To the ladies.
As I have set out with professing to render my work of as much utility
as possible, I am desirous of giving my fair countrywomen the benefit of
my own experience in Paris, by indicating to them those establishments
wherein they may abstract a portion of the contents of their purse,
without having cause to think that it has been recklessly dissipated, as
no one more than myself would regret to see their "glittering money fly
like chaff before the wind," so am I extremely tenacious that they
should only barter it for its full value, and as I know ladies must and
will have perfumes, however superfluous in most instances, for it is but
adding "sweets to the sweets," I shall conduct them to the emporium of
delicious odours, appertaining to M. Blanche, whose dealings I can
assure them are as pure as his name; he has besides the merit of being
an excellent chymist, and the still greater merit of having devoted his
talents to the fair sex, and in that point which they appreciate most
highly, the embellishment and preservation of their personal
attractions; he has therefore invented a peculiar description of
vegetable soap, called _Savon Végétal de Guimauve_, which is so renowned
amongst the Paris belles, that I should not be surprised at their
forming themselves into a committee, and voting an address of thanks to
M. Blanche for the signal services he has rendered to the cause of
beauty, as not only are the medicinal powers attributed to this _savon_,
of removing any impurities and softening the skin, but also that of
giving it a smooth satiny lustre, which may be compared to adding the
last _coup de grâce_ to the female charms. In addition to these
advantages it possesses that of having the most agreeable scent; its
merits have in fact obtained it a patent and it is only sold at the
establishment of M. Blanche, No. 48, Passage Choiseul, where also may be
procured every description of perfumery and a variety of other articles,
all good of their kind, as the proprietor would consider the vending of
an inferior quality as a stain upon his character and upon his _fair_
name.
Formerly the English ladies were very _sharp_ and _pointed_ in their
reflexions upon French needles, much more so indeed than the objects to
which their sarcasms were directed, which in fact were but blunt and
brittle ware, and the consequence was that they not only tried all their
own little arts to smuggle over as many as they could when they came
from England, but they exacted the same pecadillo from their unfortunate
friends; now of all things I most hate smuggling, principally I admit
from the fear of being caught; which I think excessively disagreeable.
Judge then how rejoiced I was when informed by some of my fair friends
that there were as good needles to be had at the Maison Bierri, à la
Ville de Lille, 32, Faubourg St. Honoré, as any that could be procured
in London, and one respectable matron insisted that it was a moral duty
incumbent upon me to mention an establishment so exceedingly useful to
my countrywomen, not only because it contains so many articles which
females are constantly requiring, but that every thing they have is of
so superior a quality; in fact nothing would satisfy the good lady but
my going myself to see how it was crowded with purchasers.
I obeyed, and in good truth found the shop quite like a fair, but the
most perfect order and arrangement prevailing, the proprietor constantly
upon the watch to see that the young people were civil and attentive to
the customers, who were purchasing a variety of articles and
particularly ribbands; of which there appeared a most brilliant
assortment, and I heard it observed that in that department the Maison
Bierri had a celebrity _unique_. There were also as great diversity of
fringe, net, blonde, muslin, mercery, lace, jaconas, linings, worsteds,
all kinds of haberdashery, etc., etc. I also remarked that in every
drawer, containing the different articles which were produced, the
prices were marked, so that in case of the least demur regarding the
charge, a reference to the label decides the affair. By the excellence
of his goods, the regular system upon which the business is conducted,
and the assiduity of all concerned in the Maison Bierri, he has
attracted numbers of the English, and amongst the rest the Ambassadress,
and there is always some person attending who speaks their language. In
the exterior there is no attempt at display; like many of the most
respectable establishments, it depends so entirely on its extensive
connexions, as not to need any efforts to promote publicity, and every
one residing at Paris must have heard of the reputation of the Maison
Bierri; it is particularly convenient for the English, being in the
quarter in which they mostly dwell.
As there is no department of the toilet by which ladies either so
disfigure or embellish themselves, as the hat, bonnet, or cap, I must
beseech my fair countrywomen to procure those articles from such persons
alone who have as it were obtained a diploma for good taste; as I am
most anxious that when Englishwomen are in France, that they should in
every respect appear to the best advantage; now as I consider that which
adorns the head as having so important a bearing upon the beauty of a
female, deep and frequent were my cogitations upon the subject, before I
could make up my mind what _modiste_ I should recommend to the patronage
of my countrywomen, as I would not have the sin upon my head, for all
the mines of Golconda, of having been accessary to an Englishwoman
putting on a hat or bonnet that did not become her; therefore, after
mature deliberation, I determined to call a council of all my female
acquaintances, and beg of them to hold a debate upon this knotty point;
the result was most satisfactory, the question being carried without a
division, in fact there was not one dissentient voice, the name of
Madame de Barenne being pronounced by one and all at the same moment;
it being observed that there were several persons who had attained a
certain degree of celebrity as _modistes_, but for uniting grace,
elegance and simplicity with an artistical _gusto_, there were none in
Paris who surpassed Madame de Barenne (14 place Vendôme). I have before
alluded to this lady, and certainly have observed that her manners, her
apartments, and every thing around her has an air _distingué_, and
although I would never have the presumption of giving an opinion upon
articles so far above my judgment, yet I can record the opinion of those
who are considered true connaisseurs, from whom I learn that at Madame
de Barenne's, hats, bonnets, caps, and turbans, of every variety, are
arranged with the utmost perfection, the materials being of the most
superior description consistent with the season of the year, adorned
with marabouts, bird of paradise feathers, aigrettes, flowers from the
celebrated Constantin, all selected from those houses which have the
most renown for the respective articles in which they deal, but which
are introduced with so much taste and judgment, that besides her
ingenuity, having obtained a patent, she has been specially appointed
modiste to the Queen of Belgium, the Princess Clémentine, and the
Duchess de Nemours.
Not far from the English Ambassador's, in the centre as it were of what
may be termed the English quarter, is an establishment styled _La
Tentation_, which from the variety and excellence of its goods operates
on the visiter consistently with its title. It is a _Magasin de
Nouveautés_, containing almost every article appertaining to the toilet,
as linen, drapery, hosiery, fancy goods, etc., and is on that extensive
scale, that their assortment possesses every diversity that can be
desired, whilst even the most fastidious cannot fail of meeting that
which must suit their taste. This establishment is not like many in the
same way of business, who spend a little fortune in advertising their
goods, incurring tremendous expenses in obtruding themselves and their
merchandise before the public, and then making that public pay the
outlay they have made upon newspapers, pamphlets, etc., by either
charging higher prices, or laying in stock of inferior quality, thereby
even at an apparently moderate price they are enabled to obtain higher
profits, whilst by continuing their puffing advertisements, they hope
constantly to attract a new supply of dupes.
_La Tentation_, on the contrary, calculate only upon obtaining and
retaining connexion, by keeping none but good articles, and selling them
at a small profit; strict attention and civility to their customers, and
having a stock ever consistent with the changes of the fashions and
seasons, by a constant adherence to these objects a durable success has
been effected. The progress of this establishment has been worthy of
remark, commencing under a humble roof upon a modest scale, until with
the process of time the proprietors were emboldened to enlarge their
premises when at length it increased to its present magnitude, occupying
a considerable portion of a noble mansion This has been achieved by a
judicious selection of stock, with constant perseverance, and conducting
their business on honourable principles, it is just such an
establishment as is calculated to please the English, where great
neatness and cleanliness is observed, and everything conducted in a
quiet and unassuming manner. The charges on each article are fixed at a
price that will admit of no diminution, and the English have the
satisfaction of knowing that they pay no more than the French, which
perhaps is not the case in all houses in Paris; persons wishing to view
the goods are not pressed to purchase unless they feel disposed to do
so, and however trifling may be the amount, they are not tormented, as
in too many shops, to buy more than they wish. Whatever articles are
selected are sent punctually to the residence of the parties at the time
required, and orders, whether personally or by letter, meet with the
strictest attention. There is always some person belonging to the
establishment who speaks English. La Tentation is situated No. 67, Rue
Faubourg St. Honoré, at the corner of the Avenue de Marigny.
Perhaps there is no branch of the arts which has been wrought to so high
a perfection as that of making artificial flowers, and no place in the
world where it is practised to such an extent as Paris, or with so high
a degree of talent; but although it has been long and justly celebrated
for the exquisite taste developed in forming bouquets, wherein all the
varieties of colour are so assembled as to display each other to the
best advantage, yet so arranged that a certain harmony should pervade
the whole; still M. Constantin has discovered the means of availing
himself of the abilities of the Parisians in this department of the art,
that he has elevated it to a degree of altitude it had never before
attained, and in fact his flowers have become so exclusively the mode,
that if a lady wear any whatever, it would be offending her to suppose
that they were any other than those of M. Constantin. Indeed, it is
impossible to enter his apartments without feeling a thorough conviction
of the elegance of his taste, first passing through a long corridor
between two rows of real flowers, proving that he fears not the rivality
of nature, conscious that his own works unite the same beauties of tints
and colours which her highest powers can produce, and one room into
which his customers are introduced, unites a degree of taste in the
richness and splendour of its ornamental objects, with that proper tone
of keeping which is pleasing to the eye; but it is at his little boudoir
that the beholder is astonished, such luxuriant magnificence as is
therein displayed can only be imagined from a description presented in
the Arabian Nights! in fact the Dutch Ambassador was so delighted with
the exquisite arrangement of this superb specimen of sumptuous
decoration, that he requested permission to bring an artist to take an
exact copy of the elegant little chamber and its contents, to form a
similar boudoir for the Queen of Holland. As M. Constantin is now
arrived at the summit of his profession, he is enabled to command
prices commensurate with his talents, and has some bouquets as high as
1000 francs, but there are articles which may be purchased at the
moderate charge of 10 francs; his residence is No. 37, Rue Neuve St.
Augustin. M. Constantin possesses the recommendation of being extremely
particular as to the morality and propriety of conduct with his young
persons, and that degree of decorum is constantly preserved, that any
ladies visiting his apartments will find the same order and discipline
maintained as in the strictest boarding-schools.
I know not whether it is the case with all men, but I believe it is,
that the first time I see a lady, I naturally look in her face, then my
next impulse is to look at her foot; now as I have already done my
utmost for my countrywomen for the ornamenting of the former, in
recommending them to Madame de Barenne, I must now endeavour to serve
them in respect to the latter, reminding them that in Lord Normandy's
novel of "Yes and No," he observes, speaking of the feet of Parisian
females, "How exquisitely they decorate that part of the person," and as
I have already remarked that I do not wish English ladies in any one
particular to yield to Parisian or any other ladies, I must request that
they will, as soon as possible after they arrive at Paris, apply to M.
Hoffman, No. 8, Rue de la Paix, who will fit them in such a light and
elegant manner, giving such a "_jolie tournure_" to the foot, that they
will scarcely know their own feet again, after having been accustomed to
be shod in the English fashion; for although I have a very exalted idea
of the transcendant talents of my countrymen, I do not consider that the
vein of their abilities at all runs in the shoemaking line. M. Hoffman's
residence is at the end of a court-yard, almost as quiet and as retired
as if it were in a convent; his articles will be found of the best
quality, both he and Madame speak English, and rival each other in
attention and civility to their customers; they have an assortment of
the different specimens of their work, consisting of every variety which
is worn, according with the fashion and season.
I believe every lady before she quits England with the intention of
visiting Paris, has already made up her mind to make some purchase of
lace pretty soon after her arrival; to prevent them therefore from
falling into bad hands, I recommend them to go at once to one of the
most extensive and respectable establishments in that department of any
in Paris, indeed I believe I may truly add the most so. It is one of
those large wholesale houses of the French metropolis that transact
business with all parts of the world in lace, ribbands, and silks; it is
situated at No. 2ter, Rue Choiseul, the firm is Messrs. Bellart, Louys
and Delcambre, where every description of blonde and lace, in all its
multitudinous variety, from the most simple to the richest, rarest and
most costly, will be found, and at extremely reasonable prices, as so
many retail dealers furnish themselves from this establishment; besides
which, they are themselves manufacturers of black Chantilly lace and
white blonde. This concern has the character of being solely wholesale,
but they make an exception with regard to lace. Their collection of
ribbands is unrivalled both for the beauty and extent. They have also a
most valuable assortment of silks, satins, velvets, stuffs, brocade,
embroidery of gold and silver, etc., etc., selected with extreme taste
and judgment, and indeed Mme de Barenne owes a great portion of her
success to having supplied herself from this house with the material
which she required, as being of so very superior a quality, it gave
great vogue to whatever was produced by her ingenuity, to which
certainly her own talents contributed in the taste displayed in the
disposition and arrangement of the different articles, independent of
their own excellence.
Whatever rivalry there may be between different countries, respecting
their divers produce and manufactures, with regard to gloves none would
have the audacity to cast the gauntlet at France, which has ever held
the supremacy over other nations in that department, yet it has recently
been elevated a step higher by an invention of M. Mayer, of No. 26, Rue
de la Paix, for which he has been granted a king's patent, consisting in
what are termed ball gloves, which are so made as to button and lace
about half way up the arm, which prevents them from slipping down upon
the wrist, they are besides furnished with trimmings also invented by M.
Mayer, which may either be of the utmost simplicity, or of the richest
description, and may be composed of either satin, velvet, lace, gold, or
even pearls and diamonds may be and are frequently introduced; they may
be also furnished with tassels which may be formed of materials equally
costly, thus the trimmings of these gloves may either be had for four
francs or may cost twenty guineas and upwards, according to the desires
of the wearers. In fact M. Mayer has introduced a degree of luxury and
splendour in the decorations of gloves, which has given them an
importance in the toilet which they never before possessed, and have
become so much the vogue with ladies of the highest distinction, that
they have obtained for M. Mayer the privilege of furnishing the royal
family of France, the Empress of Russia, the Queens of Naples, Spain,
Belgium, etc. M. Mayer also occupies himself with gentlemen's gloves,
and has just invented a peculiar description, without gussets between
the fingers, by which means they set closer to the hand, and are not so
liable to be come unsewed as by the former method; he has them likewise
so arranged as to button at the side instead of the middle, which always
left an unsightly aperture. Now I think of it, these last few lines had
no business in the ladies' chapter, as they allude to that which are
worn solely by gentlemen, but I dare say that my fair readers, if they
find M. Mayer's gloves merit my commendations, will be equally anxious
that their husbands, brothers, or sons should furnish themselves at the
same place and excuse the intrusion. M. Mayer has a private apartment
tastefully fitted up, appropriated for the ladies, where they can make
their selections as uninterrupted and unobserved as at their own homes.
Next door to M. Mayer's, at No. 28, is an establishment which has
received very distinguished and extensive patronage, known by the
appellation of La Maison Lucy Hocquet, not only for hats, bonnets,
capotes and turbans, but also for pelerines, fichus à la paysanne,
_canzous_, chemisettes, collars, habit shirts, parures de spectacles,
etc.; in these articles they have been so celebrated for the taste and
elegance with which they are arranged, that the fame of their talents
has attracted around them many of the most influential ladies in Paris,
as also several of the most celebrated _artistes_ whose good taste and
jugement are proverbial; amongst others may be cited Mlle Rachel. La
Maison Lucy Hocquet likewise furnishes several crowned heads, as the
Empress of Russia, Queen of Portugal, etc., and amongst the leading
personages of Paris, the Princess Demidoff, the Duchesses d'Eckmühl, de
Montebello, de Valmy, Marquise d'Osmond, etc. To the above list might be
added many names of the English nobility, who still continue to be
supplied from this establishment, which independent of the merit which
is displayed in the arrangement of every article which it produces, is
also highly recommendable on account of the attentive civility which
they extend to all who may have occasion to apply to them.