Page:A short history of social life in England.djvu/331

Rh to walk in the roads, blocking church pews, filling aisles, ill at ease in shops and places of amusement—grotesque figures and conspicuous in their gaudy colours. For these hoop petticoats were made of the richest damask velvets, elaborately embroidered with gold and silver. Mrs. Delany tells us of a white brocaded lustring at 13s. a yard, "with great ramping flowers in shades of purples, reds, and greens," adding with quite unnecessary candour: "It will make a great show." A yet more startling petticoat was of black velvet embroidered with chenille, the "pattern being a large stone vase filled with ramping flowers that spread over the whole," and as if this was not enough, between the vases of flowers was a device of gold shells and foliage embossed and "most heavily rich." At the accession of George III., and before the dawn of moderation, the head-dress of women reached a climax of absurdity. Enormous structures were worn stuffed with horse-hair puffs and powdered with a preparation of pomatum and meal; they were surmounted with ribbons, jewels, artificial flowers or plumes of feathers, introduced by the famous Duchess of Devonshire. This raised the whole head-dress to such a