New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-18
HOW THE RUSSIANS DRESS
Prom The london Hmes


Many OF the Illusions winch the traveller brings
with INN from his readings are, indeed somewhat
Bokharian or Persian, of the 'dang!inc tail NJ ~
Cnlnaman, of the pearly teeth of the Arabic, y
VI tne Mihu1lookng sayages and sllin-clad Esqui-
nlauA, winch writers OF fifty years since described
as ordinary sights in the streets of ST Pet.rsbnr ~
MOSCOW you see now as little as Of the Cyclopes of
EIyss1s OF me Lestngons of SIR John Mandcville
Even here, on the border of Asia, TartarS Armsri
ans and PerSlapS are only distinguiShable by their
Iur caps a lttle higher or little lower tirban-
shape or mitre-s shaped For the quaintneSs of "a
MuScoVitlc costume or gorgeous Eastern fiuer7c a
Ihih must nowadays be referred TO pi6ture- bonks
or museums. The tendency of our age is to Fre,,ch
ny the very gorillas. The only article thar Jis-
ungulshes the Russian from any Eurouean aud -
peclally from an English crowd is a heod-gear f,r
the cylinder or tall hat TO be held in abbor-
renee. and is hardly ever seen even on f oDai'a
heads, III bureaucratic and cosmopolitan 81 PeteSsi
pWuIg-not so much, probably. because the crazy
Emperor Paul Yaged war against those hats
because winter would forbid their A nss p as
DER penalty OF forfeiture of mans ears for SIX
months IN the year, and the habit of halfvear 80
the people here against the wear of our awkIyari
irrational n and unbecoming chimney pot during tfe
The Russian costume of the lower classes cons;ss,
OF a pack or white cap, with the brim drawn down
shapeleSs dark blue or brown greatcoat do,S;%I,
down TO the heels, and heavy top-boots nm to thss
Knee. From the folds of the coat Won may here md
there catch the sight of the red blonSs or &c IL
broad red sash and black velvet brooches vyb;cb
@h Jioe P1Puiar out as rule the black long
or tissue, the same garment, the same medley Of
rags, seems equally 20 suit Russian or
tartar Moslem or Christian, Gypsy or lew Nor
chants and brokers and other niddle-cIass oilers
i mno CROWD the steps OF the exchange wear the
Iacket ana wlde-awake hat now common 10 ali
EUROPE; gentlemen of higher rank are either in
lllIary OF CIVILIAN uniform, and these also throw
over 1t their heavy riding cloaks regardless of TIA
stllling heat, Russ an apparently never feeling
eeoIqrtaple unless he rs swathed in loose drapery
rom head TO foot The funny pork pie hats worn
9y the droski drivers in st. Petersburg or Moscow
disappear as we c, me further east, and here the
lsyoshtshik buries his head and half his face i'm his
ugly black hanging cap like other men, The Rus
SANS i are as hlrsute race any Asiatic Those of
the lower classes, whether out of ancient Muscoyit
pride OF to spite the shade of Peter the Great the
sreat shaver, are bristling with such full, long
boards as might excie the envy of their shageieSr
kkalnock or Samojede iellow-subjects; some few
nave name at the back of the head down 20 the
shoulders bat for most of them the hair h
cnpped in straight line by the barber a primitive
artist who claps an earthern pot them over head
ana ears whom they go to hun for a shearing and
trims round and round whatever protrudes from this
pot. Hair and beard usually unkempt and
tangled fit frame for the face, where a coating OF
several weeks dirt Ieutralizes the color OF the skin