At 19:03 05/02/2008, you wrote:
My brother sent me a question about fashion in 1867 - specifically
regarding a ball in Washington DC. Do any of you have any idea why
an 1867 woman would powder her hair or wear a blue ribbon around her neck?
Here is the original quote. It's taken from the letters of John
Hay. He was Abraham Lincoln's private secretary all during the
Lincoln administration and then got sent to France as a diplomatic
attache during the Johnson administration. He wrote about the ball
in DC in February 1867 when he'd just returned from Paris.
begin quote:
"February 11. Mrs. Sprague gave a beautiful ball. The ladies who
danced the Cotillon, and many who did not, had their hair powdered a
la marquise. I have never seen so beautiful and picturesque a
roomful. Some of the most striking were the Hostess herself (with
whom I danced), the Hoyts, Miss Romain Goddard, Miss Haggerty, and
Mrs. Banks, who was very correctly dressed, even to the extend of the
blue ribbon around the neck, a little refinement in which she was
alone -- Miss Kinzie, a fresh Western beauty and a superb danseuse.
Mrs. Sumner and Miss Hooper, though not powdered, were beautifully
dressed."
:end quote
I have my theories but I don't want to influence any of your answers
as they are just theories.
The Empress Eugenie was painted in 18th century dress by Franz Xavier
Winterhalter, in the 1850's. It's a lot later, but could it be this
kind of clothing do you think? The 18th century was very popular at that time.
http://tinyurl.com/34tyx6
Suzi
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