with flowers and flags. The com
pany was very fashionable one, and the
dresses, some OF the most elegant that
had ever been seen here.
Mrs. d. own costume was an EN-
broidered muslin over pink silk slip, as
il was called, and underdress cut scant
and made Of rather aimsy material. The
thin overdress was looped with roses, and
she had a wreath of roses on her head.
She was champeroned on that occasion
| by Mrs. Cadwallader Golden, one Of the
society queens Ct that day. Mrs Col
den wore white satin froek with a long
court train Of velvet, fastened at the
shoulders and sweeping to the floor.
q