The Portland daily press., 1879-07-17
The Three French Graces.


During the period of Directorial Govern
ment in France, three lovely women-the
Three Graces, as they were styled by the mad
rigal writers of the time-enjoyed and accord
ing to the unanimous testimony of their con-
temporaries, fully merited the exclusive pres
tige of Incompatible beauty; these were The.
rese Cabarrus, (AIme. Tallien,) Josephine
Beauharnais, and Nine. Recamier. Their Gel
ebrity dated from Thermidor, when Paris, ex-
ulting in the downfall of Robespierre and the
conclusion of the Reign of Terror, forgot its
past troubles in the delirious excitement of the
hour, and hailed with feverish eagerness every
opportunity of gratifying its thirst for pleasu re
and ''effervescence of luxury" Then like
"three flowers springing from an extinct vol
cano," this trio of sirens emerged from the rel
ative obscurity Of private life into the full
blaze of notoriety, became the supreme arbiters
of taste, and introduced that sem-classcal
costume which none but themselves could
have ventured to adopt. Here is Nine. Tai
lien, sketched with his usual picturesque accu-
racy by Carlyle: "Her sweeping tresses
snooded by glittering antique fillet, bright
dyed tunic of the Greek WON an; her little
feet, naked as in antique statues, with mere
sandals and winding string of ribbon, defying
the FROST" Here is Josephine, described by
herself in letter addressed to the future Prin-
cesse DIR Chimay, and inviting her to be pres
ent at ball about to be given at the Hotel
Thelusson: "Come in your peacl-blossom
skirt, for it is essential that dress should be
the same; shall wear red handkerchief tied
IN the creole fashion, bold attempt on my
part, but admirably suited to you, whose COM
plexion, if not prettier, is infinitely fresher
than mine. Our rivals must be eclipsed and
utterly routed!' This red handkerchief, tied
in the peculiar manner alluded to, was subse-
quently discarded by both ladies, but constant
ly worn by Nine. RGcamier, who considered it
peculiarly becoming to her, even during the
latter years of her life. In other respects sim
ilarity of costume was not uniformly adhered
to; while Nine. Tallen set the fashion of di-
aphanous tunics, and Josephine collected the
rarest onyxes, agates and canoes wherewith to
adorn her luxuriant hair, Nine. Recamier Sc
lected, as the most appropriate accompaniment
to her surprising loveliness, the graceful appen-
dage OF the veil. Nothing could have more de-
liciously harmonized with the perfect oval of
her face and the slender but exquisitely nodded
symmetry of her form; in Cosway's life-like
portrait of her we see the effect of this simple
but all-important adjunct, and comprehend
the enthusiasm of the Duke of Mecklenburg-
Strelitz, who when asked what had pleased
him most during his stay in Paris, replied:
"Since have seen Nine. Recamier, l can re-
member nothing else! There must, indeed,
have been something exceptionally attractive
In woman whose powers of fascination were
so irresistible, and who to the very latest mo-
ment of her existence exercised so enduring an
influence over all with whom she came in
contact; and, as she does not appear to have
been endowed with any extraordinary abilities
or even to have particularly shone in CONVEX
sation, the devotion of such men as Chateau
BRAND, Benjamin Constant and Balasche NAV
be regarded as perhaps the rarest and most
significant homage ever offered at the shrine
of fbeauty.-Belgravia.