A Carnival ball in Paris.
The most brilliant ball of the Carnival at
Paris was that of
Madame Chasselloup Loubat, wife of the
Minister of Marine.
The
Paris letter writers of the New York press give long accounts of it, and, of course, give a prominent place to the New York shoddy that was present.
From one of these letters we take the following, which will more particularly interest our lady readers:
The mistress of the house was dressed as Lalla Rookh, in a rich
Oriental dress, with a light veil covering her whole person.
Two
Russian princesses appeared as the
Queen of
Sheba and the Aurora Borealis--costumes most remarkable for their elaborateness and richness.
The
Queen of
Sheba's dress was composed of three skirts, the lower one lilac, the second scarlet, and the upper one of white silk; the upper and lower ones were trimmed with a row of peacock's feathers, while the scarlet one was surrounded by black down; the corsage was open nearly to the waist, and without sleeves — a sort of vest, with long sleeves, made of gold straps, united by bands of peacock's feathers, half concealing, half disclosing, the outline of the bust, was worn over the semblance of a corsage.
A marvelous diadem of diamonds and peacock's feathers formed the
head dress.
The "
Aurora Borealis" was in a pink and blue- tinted gauze, covered with a thin material, all studded with stars.--This princess owns a celebrated diamond known as the "North Star," which she wore in the centre of a splendid constellation in the hair.
The ball was opened by the appearance of eighteen young ladies, headed by
Mademoiselle de Lesseps, dressed as Marine Cadets, in short blue tunics, trowsers and little caps, and accoutered with little guns.
They marched in to the sound of the trumpet, and went through with mimic evolutions.
A Cochin Chinese procession, in the middle of the evening, afforded a great deal of amusement.
Fifty gentlemen, attired in the most correct costume, came in to the sound of a gong, as an escort to a
Cochin China princess, borne in state on a genuine
Chinese palanquin.
The Princess Metternich was dressed as the wife of an Arab chief, with a long heavy veil of silver tissue, and was accompanied by a suite of Arab attendants.
The Princess Clotilde wore a white domino, and had her hair powdered
enmarquise. A scarlet domino (
incognito strictly respected) was recognized as the
Empress.
The Emperor wore a black domino, and was full of spirit and gaiety.
His Majesty conversed for a long time with an American marquise, all in white — the same lady whose beauty and elegance were remarked upon at the ball at the Tuileries.
Mrs. S — and Mr. and
Mrs. Bigelow assisted at the
fete. Mr. Bigelow, in a Venetian mantle of purple silk, turned up with red;
Mrs. Bigelow as
Ellen Douglas, in "The Lady of the
Lake"--a very becoming Scotch costume, of rather more fragile materials than those worn by
Scott's heroine in her romantic excursions.
It was composed of short petticoats of muslin, with narrow quilled ruffles forming a border to a tartan plaid skirt; the Highland scarf, attached at the shoulder with a large brooch, and falling on the opposite side; a Scotch cap, with an eagle plume.
A gilded car, carried in the hand, gave a picturesque character to this pleasing national costume.
Among the other
Americans present were
Mr. and
Mrs. M — r, and
Mrs. R — s.
Mr. M., like
Mr. B., wore the stately
Venetian mantle, a dress adopted by many of the most grave seigneurs of the
Court on such occasions.
Mrs. M — er wore a white domino, and
Mrs. R. a blue one.
Mrs. R — s, of New York, was a marquise of the Louis XV.
style; white dress, with green silk tunic; hair worn very high and powdered.
Miss J — p, of
Washington, personated "Folly"; a very rich dress of yellow and scarlet, gotten up regardless of expense, but not at all becoming.
Miss J. is a very handsome woman, and required a personification of a higher type than the one selected by her.
Mrs. St.
J. E — k, of New York, was dressed as a "Fairy of the Stars," all in gauze and diamonds: a very pretty conceit, and very much admired.
Several of the New York and
Boston moneyed aristocracy have had a certain success in French society this winter.--Handsome women, perfectly well dressed by the most noted artistes, and very pretentious, they are naturally very attractive to a class to be found in all
European Courts — that class which considers a rich marriage out of its sphere but one means "
de mettre du fumier sur leurs terres.
" These dashing belles and their haughty chaperones are infinitely more fastidious (in their way) in the choice of their society than the
Faubourg St. Germain itself; and a mere looker-on can find goodly store of amusement, rather mingled with sadness, in watching their game.
Republicans from
America!
God save the mark!
But, in fact, the real success of the Parisian season among American belles must be granted to
Miss P — n, from t'other side of
the Alleghanies — a charming young girl, highly cultivated, and with perfectly unaffected manners; the simplicity of the child united with the dignity of the woman.
In my hasty letter of yesterday, I omitted to mention
Miss P — n as the representative from
Ohio at
Mrs. Richards's delightful ball.
Her dress, on this occasion, was more admired than any other in the room.
It was of very pale blue silk, a long skirt with a flounce, a tunic, in several sections, united by lace bands — the whole trimmed in the purest style with flat pearl beads; a narrow ribbon of exactly the same shade, dotted with pearls, tied around the neck, with long floating ends; three rows of the same ribbon, with pearls, in her hair, which was dressed with light curls.
During Lent, a succession of brilliant concerts will be given at the Tuileries and at the
Hotel de Ville.
In fact, there is no real cessation of entertainments during the Lenten season, except among very devout
Catholics.
The
beau monde continues its gay career until Holy Week, when a general feeling of remorse and penitence seizes upon it, and it cries "dust and ashes" for a whole week, recommencing with
Easter Monday the distractions essential to its very existence.--American society has all winter had no
salon of reunion to replace that in which
Mrs. Dayton welcomed her guests with so much distinction and kindness, and which will always be remembered as the most agreeable
soirees ever given at the
American Legation in
Paris.
Mrs. Bigelow has just resumed her grand Wednesday evening receptions, discontinued during the gay season, her little Sunday evening receptions being of an intimate rather than of an official character.
