The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-02-25
aestriptiue Artitles.
Queens with their Crowns Off


rious illness Of the Queen of Saxony,
brought on by overfatigIiing herself in put
ting up preserves, / could not but smile
when I thought how different was the
image thus presented to ones mind from
that of our childish ideas of queen as a
being always wearing crown upon her
head. and going around in velvet robes lined
with ermine. One learns in later years
that these royal ladies are good deal ike
ordinary women in their pursuits and occu-
patioas. Some, ike her Saxon Majesty,
have taste for household pursuits, Others
are devoted to art. and not few have a
passion for practical millinery and dress
making,
For instance, the Princess Of Wales Is
very fond Of making up her own bonnets.
She has often been heard 30 say that no one
Of the court milliners can contrive to suit
her style 20 well as she can herself. She
viii purchase half a dozen bonnets of as
many different modistes, and viii remodel
every one Of them before she win consent
TO wear them The close pretty capste
that she has been Instrumental during the
past season 10 bringing into vogue in Lon
don. 20 the vast improvement of the APP
pearance of the British matrons and maid
EN-, was her own invention and the work
of her royal fingers as wen. She never al
lows any oneof her daughters 10 appear in
aat that has not first undergone careful in
specifies, and perhaps also certain amount
Of alteration. The Princess learned these
arts in her schoolgirl days, when she was
only the eldest daughter of very poor
Danish duke. Bho had something lessef an
income than her own equerries have nova
days. Many anecdotes are told of the SIM
PIE and economical manner in which Duke
Christian and his excellent wife, before
becoming King and Queen Of Denmark,
reared their blooming flock Of lovely girls
and promising boys Even after their ae-
essssion to the Danish throne they did rot
part With their taste for simple and unos-
tentatious mode Of life. When the lovely
Alexandra was first betrothed 10 the Prince
of Wales, Queen Victoria wrote to the
Queen of Denmark to request that pho
tOgTaph of the young Princess's boudoir
might be sent her, so that she might have
a room fitted mp in precisely the same way
at Marlborough House. Her Majesty OF
Denmark was in quandary. The rooms
that her daughters occupied were furnished
in the plainest possible manner, and their
plenishing was in no wise suited for repro
duction in the home Of the Princes of
Wales So in this dilemma the leading
npholsterer Of Copenhagen was applied TO,
an elegant bSudoir was hastily improyised,
and Queen Victoria kindly and gracious
request received due response. One may
re1hasmber, TO, the loose short jacket in
which the Princess Alexandra was con-
stantly portrayed just before her marriage.
An English lady of rank, who ehanced to
be visiting the court of Denmark before
there was any talk Of the betrotisal asked
the Priasess why she wore those jackets,
since they were no longer fashionable. II
know that, was the modest and candid re
ply: sbnt / have great many skirts Of
dresses the bOdiees of which arc woTu out,
and as / cannot afford to throw them aside,
I wear them With these jackets : Tn
doubtedly her skin az making and altering
bonDets dates from the peFlod Of her girl
hood.
Queen Victoria in her youth was an ae-
eomplished musician, and was very fond
also Of engraving and etching on copper
pursuits in which she was aided and en-
couraged BIZ her gifted husband Notwith-
standing the rigid, and it must be added,
selfish seclusion in which it now pleases
her to dwell, she was in her early woman
hOod az extremely gay young sovereign,
delighting in giving and going to balls, and
In all other forms of social enjoyment. A
fancy ball in particular was her delight.
One of the court balls costBBlss reproduced
the court and personages Of the early years
of Louis XVI's reign, the Queen, Of course,
appearing as Maria Antoinette, a dress in
which she looked exceedingly well The
high powdered eoiffure and high-heeled
shoes lent to her stature some additional
apd resded height, and the soft white ofthe
powder set off to advantage her fresh com
plexion aud sparkling blue eyes. In her
early days Queen Victoria was quite pret-
ty young woman, and she found natural
and xomahly enjoyment, no doubt, in the
adulation and admiration that are always
the need of even fair amount of good
looks in youthful female sovereign.
Probably the greatest female dressmaker
that ever dwelt in palace was the Em-
press Eugenie. Not that she cut out and
sewed her gowns herself, but wearied out
by the inability of the court dressmakers
10 carry out her ideas, she caused regular
establishment to be installed
in the upper story Of the palace of the Tu
ileries, directly over her own private suite
Of apartments. Silks, satins, laces, yelvets,
were purchased by the whole
sale by specially appointed agent, whole
battery Of sewing machines and battalion
Df operatives were installed, together with
cutters out, filters, ete.-the whole person
mel, in fact, Of 6rst-class dressmaking es-
A trap door, cut in the floor
Of the principle work room, communicated
with the boudoir Of the Empress beneath,