The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-06-26
Estelle Clayton Plays a Barefooted
Role.

Clara Belle:-The actresses have
broken out upon us in Easter fashion,
and, as some of them are the best exem.
plars we have of the latest styles in dress,
] deem it proper to make a note of them.
BY long odds the most remarkable is
Estelle Clayton, who comes forward as
a star at Union Square Theater, New
York. She appears as the heroine of a
drama made out of one of Ouida's novels.
She is a rustic maiden at the outset,
clothed in simplicity-that is to say, in
garb of INDECENT ~peasantry. Then she
goes to Paris for the ostensible dramatic
purpose of having some adventures in
love and mRtrimony, but really TO wear
finer and finer costums, until she is at
length disclosed as a most ~gorgeously
arrayed belle. This costume had a cor.
sage and train of white poult de sole,
lined with faille and trimmed with pills.
ses of tulle, adorned with clusters OF
natural lilies of the valley. Bouquets
of the same flowers fastened the jupe
draperies of tulle over faille. The long
tulle veil, falling over bare shoulders,
was fastened to the hat with a diamond
and sapphire crescent, and the head
dress was completed by ostrich plums.
Pearls clasped the neck, and a diamond
and sapphire cross glistened on the
corsage.
In order to impress my readers with
the height of the rise in wardrobe which
this heroine portrays, permit me to say
that in the first scene she had neither
shoes nor stockings. There is entire
realism in the impersonation at this
point. Miss Clayton does not draw Oh
a snug pair of ~fesh-colored hose, with
neatly separated toes, and bits of moth.
er-of-pearl to represent the nails. There
is positively no deception. I sat only
three rows from the front, and my ope.
ra-glasses are like telescopes fol
strength. The feet were absolutely
bare, and so were the ankles-yea,
clear to the beginning of the calves, al
was shown when she reclined on Q
messy bank of green boards. A won.
drous beauty is Miss Clayton, / confess.
with regular features, a sweet mouth
and glorious eyes. Her physical per-
lection extended to the tips of her toes,
too. The feet were in size proportional
to her entire bulk, their shape
was simply ideal, and the closest
scrutiny did o reveal the suggestion Of g
corn or the shadow of a bunion. The
commonness of pedal deformity, caused
by tight or ill-fitting shoes. has not in
volved the Clayton feet. They do not
seem to have ever been restrained by
snug inclosure; and at the same time
their apparent texture is so fine that, il
anybody supposes she has grown up
b~arefooted, it is a mistake. There
have been no seasons Of sunburn on
those delicate feet; those toes have
never been stone bruised by running
on country roads; the refinement of Sc
clusion-that nun-like existence which
the feet of civilization follow all their
lives-is evident at a glance. Do !
Judge that Miss Clayton is proud OF
her feet, and forces an occasion to ex-
hibit them? OF course not. She feels
that a full dramatic delineation of a
bellies progress in fashion from the
state of a peasant to that of a Partisan
queen requires that she should set out
b~arefoote1, and she would do it if her
feet we're swell jointed, her toes corn
defaced and her ankles thick. Did ]
hear the echo Of a laugh?
HrZH Ho