New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-15
THE STUDY OF HISTORICAL COSTUME.

From The London Standard
Persons of taste have long been ANNOYED by the
nersi.reuce with which persons without taste dress
badly; wearing, that Is to say. the wrong Things
at the wrong time, and the rlgut things never.
Russian General, who now holds very important
command in the far East, complained, when, some
five or six years ago. he visited LOLuon, thAt IL
was impossible to understand on what prlnclpe
the English dressed themscN es y few male irlenOs
had invited him to dinner and on appearing among
them he found himself the only oneoI the party VINO
wore n frock coat. The next morning he was TO
breakfa with a few more friends; and, deter
mined this time to be on the safe side, be presented
himself IL a dress suit. We nave met WIFI IoVel
il which one OF the principal lncldents was me re-
u al OF check taker at the Royal ltallan opera 10
admit a dis tuguished foreigner VINO, Win the reg,
ulatiOn evening coat wore par OIL Hght-cOloreu
trousers such as. in q ike connection, would be ac-
ranted on the Continent TAT least in SUMMER as
quite appropriate to a festive occasion. ne Only
approach, indeed to a despotsm OF taste that now
exists in England is the authority exercised IN the
matter of costume by our operate oihciaie;; VINO
tolerate nothing but black and white. In ordinary
life people will doubtless continue 10 dress as they
nay think fit. without needing the renons frances
and apoeais addressed to them by those who nave
studied the subject. and who have AT once better
information and better perceptions than the gen
era mass of mankind But what may he permitted
to ordinary individuals cannot be tolerated on tue
part of painters, sculptOrs ana stage-Inanagsrs'
smith Jones and Brown live dress absuTdly ole,
and are forgotten. But the men whose lot II Is 20
influence tue public mind have heavier responsible
tiles: and the EVIL they do lives atIer then IL IS,
indeed of con siderable Importance that accuracy
at costume should be observed in pictures In stat
nary and in theatrical representations; and Tor TINS
reason encouragenent is due to the Costume
SOCIETY,"" now being formed under the aus plces OF
Mr. Alma Tadena Mr. George Goodwin, Mr.. LOUIS
Pagan and Others, and tor which the cooperation
of tue chiefs of several foreign Academies mas been
secured The object of this association Is 10 promOte
the study of costume in its historical aspect anu
significance so that there may be an end, once ana
forever TO the anarhrOnisms and anomalies OF an
kinds in dress by which the works OF artists aren't
tects and dramatl-ts are now so often dlshgufed.
The Costume Society will Issue pants and engraV-
ings periodically to lis subscribers. Bul us culeI
Importance will consist in the authority with when
il will be able to speak on all questions within its
sphere that may from time To time be submitted
to il.
painter is dealing let rs say, with an incident
of the fifteenth century III Norway, or OF the
eighteenth in Bulgaria. Instead of hesltatng,
speculating and inguring without avail how he
Is to dress the persOnages of his scene he can IN
future make application to the Costume Society,
when he will receive without unnecessary delay
coiored drawing showing HIM precisely what he
vvis IN kpOW