Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-09-29
AT THE WORLD'SFAI
Mrs Frank Leslie Describes Some Of
the Exhibits Which Are
OF GREAT INTEREST TO WOMEN.
Works Of Art in Laces, Fans, Fur and
EmbrOideries.
A VERY CUTE COMBINATION DRESS

Of 1867 and 1873 exhibitors were permitted
to sell their wares No such permission na'
been granted on this occasion except TO th'
Arab and other vendors OF Oriental trlhkets
1t is stated that the decision o. the E1nlhl
ton Commissioners to prevent exhlbltor'
from selling their wares is due to represen
tations rom the Paris trades people, that i
would be unjust to expose them to competi
lion bv foreigners who pay no customs du
ties. The exception in favor Oriental
products is made on the ground that those
exhibitors who come from Japan, the Ar.
gentine Republic, China, Egypt, AMMAN,
Cambogia, and other distant lands, have
incurred expenses so heavy that it would
be unjust not TO allow them to try and gel
back part OF their outlay. Indeed, it ap.
pears than the prospect offered them by the
French Government OF dispoSIng their
products in Paris was the only inducemeuI
that persuaded them to come TO the Exhl,
bition.
And yet, strange as il nav sound, prob
ably there is more shopping done at the
Universal Exposition than anywhere else in
Paris at the present moment. Go where you
will, there is scarcely an object to he seen in
the galleries that is Iree from ticket bear
ing the word ''sold," or sold four times
over" This latter phrase of course means
that copies of the article exhibited have
been ordered BY lOur different parties.
SMART FRENCH sALESwoMEN.
In front of most of the exhibits in this
gallery a Young lady is seated, whose only
business is to answer questions and to hand
to passers-by a card ol the house she repre-
sents. You cannot help pricing some o.
the rare articles on show, and, if you once
get into conversation with any OF these
Young maidens, who are the most capable
and alert of women to be found in any OF
the shops OF the French capital. you are
soon persuaded to put your pane down Tor
something on their list of customers
In the ladies' dress department there are
some exceedingly pretty costumes. One,
for instance, is white satin soIree gown,
embroidered in gold down the front, and
trimmed, at the bottom edge, all round with
ostrich feathers. 1t is lovely sample of
that purely French style OF dress-light,
elegant, not over gorgeous nor, in fact, over
expensive; the person in charge told me the
price was $500.
Another o. these evening dresses is in sky
blue velvet and pale blue satin. The velvet
train is met at the sides BY the underskirt in
satin, which at the waist forms two large
puffs, meeting behind over the train. The
skirt 'front.' is bordered with two bands of
white lace, put on perfectly fat. The cor
sage is OF velvet trimmed with lace. The
peculiar beauty oil this dress is to be found
in the exquisite color and fine quality OF the
velvet, which is OF the most beautiful shade
oI azure.
A reception dress in cream white silk,
figured with hounces in their natural hues,
has the tunic looped high in the Louis XVI.
style over an underskirt of white satin, COW
cred with a wide founce of white lace
which is headed just below the draping of
the tunic in front with rosettes In wide moss
green moire ribbon.
LACE FIT FOR FAIRIES.
Here, among other wonders, are to be seen
some magnificent gauZy webs such as may
be found at times in pictures byold painters.
but seldom elsewhere. There is a window
curtain with raised flowers in the Arab
style; and a Moorish door curtain worked
in gold thread with the needle, from Spanish
documents of the fourteenth century, both
OF which must be priceless. In another ex-
hibit of the same master-maker is a we'd
q
ing OF the seventeenth century a dainty
folding screen of the same valuable material
in the style of Louis XIV; aud a parasol
ornamentef with hand-worked gimp alter
the style prevalent in the older days of
Louis XIV, which compel exclamations of
admiration from all who see them. | priced
one of these objects Of beauty-the screen.
1t was 10 be had ior $500, and it was cheap
at that. Some OF the fabrics are so delicate
that they seem almost as evanescent as the
wing OF a butterfly, that rude wind would
destroy.
In the central nave is a large case con-
tanning a superb collection of brocades.
manufactured in Lyons Tor various Partisan
houses. 1t would he impossible to speak too
highly OF the artistic beauty and perfection
Of must OF these samples. The fame OF the
Lyons silk manufacturers is worldwide,
and 1t needs competitor of some courage to
enter the held ag inst them. Possibly the
last place in the world from which such
competition would have been expected is |
poor, despised Spitalfelds, the ancient silk |
weaving industry OF which place has notori- |
ously been languishing for years past Yet |
it is fact that the SpitalIelds hand-loom |
weavers have sent to the Exposition some
splendid samples of brocades which will |
cause the most expert manufacturers in Tor |
eign countries to look to their laurels. |
Among them is piece in the Louis XVI. |
style, with a white satin ground and a |
hgure in relief worked in ten colors, a rros
grain texture appearing in the riband.
HISTORICAL FANS.
In France the fan has long been Of his
torlcal interest. Several that belonped Tn
Nine. de Pompadonr are still preserved: |
one, OF the choicest lace, took nine wears to
make, and was purchased at the cost of
$50, GOO. The ivory fan presented by the
city OF Dieppe to the unhappy Marie An.
toinette on the birth of the dauphip is sill
in existence. The various artisans and oen-
eral dealers objected to the fact that fan.
making should he regarded as an art distinct |
in itsei, as that would have prevented them
from manufacturing the article.
Nowadays NJ. Erette, OF the old Alexan-
der hrm IN Pars, is looked upon as one of
the best lawmakers, and bis exhibits al the
Exposition may be said to bear away the
bell His samples include water colors
from the artistic brushes of NM. de Bean
mont, Maurice Le-oir, +. de Cuvillon,
A mes. Louise Abbema and Madeleine Le-
maire. They are certainly among the
sweetest objects to attract the attention ot
amateurs. There is one gem OF the colIec.
ton in lace, with an amber tortoise shell
handle, which is worth 5000. Leloir's mas
teriul hand in this peculiar class of work is
at Sl,520. The art OF faumakinp
has attaiued such prestige in France that
the leading artists do not consider il beneath
their notice, ana paint a satin ian with the
same ease and attention to detail that they
would devote to a more ambitious subject
RUSSIAN sABLEs.
Messrs Reyillon Brothers have a UNIQUE
how in the central nave. 1t includes some
Deautiiul samples Of the Russian sable-the
most aristocratic Of the different varieties of
ur-one skin alone being worth sl40.
bouvh itS standar I'd ,,,l,. - Il.