The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-09

ana pictures by the great masters, glanced
through her ar treasures for illustrations
OF her meaning. Here is a nude Venus
by Titian-as much as one can endure ID
spite Of its beauty. 'L'Amour ct Psyche,
Dy Canoya-what an exquisite work! But
L should not want to see IL as living
picture. Here is an Amazon that dates
from the best period of Greek art. Ihere
is considerable drapery about it. too, but
not enough to make a nineteenth century
woman look perfectly at her ease IL she
impersonated the statue. The Greeks mad
an uncon seriousness that we have lost to-
day. Ii is the consciousness that makes
yulgarlty, and think woman In very
decollete dress is the most inartlstlc ana
vulgar spectacle that one can well find.
With regard to living pictures Miss
Hamlln considered that they could be
made beautiful and artistic by copying
renaissance and modern painters ana
keeping strictly to subjects that could give
rise tC no self-consciousness on the part OF
the models.
Mrs. w. l.. Dickinson, when asked her
views upon the subject said promptly Il
think they were both right, the Women's
Christian Temperance Union in objecting
Grannis in what sbs said about the society
women's dress. Really. the way some
fashionable women appear in the evening
is painful to behold. As for living pic
lures. have never seen any, and have to
judge them by the descriptions L have
heard and read.
There is 10 doubt about the decollete
gowns, though" con tinaed Mrs. Dickin-
son. refiectively "Some of them are
enough to make one blush. [ think the
worst have ever seen were at official re-
captions in Washington.
1T always seems to ME sort OF an omaly
to see beautiful women, and believe per-
fectly virtuous women, perfectly at their
ease IN gowns which-well, should he
very sorry to see my daughter wearing.
Custom must have good deal to do with
how one feels in an exaggerated form of
low neck and bare arms.
with regard to the living pictures, 1t
seems pity that managers should choose
subjects where the models are not dressed
properly, for the sake of making a sensa-
ton. In my opinion. however. they are
no worse than the very decollete gowns Of
which Mrs. Granniss complains"
IF really say what | think 1t must be
under the oath of secrecy not to have my
name revealed" said one society woman,
after hesitating whether to speak her mind
or not. "Why?" abe continued, in sur
prise that the question should be asked.
because if my friends knew it was | who
had said it they would think at once that
meant to be personal.
I'm my opinion, then, Mrs. Grannis was
women-only some, remember-who make
worse exhibitions of themselves than liv-
ing pictures. I have seen them in New
York and London. and alas! l have seen
them in San Francisco, too. only here it is
at balls and not in the theater. Why, /
remember two" Here the society
woman left off abruptly and glanced rouni
as if she expected the walls to fall and
crush her. mo; dare not say at what
ball / saw those very decollete women,
for my name might be given, and that
would lead to guessing among my friends.
and the consequence no woman. or man,
either, could foretell.
II won't talk about San Francisco,
where the best of US are fond OF exagger-
ating everything little. will talk about
decollete London. 1t is the greeDgrocer' s
and candlesmith's wives who do it to
exaggeration there. 1 remember one
woman at the theater in pale green silk.
She had her dress cut down evenly and
she wore wreath of roses-which she
sadly needed az garment. The worst OF
it is that the faces of those women who go
about like unclad savages are so red and
coarse, and they are so apt to be women OF
a certain age Now [ think when one has
grown-up children it is time to wear high
gowns. [ often wonder what the men
think of it. DO not believe they admire
the very decollete STYLE"
Then the speaker laughed and concluded
"Any one who reads what l have said
would imagine [ was horrid, scraggy
old thing who spoke out of jealousy, but
the fact is there is no such feeling at all, ,
and the amused smile with which this was
said proved that the speaker knew she
was far from having arrived at the stage
when the green-eyed monster could &C
| count for her decrying decollete gowns.