The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-30
HER POSTAGE STAMP COSTUME
Thirty Thousand stamps OF Various
Kinds Used in Making II.

From the Baltimore Sun.
II used about 10000 cancelled post
age stamps in making my dress, and
would not make another like 1t for
$780," said Miss Antoinette warlitz
yesterday. She was the winner Of the
first prize at the Harmonic masked
ball.
The idea of the postage stamp dress
was suggested to Miss Warlitz by a
friend who had seen one at a masked
ball in Vienna. Miss Wariitz thought
II worth repeating, and appealed to her
friends for aid in collecting stamps
stamps of all countries-United States
ordinary stamps, revenue or special de-
livery, Spanish, French. Swiss, Italian.
Dutcn,~ German, even Chinese-any old
thing was acceptable, just so 1t was a
stamp. A few of the 10000 were bought
from stamp collectors. The most val
liable so far as face value goes, were
| a lucent United States stamp and
| 25-cent Mexican one, but some OF the
| foreign stamps were quite rare and
| could not be replaced for anything like
| their face value.
Five weeks were spent in stamp col
| lecting and three in making the dress,
which consisted of a short, full skirt
and round waist with long, full sleeves
The foundation of the dress was mus
| lin. On this the stamps were pasted
and not an inch of the muslin was left
uncovered The skirt was cut by cir
cular pattern, and after 1t was fitted
the design on the front was drawn up
| on IL in pencil. Every detail of the de-
sign was carried out accurately.
In the centre of the front breadth
was an eagle, made of brown Column
bian stamps. Suspended from the tai
ons was a globe made of very old two
cent blue revenue stamps, the merid-
ians being outlined by the narrow
| title borders cut from Columbian
| stamps. On either side the globe was
an American flag, the stripes of blue
one-cent stamps and red two-cen'
stamps the stars of the blue stamps.
Except where 1t was taken up by
the design the skirt was striped-not
up and down, but around. 1t was fin
ished at the bottom by border OF
brown Columbian stamps, 100 in num-
Der. Above this were three rows OF
the red two-cent stamps, then another
row of the Columbian, then more oi
the red and so on TO the top.
Blue instead of brown Columbian
stamps were used in one of the rows
in another the large green medallion'
cut out of the stamped envelopes. and
in another a series of stamps of al
values, from up to Is cents.
The foreign stamps were pasted or
the bodice in the form of a shield, th'
centre Of which was made up Of por
traits of Washington cut from revenue
stamps. The full sleeves were made o
blue and red stamps and were finished
at the hand with a cuff of foreign
stamps.
The bodice was fastened in the back
and after it was on strip of stamp
|; had to be pasted on to hide the fasten
ings.
, A large Leghorn hat covered entirel.
with red and blue stamps was worl
with the costume, and pink mask, ant
q round fan covered with red stamps
, was carried. over the shoulder wa
slung a tiny red mail box, with tn
letter U. S. M. in gilt on it.
The wearer of this unique costum
is daughter of DR.. Gustav Warlit7
OF 81 North High street. Miss Warlit
, has big brown eyes and dark hair, bu
to complete her disguise she wore
blonde wig and even her best friend
were amazed when she unmasked
Miss Warlitzs mother and siste
helped her to make the dress, but tn
plan was kept close secret, and when
ever visitors would come in the dres
would be hustled out of sight. Afte
everything was finished it seemed a
:: though the trouble had been for moth
,, , ing, for the paste used had stiffene
: the skirt so that it stood out like
: balloon. A kindly disposed rainy da
took out the superiuous stiffness, how
ever, and reduced the refractory gov
to somethink like submission.