The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-08-22


| They are among the few far famed pieces
in the world, and it was only with perse-
verance and great expense that the pan
| els were obtained.
| Mrs. Yerkes' boudoir il what one nigh.
cal a symphony in pink" The furni-
| ture is covered with pink gold-snot bro
| cade worth about $500 yard and carries
| out the idea Of the Louis XIV, decora-
tons. Her bathroom is a thing Of beauty
that would be joy forever 10 an ORR
entail queen. The tub itself is Of pink
marble cut from a solid piece, and the
| floor also OF marble in the same tint.
In Mr.. Yerkes' department the bath is
cut out from a solid block of white Car
rara marble. the shower overhead from
| solid block also, with the flooring and
general finish the same material.
There is nothing in this home sug-
| costing what Americans know as a
'snuggery." Everything is on TOO gor-
| geous plan for that. But there is an
| interesting informally about Mr. Yerkes'
| Office in the second floor. AS large,
square, highly polished table in the CEN
ter OF the room is covered with al the
late magazines and papers, the uphol-
Stering is in the finest leather, a few OF
the pictures in which ne is most interest
| ed hang upon the wall and general
air Of everyday comfort pervades the
| place. A dark Turkish rug is thrown
upon the floor, a box Of fragrant cigars
is in evidence and proves tina: NJ.
Yerkes sometimes forgets business and is
merely the genial host. His in;imates
say more delightful conversationalist
and agreeable all around man does not
live. The ballroom will be the scene
Of many a festive gathering. Il runs
along the same Greek form OF decoration.
The floor is inlaid in dark polished aok.
little raised platform for the musicians
al one end.
All of the marble for the interior deco
ration has been selected with unusual
care, some of it costing SIS per cubic
foot before cutting. Quite $1,000 was paid
for the statuary alone. It cost $4,000
to furnish Mrs. Yerkes' suite of rooms.
The theater. which occupies the whole
top floor Of the house, contains finely
equipped stage. the interior planned
somewhat after PATHS famous theater in
her castle al Craig-y-Nos. In this place
also hangs the most famous picture. In
vading Cupid's Realm
Mrs. YerkeS is a thorough lover Of
music and plays very we'll. and as both
she and her husband are devotees of the
divine art, next season will see some
important musical doings at their home.
The japanese room, which occupies the
space just across the hall from the India
room, was entirely designed by Japan
csc artist, who spent some twelve months
in competing it. People in this country
are familiar with the japanese decora-
tons, but what makes this unusually gor-
geous is the amount of gold lacquer work
visible on every piece of furniture. The
bric-a-br2c is Of the finest Satsuma, the
designing generally following out the odd
dragon shape. A magnificent screen with
the story Of the storks specially en-
broidered for Mrs. Yerkes is one of the
handsomest things in the room. The
host seems to have a sort Of love for
the unusal in life, as instanced in the
single piece bath tubs, which is carried
out also in the broad stone steps leading
to the house, hewn from sold rock
Of granite, and which cost ten times the
amoun. paid for even the handsomest
steps formed in the ordinary way.
When one considers that Mrs. Yerkes
designed all the color and finishing Of the
house and has carried it out in every
sense historically correct, one may justly
call il famous piece of work.
At an informal little dinner in New
York which I attended a few weeks
since and where were gathered together
a chosen little coterie OF congenial souls
the remark was made by a gentleman
whose studio is well known in Paris that
there was no flaw in the artistic arrange
ment of the Yerkes house, and as mat
ter Of good taste il was a delight to be-
hold. He has seen everything in this |
country ard in Europe and would make !
the broad assertion that New York was
seldom as fortunate in adding so beauti- |
full home 10 those interesting homes |
she already had.
The arrangements for the servants |
quarters are on par with the elegance /
in every part of the house. The kitch- |
ems are equipped like the lates; bull. |
hotels, while the rooms devoted 70 the /
individual Use Of the house keeper and |
her assistants are quite as handsome as |
those occupied by the mistress OF the av-
erage well-to-do home.
Mrs Yerkes leaves shortly with her
Miss Cook, for Europe. and |
while there vii. be continuously gather
ing in a variety of dainty things to add
10 the Fifth avenue home.