Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1880-07-31

Moucare d. Conway, writing to the Cincin-
uati Commercial from London. says: Last
uight thcro was fancy ball at the club connec-
Cd with tho vsricusly styled aesthetic" or
Queen Am" village of Bedford Park. Among
the revclers there Was ono onls who was mask
ed, that being contrary to London usage It
was lady. Among various speculations among
the Bedford Palkisns about the unknown lady,
who never danced, one was that she was a
French artist. 1t was whispered that she had
been commissioned to make sketches of tho
London ladies, and that she was found out in
tho garden Masking little picture Of the ladies
on tho balcony By the light of Chinese lsu.
tern. l hope this theory may prove true.
There we're about husdred ladies' 10 the room,
snd-ss, indeed, is compulsory on ell Of both
sexes who atteod such balls in London-each
had lauoy costume. Their costumes were
quito as much fancy" as aoy that one sees in
Paris at Nj Carene. Yet with slight chaog:s
nost of them might be worn at West Eud
soiree.
At the soiree of the Royal Academy lest
week there wore many such dresses and even
Sarah Beiuherdt, who was there, was quite
eclipsed by tho LJodon costumes. But are
these not loud costumes By DO means; the
C stumes there and at our fancy ball last night
were r!oh but quiet, they were quaint but ofthe
classical spirit; and they we're in notable con-
trast with tho costumes of the gentlemen,
who had generally patronizod the c,stumier
"a worthy who has not sown his old ward.
robes TO gain N ore seasona6le oroD of Char
actor." The ladies had devised their dresses
themselves for it is do risusur uow to show
some individual taste 10 dress. A lady who
is one OF tue leaders of fashion told mo that
this is the first gear in history wherein a lady
might dress as she likes-but it should be really
as she likes.
The LONDON season has had sundry diversi.
foations OF its nornal-or what would onoo
havo been called its normal attractions First,
we had tho FIVE tableauX at tho Cromwell
House. 1t is necessary if anything of that
kind is to be got up that there shall be q
charitable ohjeot in view. You have only to
use charity for your seasame, aud safely ap-
peal to the 61cst artists and the most re-
splOudent beauties for gratuitous services
lnvoked By that sacred name our beauties,
awarded nsra epithet., would pose 10 auy at.
titudo or costume whatever, and any number
of times.
The lady who understands all this best is
Mrs. Frcake, Of Cromwell House, South Ken.
siuStuus HuiLuuatcty luT tuc Luuuuu eeaeOus
the Irish wore starving; happily, the Uhildren's
Hospital was suffering, aud by grace Of tho
Muses.. poor and invalid artists found their
funds low. So the series of tableau1 wore
given three tiOes, and as each invitation cost
guinea, about s2 600 we're distributed to these
charities, while the sell to do received their
aims 10 gazing on Mrs. Laugtry, Mrs. Wheeler,
Mrs. CornTall!s West, and the rewest beauty,
Mrs. Williams, as arranged by BouRbton. Mill
lals aud other great artists, in illustration of
Sootts novels and poems
1t was veyy beautiful and yet l have seen
tableauX moro beautiful at the same house.
10 fscs, think it was mistake to limit the
tableaux to the works of any one author; aud
II that were done. the author, should not have
been Scott. Boughton told ma himself that he
was surprised to fiud how little the WaverIy
Novels lent themselves to pictorial purposes. l
do not thiOk the English arc 50 skiIIful 10 get
ting up these things es Americans. | have
seen better tableaux than those Of Cromwell
House at Cincinnati.
There can be DO doubt, however. that by
some process at patural selection, such ss that
which makes Oocraumergau people look like
the sacred figures on their church walls, large
number of very beautiful ladies are evolved in
London of recent years, They will compare
f.vora5ly with the court beauties Of psst times,
Mrs. L.nRrg is certainly as beautiful as other
of those Misses Canning, who used to be al
most mobbed through the desire of the crowd
to see shem. Wslpole says seven hundred peo.
pe So. up all night in aud about an inn in
Yorkshire to see one of them gst into her
postohaise next morning. She was duchess,
AID that helped matters If her portraits are
not the reverse OF Aa,teriog, there are several
untitled London beauties who could have sur.
passed her, or Gcorgi,na-that Duchess ef De.
vonshira, whose picture, by Gainsborough, cost
fl0. 600. aud is now iu the hands OF thief
r o N DON PURP PLE