The Portland daily press., 1896-05-02
MRS. PEARY's FURs.
Said to Be the Finest Collection in ths
World.

In the home of Mrs. Robert E. Peary,
on Brooklyn Heights, is what is said to
be the largest and finest collection of furs
and skins of Arctic animals and birds in
the possession of any single individual in
the world.
q II their former owners were in the flesh
Mrs. Peary would have menagerie
which any Snowman would be eager to
purchase, for it would make him the pos
SCISSOR of a unique collection. The value
of these curios is not to be told in figures.
and to the owner they represent months
during which she underwent an expert
ence such as no other woman of this
days civilization can boast
Lying upon the floor of the parlor is
the white coat and fierce head of great
polar bear, with which Mr.. Peary and
several of his companions had fierce
conflict before death finally came to their
aid. Then there are three tiny skins as
white as the snow that fell in Brooklyn
few weeks ago.
These once covered the bodies of the
family of the great animal that lies ex-
tended upon the floor. 1t was hard bat
tie she fought for these babies, but vain
one. There are two other hugo skins in
| the polar bear department. of this silent
menagerie. Each of the large ones is
valued at $3.50. AS for the baby SKINS
they are SO rare in the civilized world
that no price, SO far as is known, has
| ever been placed upon them.
Three hundred specimens1of the outer
coverings of Arctic beasts and birds, al
together, ARE housed in Mrs Peary's
| home. Among them are skins of the
reindeer. blue and whits fox, hair seal,
| baby seal, rabbit, musk OK and polar
bear, and beautiful specimens of the
pumage of the elder duck and loon. Be-
sides these are skins of three Eskimo
dogs. Perhaps the casual visitor ex-
amining Mrs. Peary's possessions, might
pass these skins oyer lightly. Not SO
with the Pearys, for they are the skins OF
the dogs who pulled the sledges of the
Peary party hundreds of miles through
drifting snow and in the face of fierce
winds that would surely have brought
death to the vanturesome explorers but
for the faithfulness and hardness of these
same animals.
Rare indeed are the blue and white fox
skins which Mrs. Peary possesses. OF all
shrewdest, and, for that reason, the most
difficult to capture Only small
amount Of fur from the back of each ami
NAL can be used, and thus O garment
made OF this fur is exceedingly valuable.
Ten of these skins have been made up
into collar, boa and muff, and $500 has
been offered for these three articles alone
The winter cloak of the little girl who
came to Mr.. and Mrs. Peary during
their sojourn in the Arctic is made from
the skins of Arctic rabbits, and there is
none other in the United States or any
where else below the Arctic circle. 1t is
so soft and warm that tho youngstar may
venture out in the coolest weather and
laugh at chill and frost. They are well
mated, this cloak and child. The first is
alone of it's kind in white civilization.
The second is the only white chila known
to have been born IN the latitude where
the skins were procured.
The feature of the collection which Mrs.
Peary prizes most for it's beauty is three
eiderdown quilts. each composed of the
skins of 100 elder ducks Each quilt is of
sufficient size to cover large double bed.
IN appearance they are beautiful in the
/ extreme; the tops are snow white.
Below the color changes to a soft and
very liRnt slate, and gradually grows
darker until at the bottom it resembles
IN appearance the breast of dove. All
through the quilts there are CLEANS of
| white, seemingly woven with no particu-
lar system, but a more careful eXamina-
tiol. shows that the entire fabric gives
general impression of series Of ores-
cents. The down used for the body of
the quilts is from the breast of the ducks.
A border four inches deep is formed of
the plumage of the head, and embles
nothing more than b combination, of
peacock feathers Of the softest and most
beautiful variety. Each quilt is edged
with slaUe oolored down, land the whole
forms charming com bination.
In the United States the plumage of
the loon is not considered of any particu-
lar utility, but up in the Arctic the looms
are of different sort At recent recep-
ton in Brooklyn Mrs. Penry wore cane
made of $50 loon skins, and of all the
rich and valuable wraps carried by other
women in attendance, there was none SO
admired, none so valuable This is an
other article which no woman but Mrs
Peary possesses. Mrs. Peary's dress on
the sauna occasion was of hair seal fur,
trimmed with the fur of the blue fox.
The train consisted entirely of the tails
and fippers of seals.