The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-03-28

,se social Annals Of she Coantry-tniane
csadrilics and Costumes.
From the New York papers we condensc
The following account of the Vanderbilt
hall O, Monday night, about which New
York society has been agcg 10 these many
days:
The house itself, seen rs Il was seen I'M
der blaze of light aud kindled into SPLEEN
dor everywhere by masses OF flowers and
moving thr0ng OF the most varied ana
magnificent costumes, was the most nttihS
framework an artist could have asked for
succession OF pictures so heterogeneous, 80
iucongruous in detail. yet in their general
effect so dazzling and so attractive. me
house is not. as il has been more than once
asserted 10 be, reproduction oil any one
oi those fascinating chateduN OF ne
French Renaissance which are TIE prloc oi
ToIrsjnc. It,sancw development under
now conditions OF the French transition
,tyle in domestic architecture, treated with
a freedom and boldncss and originality
which Give It an unique character and
>recial artistic value OF it, own. Features
borrowed from n score OF architectural
h1rmonizcd in il.
The Guests on arriving last night found
themselves IN q grand hail about siXty-tivc
icef LONG. sixteen feet in height, and
t,vcnty feet i'm width. nder foot was \
Goor Of POLISHED and luminous Echaillon
.fonc. and above them a ceiling richly pam
,lie9 m oak. over high wainScotlng Of
,oen Stone. richly carved. are antique lta-
lion Tapestries. beautifully worked by hand.
ont oi this hall 10 the right rises the grand
stairway. which Is not only The finest piece
- work Of its Kind in this country. but
one oi the finest pieces OF work OF the kind
in the world. The stairway occupies a
.nsce az thirty feet square, the whole struc-
fnrc OF the stairway being OF the finest
Cssu Stone. carved with wonderful deli
cacy and yirOr. IL climbs by ample.
ca.y stages. 10 a height OF fifty feet,
ending i'm a pendcntiyc dome. Another
stairway. also in Caen stone, lead
ing from the second to the third story. is
.cen through rampant arch with an effect
which recalls the unique and glorious
stairway OF the Chateau OF ChambOrd.
The gentlemen as they arrived were
u~hered into a spacious toilet chamber on
the ground floor TO the right; the ladies
passed up The grand stairway TO the Sump-
tuou- and charming apartments OF Mrs.
Vanderbilt on the second floor, which in
clude the most exquisite bathroom ever
built in this country and a beautiful Re-
Nuisance chamber on The Fiith-ayenuc
front Of the house. In the gymnasium, on
the third floor. most beautiful apartment,
30 feet in length 10y 81 in width. the mcm-
bers si the six organized quadrilleS oil the
evening gradually assembled before u
r.. NJ.
LOIS WERE DRAWN oN SATURDAY
last by the ladies in charge OF these
miadriles to decide the order in which
tney should be danced. il being previously
agreed that the ball should he opened by
the :" Hobby-llorse Quadriile." fantastic
set arrayed i'm pink coats. with knowing
hats and all the paraphernalia of the field,
under the leadership Of Mrs. :. ;. How
land and Mr.. James V. Parker, to which,
by common consent, the privilege was
assigned OF filling the scene for five
minutes and no more. The first place
among the more picturesque quad.
rifles was drawn by the "MOtheI
Goose Quadrille." under the leadership OF
Mr.. Lawrence Perkins. At Rtle after
llP. ~, to the strains OF Gimore's band
the six quadriles, comprising in all nearly
hundred ladies and gentlemen. were
formed in order in the gymnasium and
began To move i'm a glttering pr0cessiOna
pageant down the grand stairway and
through the hall. The hObby-hOrses LED
the way in a fantastic, almost Ja)roariOu'
fashion. which struck a keynote OF merr
ment and gave animation and zest 70 the
whole entertainment. Or. DAVID Haighi
acted Is master OF ceremonies.
Winding through the motley crowd OF
princes. monks. cavaliers. IIighlanders
queens. kings, dairy-maids, bull-Gghters
knights. brigands, and mobiles, the process
sion passed down the grand stairway anC
through the hall into n noble room on thC
front If the house in the style OF Francois
Premier, twenty-five feet i'm width by forty
in length, wainscOted richly and heavily il
carved French walnut, and hung in dark
red plush. Vast carved cabinets and al
immense, deep fireplace give an air Of
ANTIQUE GRANDEUR TO THIS ROOM,
from which the procession passed into
bright and charming salon, Of the style o
Louis XIV. thirty feet i'm width by thirty
five i'm lengfh, wainscotcd in oak and en-
riched with carved work and gliding. Tn
whole Uainscoting OF this beautiful apart
meni was brought from chateau il
France. On the walls hang three Frcncl
Gobelin tapestries a century old, but in tn
brilliance and freshness OF their colorin,
seemingly the work OF yesterday. an;
over the chimney-piece hangs superb POI
trait OF Mrs. Vanderbilt by Madrazo. fu
Of spirit, character, and grace. The cei
ing. exquisitely painted by Paul Baudry
represents the marriage Of Cupid an
Psyche. and the furniture is Of The brigh
and gracious style OF that age Of airy AFRO
gance and periumed cOquetry which pre-
coded the tragedy Of the great Revolution
Thence the procession swept on into tn
grand dinng-hall, converted last nigh
into q ballroom, and the dancing beEaI
This dming-room. which is OF the lengt
and width % the gymnasium above, wa
superbly Illuminated. 1t il thlrty-two Fee
i'm height. The floor and the ceiling al
both In oak. richly panelled in similar d,
SIGNS: the lower wainsc0ting, seven fe'
In height, is OF oak richly caryet
above which Il temporary wainSco
ing Of a peculiar gilded tapestry nil
feet in height, and above that Caen ston
which reaches the clere-Siory windows (
stained glass that run all around the apar
ment. At one end Of the room is Cigar
tic fireplace, more than twenty feet
width. the lower part OF which Is {
Carlisle stone and the upper OF carve
oak, and at the opposite end OF the room
a music gallery, eighteen feet from u
floor, whence the music, in the words
Emerson,
PoUEgD on NoRTALs ITS BEAUTIFUL DIsDI
This gallery IS usually lit by fine coloss
steel chandeliers OF gas, but last night CO
cium lights filed the room with silver
splendor. which fell with extraordinal
effect on Oudinot's superb stained-gla
window, directly opposite the grand doc