The Tupelo journal., 1907-02-15
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

(Comtesse Marguerite de Cassini, the
brilliant daughter of the former Russian
ambassador to the United States, has had
exceptional advantages of travel and edu-
cation. She speaks and writes with ease
six languages, Chinese being the Ole IN
which, next to Russian, she can converse
most fuently. During a residence of six
years in China she studied under the best
tutors.)
There is little doubt as to the fact
that some taste and probably a good
deal of it, considering the epoch, pre-
sided at the toilet of the golden-halred,
white-shouldered daughters OF the
north as they wrapped themselves up
in bear, wolf and fox skins-those pro-
totypes of our sealskin jackets and
sable cloaks. 1t is true that protec-
ton from the cold was the prime mo-
tive of this covering, yet it is permits
sable to believe that some coquetry OF
a primitive kind formed part OF the
makeup of these bellies.
The resurrection of women's attire
of prehistoric times must be entirely
left to our imagination, as no indica-
tions remain that might show us pal
pably the effect produced. But later,
when civilization dawned upon man
kind, the evolution of woman's dress
can be traced all through the frescoes
of Babylonian palaces, the runic in
scriptions, the pyramids of Egypt, the
e~ternally beautiful temples OF Rome
and Greece, the exquisite statues OF
Tanagra, the medieval tombs in Gothic
cathedrals. The gorgeous apparel OF
the Renaissance period may be fol-
lowed through the works of art of the
great masters, the paintings of Leon
ardo da Vinci, Titan, Velasquez, Rem
brandt, Van Dyck and Rubens; the
sumptuous dress of the great century,
that of the "Roi Soleil," King
Louis XIV, has been immortal
lied by Largilliere, Regnaud and
Nottier; the graceful attire OF
the eighteenth century with its
court shepherdesses in coquettish cos
tune has been painted by Vatican,
Lancret and Pater; it was closely fol-
lowed by the nobleness, s~umptuosity
and simplicity of the empire style,
which is represented in the works OF
Ingres, David and Gerard.
1t may thus be seen that from GEN.
fury to century through art alone has
it been possible to follow the history
of woman's dress, as characteristic OF
the various epochs. The masterpieces
of the great artists have been the only
documents through whose medium 1t
has been possible to form an idea OF
the fashions Of bygone days-and not
of the fashions alone, but also Of the
intimate life Of the dead and gone
beauties-a precious and useful thing,
for it has been instrumental in form
ing the taste and accustoming the eye
to beauty of line and harmony of col.
ors and shades.
Yet, in spite Of a faithful adherance
to the fashions of the period a person
al touch was given by each celebrated
master to his sitter-an individual
touch that must exist in every wom-
ans toilet, howsoever closely she might
desire to copy her model-be it ever
the reproduction of one of the great
painters masterpieces for a masquer-
ade or a costumed hall.
So much the more must this indi-
viduality be asserted when the dress
is copied from fashion plates in which
the design Of woman's anatomy is SO
conventional, and SO to say, untrue,
rbo~a che stands. tall and slender.