The herald., 1895-10-13
GARTERS
WORN BY CELEBRATED
WOMEN

An exceedingly interesting collection
was shown at a well-known establishment
on the Boulevard Madelaine week ago,
and 1t attracted continuous crowds during
the entire day and evening. IL was
display OF garters belonging to historical
ladies, and it was interesting for several
reasons-the evidence of lavish expendi-
ture, the ingenuity in devising decorative
m mistakable proof given of the size of ia
nous limbs, or limbs that shared fame
with their owners. The gem of the col
lection was pair of duly authenticated
elastics belonging at one time to Mary
Queen of Scots. The articles were OF
faded red, clasped with a silver buckle of
Etruscan dssign, somewhat the wose for
wear. The owner of the collection added
to the realism of the display by fitting
the garters to artificial limbs of wax,
which, measured by the capacity OF the
garter, were supposed to be as nearly to
the size of the original as guesswork and
some calculation could make them. Up
on this basis the Scottish queen possessed
A pair of almost incredible scope were
credited to Nell Gwynne, and showed
| that young lady to have been particularly
] sturdy. This pair was made OF white
! sheepskin, adorned with small roses
{ stamped IN gold and having gold clasps.
the princess of Wales. indicate painful
slenderness as the inheritance OF that
estimable lady. A pair made of rose
bued satin, sewed with seed pearls, be-
! longed to Sarah Bernhardt, and the dunn
my llmb associated with them suggests
that the attenucslty of the divine Sarah
~ rather more an advertising than a
| physical fact. On this pair is displayed
the warning. rPrenez garde," worked in
silk floss. A curious figure in the collec-
ton was life-siZe reproduction in wax
of French marve;lleuse, those dashing
Parisans who paraded the gardens and
streets attired in transparent robes often
slashed up the sices so as to show the
limb and the gorgeous stockings that
were then fashionable. The garteis ON the
figure were OF rose-colored ribbons at
tached and diamond clasps of considera-
BILE value. On these garters is the folio W.
ing verse, embroidered:
Make your petticoats short,
That hoop eight yards wide
May decently show
How your garters are tied.
A single garter of black silk elastic
| with a swallow shaped clasp belonged to
Taglioni and card attached to it gives
very pretty romance. An Italian noble-
man falling in love with the owner sent
her proposal with the concluding re-
mark: IF you accept give the bearer
one of your garters. She accepted, the
pretty article was sent and now is on ex-
hibition. A pair of bright blue silk in
one piece without clasps belonged to the
famous can-can dancer, La Goulue, with
this in French:
Around the silken knees of ladies fair
A fairy band is placed to keep their
stockings there,
Lest transient gllmpses of ivory skin
Should let bad thoughts of Cupid in.
The bicycle craze has had, among other
curious effects, an influence upon the
dress of the.shop girls of Paris, who have
not the time to ride, but who have
| adopted the bloomer, or knee breeches
| fashion. and may be seen every day mod
estly and lndustriously attending to their
duties In the shops. When evening
comes they may be seen strolling home
with their hands in their trousers pocK-
cts or astride the wooden horses of the
m erry- y-go-rounds on the Boulevard de
Clichy.-Atlanta Constitution.