Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-26
OFFICIAL COSTUMES.
Something About the Court Dress Of Diff
ferent Couniries-New German Attire.

Something About the Court Dress Of Diff
ferent Couniries-New German Attire.
The young German Emperor is resolved
not only that his realm shall be unrivaled
in military prowess, says the Youths Com
pGnion, but that his court shall be SNOWY
and brilliant. He has just made decree
commanding that new court costume shall
be adopted, or rather, an old one revived.
And this costume is to be worn by the per-
sonages of his court for the first time on
the occasion of the visit of the Gar to Ber-
lin.
The attire to be adopted is taken from
that worn on the occasion of the coronation
of the first King OF Prussia, Frederick the
First, in 1701. Its main features are knee
breeches, a three-cornered hat, silk stock
ings, buckled shoes, a sword, and a periwig.
Some of the great officials of state will,
moreover, wear velvet tunics under flowing
tunics, and their hats will be adorned with
long, swaying ostrich feathers.
The contrast between these gorgeous cos
tunes worn at the court of the first Freder-
ick, and the dress in which his successor,
the greatest of Prnssian Kings, always ap-
peared, is amusing.
Carlyle describes Frederick the Great as
wearing .no crown, but an old military
cooked hat; no scepter, except a walking
stick cut from the woods, and for royal
robes a mere soldiers blue coat, with red
facings, and with a good deal of Spanish
snuff on the breast of it, and high, over
knee, military boots, brushed and oiled, but
not permitted to be blackened or vanished.
At the same time that the old royal cos
tunes are adopted in Berlin, much SIM
pier costume is worn by the French Sena-
tors, sitting as High Court of Justice on
the trial of General Boulanger. These APP
pear in their places, not in the robes and
quaint, high, square hats worn SbY French
Judges, but in what is known the world
over as "evening DRESS" That is, they
wear dress coats, black waistcoats and
trousers and white ties.
The French Republic has deemed it best
to discard the ostentation and show of roy
atty, and has carried the simplicity which
is thought to be republican into social mat
ters, and thus into the habits of attire.
Under the monarchy and the empires, the
Senators of France had distinct and bril-
liant costumes. The Senators of the first
empire wore gaudily embroidered coats and
waistcoats, powdered heads, pigtails and
silk stockings, while those of the restored
monarchy appeared in blue velvet doublets,
plumed hats, and shoes ornamented with
rosettes.
While England has been growing, in the
march of years, more democratic in politics,
and even in costumes, the costumes worn at
the court of Victoria and by British officials
have remained pretty much unchanged.
1t is still necessary for gentlemen who are
presented to the Queen to wear short clothes
and sword, and ladies must appear before
the sovereign in full evening attire.
The Judges and barristers of the courts of
justice still wear wigs and gowns The
bishops always appear in the House of
Lords in white robes and lawn sleeves,
while on the street they wear a distinctive
dress, always of black, with knee breeehes
and 'sshovel" hats. 1t may probably be
said with truth that every official in En-
gland, national or local, has solne distinction
of dress pertaining to his Office,
In this country the official costumes are
very few. OF cur national officials, only
the Judges of the United States Supreme
Court wear any distinctive costume, and
that is plain, long silk robe. The Presi-
dent has none whatever.
1t is a law that no American Minister or
Consul abroad shall wear any unusual dress,
except that those who have held rank in the
army may appear in military dress.