The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-03
MRS. LANGTRY.
Her Beauty, aud Her Taste i'm
Dressing.



London Letter.
Mrs. Langtry's photographs are in
every convenient window, in every style
of dress, from robe de chambre to full
ball toilet. She is portrayed on horse
back; in garden, with garden hat and
basket of flowers; in conservatory, with
a pet bird hopping around her head
wrapped in furs, with a mimic snow fall
ing about her, in fancy dress, and in
almost every way, indeed, which an in
ventive photographer can suggest. 1t is
said in England that Mrs. Langtry de-
rives much of her income from the sale
OF these same photographs; but, though
the tale is credited here, | do not find It
| possible to believe that any modest
woman not professedly before the public
would or could be party to traffic in
her own likenesses.
Be that as it may, Mrs. Langtry is wor-
thy OF being recognized as beauty. She
is also distinctively American in style,
being fair and fragile enough to have
been born under the shadow of Bunker
Hill, or beneath the swayingelms of New
Haven. The least American thing about
her is her voice, which is soft and sweet
ly modulated as, it is a pity to say, the
American and especially the New Eng
land voice seldom is Her eyes are in
tensely blue, with no shading off into
gray or green, as is apt to be the case
with blue eyes. The pupils are such as
dilate widely, and almost at will, produc.
ing the effect of black eyes. Their ex.
preston is soft and calm, and one would
not judge their owner to be of very in.
tense nature. Nut brown hair, warm
and bright in the sunshine, droops low
in the back of the neck, and is becoming
and artistic.
Just at present it is the fashion here tc
be what is called artistic in every partic
ular, from the furnishing of house to
the arrangement Of head-dress. Deco
rative art has become disease, and most
members of society have taken the dis
ease in it's worst form. You see on every
side virulent attacks of Greek peplums
garments of the vitiated Roman toga
order, classic twists of hair on most
unclassic heads, and general striving
after the unattainable under the genera
name of art
Mrs. Langtry is either genuinely ar
tistic by instinct, or careful study has
supplied the place of instinct. She never
slips in matters of the toilet, and whether
you see her in the street, at the opera OF
at the ball, her ensemble is in entire
keeping with the place and circumstances
Her style is rather that of the engenue
and even her costliest raiment always
looks daintily simple. She wears white
and pale colors whenever practicable, and
they certainly suit her better than vivid
dark hues. Rough straw hats, trimmed
with bunch of ribbons or a handful Of
field flowers, are special fancy of hers
and in one of these and pretty chinti
dress it would be quite easy to fancy hel
an eighteenth century shepherdess.
In her circle she is reputed to have
graces of mind as we'll as of person; but
somehow they do not appear to be much
cared for by those who associate with her
and you seldom hear them referred to ex
cept by accident. 1t is quite possible he
satellites could not well appreciate then
if they did recognize them. She comes
Of old Norman stock, and Millais, who
painted her portrait for the Royal Acad
emy exhibition last season, declares thai
in her is preserved, with singular purity
the physical type of the race from which
she has sprung. This is probably due tt
her birth in the Island of Jersey, WHERE
the old French families have so frequent
ly intermarried that, in spite of the trans
planting of homes, national peculiaritie
have remained unchanged. Her maidel
name was LIE Breton, and her father i
Dean of Jersey. She was married abou
four years ago to Mr.. Edward Langtry
an Irish pantleman