The daily gazette., 1883-03-27
DIAMONDS AT A DANCE.
THE GREAT VANDERBILT Pc
cEPTION.
MILLIONS OF WEALTH PRESENT,
A Variety of I3eautifuI and Costly Cos
tumes-Handsome Women and Notable
Men in the Giddy Maze.
rPhIladeInhia Times. J

tor and much advertised fancy Dress Dali OF
Mrs. William K Vanderbilt is now In full
blast, If one may speak so of such an i'm
| portant affair. There's no doubt about its
being an important affair. 1t is rather the
biggest thing of the kind that New York
| ever saw, and 1t is doubtful If any member
of the Vanderbilt clan ever succeeded In
making such q stir as Mrs. W. X. has sue
ceeded in making. The house where the
4 dddling and dancing are at this moment
going on is at the corner of Filth avenue and
Fifty-second street, way up in the neighbor-
hood of Central Park. 1t is a splendid
| mansion, built as well as the best skill of
the best architects could build it and fur
nished as well as the best taste of the best
authorities on interior decoration could
| furnish it.
THE WORK OF THE FLORIST.
Since early this morning florists have been
hard at work arranging rare flowers and
1 plants In q manner to make the most of their
beauty and fragrance. The balustrade of
| the grand stairway was hidden with roses
| and vines of smilax. Masses of rare roses
were placed In the dining room and ball
room, wherever opportunity offered.
bower of roses was built in the ball room for
| the musicians. Yet the floral decorations
were not as lavish as some might expect In
| these days of extravagance in flowers, for
| the mansion contains SO much that is beauti-
| full and rare and is in itself such a work of
art that 1t was thought best not to hide any
thing or detract from the effect by too many
| flowers. This was thought to be a good
i thing by the guests. Any one can see pretty
I flowers any day. 1t is not every day one can
| get acmittance to the house of William X.
Vanderbilt and see $4,000, 900 worth Of art
| treasure he is said to have collected there.
| Then this was a sort of fhouse-warming, too,
l daetrad that tho hnItan ahOnid no
seen,
A curious throng fingered around the
house all day and the two extra policemen
on duty there were busy keeping the crowd
moving. in the evening, when the great
temporary canopy before the entrance was
lighted with many Chinese lanterns,a squad
of 25 policemen came and they did duty
there until late at night. 1t was noticed
that several quiet men in very plain clothes,
strolled about the walks near the windows
and were not molested by the policemen.
These were private detectives, who were on
the lookout for the dynamite throwers who
are threatened to make it unpleasant for the
party-goers as we'll as for the party-givers.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE GUESTS.
As early as 10 o'clock carriages began to
draw up In front of the brilliantly lighted
house and the guests, in ulsters and long
cloaks that covered the tinery beneath, got
out and hastened to the great entrance, to
gain which there had been a tremendous
amount of maneuvring for weeks back
There flunky In livery examined the ere
dentials of the guests and then, the door
being passed, other funkies directed the
gentlemen to their dressing rooms, the
ladies to theirs.
In due time line of gaily-dressed figures
began to troop down the broad stairs and
present themselves before Mrs. w. X. Van
derbilt and her sister, Mrs. Ferdinand
Yznaga, who was assisting her in receiving
knights, ladies, monks, nuns, ballet girl,
clowns, harlequins, brigaDds, queens, peas.
ants, well-the whole well-known list that
appears at all fancy dress balls and Others
that do not appear at common fancy dress
balls. The two ladies, who stood prepared
to receive the guests, were beautiful to look
upon and gorgeously appareled.
HOW THE HOSTESS WAS DRESSED.
Mrs W. X. Vanderbilt was dressed as a
Venetian princess, her costume being copied
from picture by Cabanel. 1t is hard to
describe The underskirt was of white and
yellow brocade; there was blue satin train,
embroidered in gold and lined with Roman
red; there was Venetian cap, and dia-
monds, and lace that is almost priceless, and
Jewels. She made, indeed, a charming pic
ture, beating Mr.. Cabanel's original un
doubtedly.
Mrs. Yznaga, who is a perfect blonde,
with magnificent yellow hair, dark eyes and
eyebrows, stood by her side in great con-
, trast to her sister. She looks as though she
had Just stepped from one of Vandyke's
paintings. She meant to look that way, for
! she represented In her costume the Princess
} of Croy, as painted by that artist. Her dress
j | was of black velvet, her hat was of black
' velvet her plumes were black and old lace
| -, IA H. fha ,INro
, ness of the costume.
e THE HOST AS THE DUKE DE GUIsE.
a Mr.. William K Vanderbilt represented
the Duke De Guise. He made prettl
respectable looking duke as dukes go, anC
his clothes were first-class. His tights .wert
;, of yellow silk and the trunks, mantle anC
. the rest of 1t were in yellow and black satin
His brother Cornelius was in a Louis Nv
q costume, and he looked we'll, too. Hi
| clothes were also expensive, his lace yer,
a real and his sword was diamond-hilted. Hi
/ lovely wife represented electric light, ant
e the light came from a magnificent tiara o
o diamonds. She was accompanied by thre'
q of her six very pretty childreu-a little gir
/ dressed to represent rose, another as
little countess and lad who was Sinbad
a the sailor.
1 Miss Ada Smith, a sister of Mrs Corneliu
' | Vanderbilt, was "peacock," so she dc
4 clared. At all events her dress and long
a train were covered with real peacock fea
/ theirs and the ornaments in her hair repre-
:. sented the top-knot of that strong-voiceC
IS bird.
MANY NOTABLE COSTUMES.
o Mrs. Seward Webb, W. H. Vanderbilt
: daughter, represented hornet; the imita
n ton, in yellow and brown, with gauze wing
t. was excellent. Mrs. Twombly anothe
Q daugher of W. H., was magnihcently az
y pareled, her visible costume being mos
precious stones, rubies, turquoise, opals, dis
L monds and pearls. Mrs. John Jacob Asto
N was there with her $3.50, 900 worth of dis
mopds; SO was NEs. Astor; SO was every
ID body that is anybody. The young me
ID were, as a rule, rather quiet In their dresi
and the number of legs shown was nc
large One young fellow with plump ez
tremities rather surprised the ladies by ak
pearing as Columbine in fcshlings an
IT gauzy skirts and low-neck dress and bar
arms He looked pretty, too 4 Glow
rt and Harlequin supported him.
q. After a professional march the ball opeDe
of with the Hobby-horse Quaarille. 1t wa
,o funny. The horses were very life-likr, wit
d horss. hides and hair covering, nice gla,
eyes aud real lnanes and lails. They WEI
he light and iitted around the waist OF tf
al wcarer, whose feet were hidd, n by the Ion
~ trappings Then dummy legs and feet
~ the case of the men Snd false riding -hab
In the case of the ladies completed IL
a illusion This quadrille was organized
nm Mrs. s. s. Rowland, with the help of Mr.