Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-30

When Miss Endicott was married to Mr. Joseph
Chamberlain Puritan roses decked her wedding
cake. but it was an English violet she carried
with her roses, while big orchid was dattened
IN his buttonhole.
CosrLINEss OF THE FLOWERS
The most expensive white rose now is the
Baroness Rothschild or the white La France.
orchids are still in the market, but like both Of
these roses, are very high priced. The bride
rose is the popular variety. The old-fashioned
white moss rose is also revived, and there is a
sort OF pathetic beauty about it which is very
taking as a brides flower
In pink roses the La France holds its own
against all corners, and after it the Gabriel
Lulzet. For early spring weddings the bou-
quets were made up of two or three specimen
roses surrounded with white ilacs or snow
balls. At pink rose wedding during the
coming month the bridesmaids are to wear
boas of roses instead of carrying bouquets.
AT many of the entertainments given here
during the past ten years the floral decora-
tons have been prominent feature. Our
| Travelled residents bring back fresh ideas with
| them and the results are carried out in what
seems to many a most extrayagant fashion.
Mrs Whitney used flowers more lavishly at her
entertainments than any one before or since
her time. The costliest roses were used as
| abundantly In the depth of winter as if they
cost pennies and not two or three dollars
| apiece. 1t would be hard to single out one of
her entertainments where the flowers were
more beautiful than another, but if there is any
palm 1t may llnger in the memories of those
who attended Baby Dorothys christening
Mrs. Scott Townsend is another lavish buyer
OF the best In the flower market. Perhaps the
costlest supper she ever gave was the one at
whlch she invited a company to meet Mrs
Langtry after her evening performance. The
flowers cost about $1,000 There were 200
American beanty usat md hay wei re-
failing at q apiece. At a german she gave
last winter she had 1000 violets alone as favOrs,
wheelbarrows full of them with hundreds of
hne roses.
THE FIRST LAVISH DISPLAY HERE
The first lavish house decoration Of late
years, which was almost a revelation to Wash
lngtonians, was at the tea given by the Misses
Davis, who were spending the winter in the
hazen house. At the marriage Of Miss Patten
and Congressman Glover the house
Perbly decorated. When Congressman Flowers
daughter was married, the flower aisle was first
used At Miss Matthews wedding the mantel
and mirror back of where the couple stood to
De married was first used as a basis for decora-
uon A small part OF the mirror showed, the
rest being hidden with maidenhair fern. At the
Edgar-Emory nuptials: at st. Matthews, the
walls were hung with asparagus, the altar rail
hedged with lilies of the valley. and these with
Gala and pond lilies were the only flowers used
on the high altar. This effect was reproduced
and heightened at the marriage at the same
church last winter of Miss Audenried
and Count Divonne. When Miss Caldwell
and Baron Won Zedwitz we're married last June
pond hlles In white, pink and blue were mainly
used. The wedding of Miss Winnie Ream and
Lieut.. Hoxie years ago, the Ascension Church,
was marguerite wedding. The bride herself
made the wedding bell, which suspended
from the arch under which the ceremony took
place The marriage of Miss Mary Wilson and
Lieut.. Davis last June was the prettest mar
guerlte wedding OF later years. That of Miss
Margaret Blaine and Mr.. Damrosch was an
other. The brides name flower was the key
note OF the whole and the white and gold draw
ing room made fitting foundation for it. One
OF the most elaborate decorations was that at
the wedding Of Miss Dorothy Phillips and Mr..
Hilton. The costliest roses were used in the
greatest profusion and taste, and nearly the en-
tire walls Of the house were trellised in green
ard studded with roses. Another tasteful
decoration was at the wedding of Mr.. and Mrs
faul Andrews last winter, when a palm avenue
leo up to where the ceremony took place.
FLORAL DECORATIONS FORTY YEARS AGO.
Those whose recollectiors go back over the
last thirty or forty years say that while the
taste for flowers is universal and INDUCED in
by both rich and poor, it is also true that
those who can afford the most lavish pro-
fusion of rare and costly blossoms the whole
year round do not spend any more money pro-
portionately than did their predecessors in
the social armament that many years back
Now you can get much more beautiful results
from outlay of the same amount The
progress in floral art, and especially as applied
10 house decoration. is something marvellous.
In a recent talk with the veteran florist, Mr.
John Small, ST., STAR reporter was led. as if
through the maZes of an old-fashioned garden
back throug h many of the prominent events of
nearly a half century, In which noted people
and their fondness for flowers were features of
the high life of the day.
MIR. small started in business here about 1855
He says it a couple of years later than
that before anything approaching the present
wire frames for set designs came into general
use The first set piece he ever made was a
cross for the coffin of a priest. Mr.. VIM.
Matthews gave the order and it was a work re-
quiring great skill in those days. First OF all
MIR. Small got the carpenter, John McQuillan
to make a wooden cross three feet long to fit
the coffin top. The coffin lid was raised in the
center and the cross had a deep dent under it
SO that when finished 1t would seem to Law fat
Then moss was tackled thickly together all over
the wood and In this ground work roses. prim-
roses and camelias were set thickly together
How to finish up the raised edge in the middle
was another problem. Finally stacks of white
hyaclnths were set on pins stuck along this and
the outer edges, making very neat finish. The
cross was greatly admired, for, as Mr.. Small
naively remarks, nothing like it had ever been
seen before.
In 1859, when Lord Lyons, the English min
lister, would decorate his house. he used artifi-
cial flowers, but at this period fashion ordained
that nature should replace art and he was among
the first of the notables to use real flowers pro-
fusely- For his dinner parties he had a tall
candelabra, which used to stand on a mirror
In the center of the candelabra was one tall
vase for flowers and two smaller ones The
flowers used were azaleas, primrOses and roses
set among begonia leaves. This floral arrange
ment used to cost about SIS and Lord LYONS
did not vary it. except once when he dined the
Prince of Wales, who Was then President Bu-
chanans guest, and his hostess, Miss Harriet
Lane. VINO accompanied the prince. Some of
the attaches of the legation got bouquets for
that ball and paid about S5 apiece for them
They were generally of camelias and violets'
THE FIRST KETTLEDRUM.
In 81 or 80 Mr.. Small says he rented Mr..
and Mrs. Pendleton some plants, with which
they decked up their house on Congress street
in Georgetown and gave the first kettledrum
ever given in this city. The plants some ten
or twelve of them altogether were blooming
azaleas and camelias, both high favorites all
through this period. The plants earned for
their owner that day So or IS, and as it was the
Iirst time that flowers were rented out for house
decoration II was the sensation OF the day.
When the high joint commission was here
thew gave dinners once or twice week, when
the flowers would cost about ESQ. The favorite
decoration was a serpentiue border all around
the table. The foundation was wire frames in