The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 7, 1904, Page 10

rnishings Louls XV and XVI are by far the most the most costly and and just at pres- pear to be the most 1 wonder. There is grotesque abou r XIV all the queer tesque were eliminated and ful that was really intiest ’ tast mous men were born, re to the point, their ecognized under the and the decora- vas boomed to such an ex- has lasted through all the g vears and is just as strong t wes ng was elaborate, exquisite- and costly, for the history was a history of luxury, XV prodigality of his people was the character of the fur- i decorations. All were avagant and full of rococo (roc et co- wn as k and shell). od was dominated over by Mme. Pompadour, and her e beautiful and the glitteryr with her williful extrava- [ rise to a certain form of known as the Pompadour was ever looking for some- nd novel, and after she had kingdom and ruled the e pleased she sighed for s to dictate to. The elab- re carvings in her apart- her, so she promptly had examples of designs in 3 nd frescoing covered with vielding fabric, and for was taken up and car- all manner of extremes and t sisitely carved furniture ) r beautiful fabrics, to t sure ng that could com- pare fa b the exquisite hand- work on the other hand, her first ake gr t masses of gilt ets of gold and d in the rococo object seemed to i project like ry long the thing that even to the vulgar and to period became T RENRIZIATE CHRIR - Cosarst: Rocaiuds =Loves XX ZEEIGD - g - vz vhich for a whole waist, can pretty waist by util- both pieces of cloth, uppose she waist prop be made of brown cashmere or of dark brown el. Then let the yoke be made lored flannel and let the sleeve tes be made of the same stuff, sharp contrest. The cuffs d with the cemtrasting color, urge, the stock is made of it, Waists are of green flannel. with a pale fiee colored yoke, and all ever the yoke there are French knots of =nist is made of navy blue e the yoke is In & warm tan. knots and light blue knots s yoke and make it pretty. The to secure a contrast and the rettiest effects are obtained. The aists are made from a very soft fine flannel which comes known shade. This makes up well & f due attention be paid to the yoke and its trimmings, the walst is as- sured of a place in good society. The woman who likes to pipe can get busy, for there will be & great deal of piping upon the dark blouses of spring. Dark th is piped with bright silk and thus the biouse is lifted from somber- prettiness. One such blouse which was in & navy blue corded silk and was pipsd with red pla eta while the stock and cuffs were trimmed with half a dozen pipings ness inte of the plain siik. There was a wide ush belt of ped leather to match the reddest color in the silk. Pipings of wvery gay blus are used upon gowns of deep red, and pipings of deep red are very eonspicuous upon waists that are made of green, of brown and of black. Hvery effort is exerted to get a broad contrast and the waists of spring will be noticeable for the fact that there are several colors in them. They do not savor of monotony. White linen walsts will he trimmed with one band of Persian =mbroidery running down the front. The stock and cuffs will repeat the embroidery, which will be about three inches wide;, Again there will be white canvas waists trime med with wide bands of Oriental silke stiffened and adjusted upen the front of the waist to be remdved on wash day. Women whe can do handwork are buying heayy white canvas avd work- ing a panel for the front of the walst in cross stitch. This panel may be in & Greclan pattern, conventiona! gnd carried out in all colors, but it should be done in a very neat cross stitch em~ broidery in such a way that the whole of the linen is covered. In this manner the Oriental effect is produced. But don’t, in the scheme of the sum. mer shirt waist, forget the fringes and the tassels of summer, for these will be as popular as they ever were in the 1830 days. “It keeps dressmakers awake nights keeping track of all the new sleeves, but it is pretty business and we like it,” and the modiste picked up a pair of sleeves which looked suspiciously like lamp shades and proceeded to sew them Inte the armhole of a pale blue lawn. Answers to Correspondents. Fanny.—Wooden dumbbells are better than firen, which chill the bloed. ¥You. reed them of about flve er six pounds weight each. Make all motlons slowly, but use some force, Yes, walking I8 good for many ille—for plessneas and dys- pepsia particularly. As to the eomplexion, brisk walk of two miles. or so dally 1l plant roses in your cheeks. l:lldqn }.——Au excellent shampoo is com- pesed of the yolk of one egs, spirits one ounce and mmm Connie.—A “breath cosmetie’ may be made by beating together In a mortar one part lavender flowers and thres parts powdered sugar, with the addition of enough rosewater to make a paste. A conserve may disguise a bad breath, but one should not Be content with this. The stomach 1s out of order, or the teeth need tention. Kither a pl or a den- tist should be gonsulted. Mary Quite Contrary~If yout nose looks shiny or olly add § drops of tincture of benzoin te & half pint resewater and wash the nose with this st night. B. M., Lizbeth and Anxious Girl-For eyebrows which are thin and falling mix together & half ounce vaseline, half dram tincture of cantharides, 3 s each ofl of roseroary and oil of la r. Rub a little into the eyebrows carefully every night with & small brush. A new tooth- brush s for the purpose. I am pleaged to hear that “Anxious Girl” has derived benefit from the athlétic exercises suggested. “Qalraut known as one of vulgar elaborations, for therq was a blage of bropse and gold trimmings, costly handpaintings and gorgeous colorings. Te such an extent did she carry her fad that at the #me of her execution she owed a wirkman in metals and furniture the sum- of $150,000, and the peor man, instead of ever collecting his just dues, died in the almshouse. But it doesn’t make the least bit of difference how much money was fool- ishly thrown away, a great deal of good really was accomplished, for when Marie Antoinette, the wife of ‘Louis XVI, came into power she had & splendid foundation to work on. All that udy and she eliminated, s ‘:t mll‘mmlb ings she tuted dainty fal in panel vag.ui lllll‘:’_ she carried o wvolicy for sin ty. gilt 1) much the resorted of giit here and it is & comk ing women time, and result is 3 deli- cate. ’ g Variety, owever, is the keynote of rigute [talian 4 the American woman’s characts novel ideas must be forev eternally creeping in to satisfy her de- mands. There doesn't chance to be & French King whose dictates she must follow and as a conseguence she per- mits her fancy to run riot and she does exactly as she pleases in the dec- orating and upholstering lige, and what she wants most are new pleces that are exclusive and quaint. For drawing-rooms. however, nothing could be better or more suitable than this return to the classics, simpiified, and this is where the walnut furniture finds its home. It is not a richly decorative furniture and there isn't the least suspiclon of tortoise shell or brass about it, rather it is delightfully plain and to the un- initiated would represent a very small money value. In reality it coSts a pretty penny. The real walnut is all imported and the amount of carving depegds upon the Italians who do the handwork, but in color it is always a peculiar, luster- leas brown that looks most unfinishad. And of a truth {t 8. Louls XIV affect- ed natural flowers and employed rib- ben and lace effacts, festooned flowers and hanging baskets with the roceco detalls, and the ornamentations were gengrally brought In strong relief by or bronse. Louis XVI simplified is furnityre to such an extent that thers was little carving and the legs were usually straight and suggested architeotural columns more than any- thing else. But In this age there is a something that is a sert of go-between, and the finish and carving is just what pleases the fancy of the purchaser the most. Instead of being ornamented with scrolls and mountings of metal and the whele gilded with an alloy of mercury and gold the wood is left In its natural state and a cane back and seat are inserted in place of the Gobelin or Beguvais tapestry, for there are no mope state receptions of the King, and probably if there were the cane would :e considered quite good enough for im. ‘The chairs, which are small and light, fraquently lock as though a good gust of wind would blow them away, but they will hold the heaviest sort of @ weight and never so much as groan, Some are made with arms on either side and minus a back, and now and then ong finds them lfké a miniature settle, and sometimes théy resemble nothing on earth quite as much as a carved chair. there is the quaintest kind of a Jounge that is decidedly Frenchy. In- stead of being in one straight piece, as they usually are, it Is a combina- tion affair that may be utilized in a number of ways. There are three dis- tinct and separate pieces all complete- ly finished, and apparently one does not depend upon the other in the slightest. Yet when the pleces are taken from their respective places in the room and fitted together they make one of the most comfortable ceuches one could wish for, and maké, in the bargain, & decidedly quaint bit of furniture. Cabinets are a delightful bit of wal- nut. All the early curves and arches were replaced by Marie Antoinette for straight lines and the legs of the cabi- net taper toward the feet and giv a very slender appearance. In fa with its oval medallions supported by cupids and the pértraits of smiling children, it makes one of the most charming acquisitiops to a parlor or reception room where a light effect is desired. The finish depends entirely upon the color scheme employed. There is a bronze, a peculiar green gold, a pol- ished glittery gold, the dull effect and a gombination of the goild and bur- nished that Is perhaps the most used of any of the giits. But the pure, straight walnut, when finished in what is termed a “wax finish,” is by far the prettiest, the most serviceable and the richest looking of all. The wax seems to darken the color and the warm brown, with perbaps a thread of gold outlining the carving, is decidedly dis- tinctive and beautiful. ‘Walt coverings were as great an item those days as they are now. More so, in fact, for tapéstry factories were e: tablished that were the property of the crown and they were kept busy turn- ing out decorations that would be suit- able for wall panels, and no room was deemed complete that was not cov- ered with the pletorial fabric. Louis XIV ran to the more classical and rious work, instead of the battle scenes and the frivolous, pastoral sentiments that were made famous by Watteau and that so delighted the heart of Louis XV. He was fond of the ladies and nothing pleased him more than to see his court in fashionable attire depicted in a romantic fashion. Now tapestries are used, but the panel fabrics are by far the most popular and the most beautiful. Some of them in a cloth of gold are very beautiful and frequently cost more than.a hundred dollars & yard, but they are charming a8 a background to set off one of the darker woods that contrasts strongly with it. The satin effects in two tomes are rich looking and when the carpet blends to a nicety nothing prettier could be imagined than a typical French apartment. While rooms that are used mere or less for show are delightful in this pe- riod, bedrooms are also particularly fetching and elaborate owing to the fact that it was the custom of fash- ionable ladies to receive their guests in bed. The bed itself was more than sumptuous with bouquets of plumes or feathers rising from the head pests. These feathers, by the way, were of various colors and sizes and hdd no symbolism, simply decorative. Nowadays there seems to be more or less prejudice about the great, heavy wooden bed and the brass bed is frank- ly asked fer, but unfess it is beauti- fully draped the great majority of decorators cry out against it and com- plain that its environment is not ap- propriate and that it is never in har- mony with the rest of the furnishings. There is one feature of this favorite period phat is exceptionally beautiful and thft is the draperies that were used in sueh profusion. The walls, even to the doors, were paneled, and the window hangings were most elabo- e. nnln pictures and in ornaments thers is an endless variety. In fact, the sup- ply is boundless and so fascimating that it is a gigantic task to know just what to select. Any delicately colored picture in a dainty geld frame shows off well against its costly backgreund, and a marble bust or vase never fails to look its very best when holding its own on one of the spindle-legged tables that seem especially made for that very purpose. So, it you, Miladi, are seriously think- ing of fitting UD & new reception-room that is to be kept always in the very best of érder and that the family is not allowed to visit unless there is a valid excuse in the form of a t, hie yourself downtown and immediate- ly investigate the Italian walnut, and, furthermore, asked to see it waxed. If it fails to please you but one thing can be gaid—that you are more fastidious and more difficult to please than the most fastidious woman that ever lived —Madame Pompadour—of the reign Qf his Majesty Louis XV.