The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-09-29
victoria House in jackson Park.

AS each State has erected building
for itself, SO also have the foreign govern
ments, to be used as headquarters for
the commissioners and official dignitaries,
as well as to exhibit many of the beau"
tiful and useful things from those coun-
cries. In general the buildings follow
the architecture of the country they
represent, many of them being very
elaborate and beautiful, and every one
of them full of interest. England's
Victoria house is, perhaps, as rich in de-
tail as any, and rather more exclusive, as
an inspection is only permitted upon
presentation of card from the British
commissioner. A genuine London
Bobby both in uniform and accent,
stands guard outside, and very politely
tells the visitor how the English police
protects the people without weapon of
any kind, not even club He is fine
specimen of youthful manhood, all of
the London police being young men.
The house itself is intended to repre-
sent typical example of an old English
half tim bered manor house of the 10Th
century, in Queen Elizabeth S time. The
plaster ceiling of the grand hall is copied
from ceiling in a palace locally known
as Queen Elizabeth's, in Plas Mawr,
North Wales. The ceiling over the grand
staircase is taken from &e design in
Haddon Hail. Derbyshire, q section well
known to Americans who have Travelled
in Europe. Immediately on entering the
visitor sees a magnificent cassone, or
chest, with wondrous carvings, portray
ing the departure of Columbus from
Spain. 1t is a reproduction of aisimilar
Golfer in the royal palace at Naples. The
remainder of the settees, chairs and
tables are designed on similar ancient
lines, some of the carvings being copies
from examples taken from the furniture
of the Medici family in the Pitt palace
in Florence. AS we pass into the library
we see it is entirely fitted out in choicest
oak, the ribbed ceiling being of geomet-
rical form, with bookcases extending
from the floor to the ceiling. The cell
ing of the dining room just beyond is a
reproduction of the famous one in Cam
den House, Remington, while the richly
EN- bossed leathern wall paper is fram
special pattern in the ball room OF she
Prince of Wales's country residence at
Sandringham. Real hand made Axminis-
ter carpets cover the floors of the princl-
pal rooms, and the whole house is taste
fully ornamented with dog stoves and
fireplace fittings, CRATES and over man
tells, floor mats, etc. Immediately OPP
posite the fireplace in the reception room
IS magnificent painting by celebrated
English artist, showing a garden party
presided over by Queen Victoria Be-
tweea two and three hundred persons
are in the picture, every face being dis
tinguishable to wonderful degree, and
representing the royalty and nobility of
England The diversified examples of
beautiful furniture and ceilings !, to-
gether with the manifest richness of every
thing within Victoria house, furnish
worthy evidence of English artistic APP
preciat1veness and skill. The very ex-
clusiveness of this beautiful exhibit
makes the visitor all the more anxious
to get glimpse inside From the INDIE
pendent's Chicago Correspondence.