Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/545

 trim Court trains and wedding costumes. A winter bride does wisely who has her white velvet train trimmed with ermine. And this has had a precedent. When the beautiful Miss Enid Wilson became Lady Chesterfield, she wore a white velvet Court train bord- ered with ermine, and made a fairy tale bride on a snowy February morning in 1900. When befo re-Easter Courts are again in vogue, fine effects might be pro- duced with ermine on white satin, brocade, or velvet. Contrasts of texture, rather than of colour, have much interest. Whistler's sym- phony in white makes a good example ; and a more modern instance is that of a young duchess who once wore her famous pearls with a cream costume. Ermine, well arranged, has many possibilities. Its Ancient Popularity The fur was known to the ancients, and owed its debut to the Byzantine emperors. The Greeks, who were fond of ermine, believed it to be the skin of the white rat, and Wagner was the first naturalist to class the crea- ture among the weasels. The Byzantines called it the Armenian rat fur ; hence the words Hermine and ermine ; and until late in the seventeenth century it was called le rat d'Armenie. In old days the finest skins were obtained from the rich plateau of the Taurus (Armenia). And even now the great ermine markets of the world are at Van, Erivan, and Mitlis. But the creature was found elsewhere, as the Dukes of Brittany used to wear ermine robes of native production. Marco Polo, in his book of travels, mentions ermine as among the most costly dress of the Tartars ; and remarks that he found the tents of the Cham of Tartary lined with the skins of ermine and sables in the year 1252. Ermine does not appear to have been used as an official mark of distinction earlier than the fourth century ; and in the fifth it was adopted by the French as a sign of legal dignity. This custom still remains, as the judges have their scarlet robes edged with ermine. It was also used at a very earl}- age by the Court of Rome for the State garments 1) ?3 521 OREBB of the cardinals ; but the little black tails were usually omitted in church costumes, in order to emphasise the purity of the priestly profession. Then, in later times, one Czar of Russia had Coronation robes, in the making cf which 250,000 ermines were sacrificed ; and the Coronation robes of the first Napoleon, pre- served at Notre Dame, are also lined with the most ccstly ermine. Ermine Makes History The earlier Queens of the House of Hanover were especially fond of narrow stripes of ermine, perhaps to emphasise their regal dignity. The hang- ing sleeves affected by Queen Charlotte are often seen Hned with black- tailed ermine; and there is a good portrait of Queen Adelaide with a deep ermine tippet. The Duchess of Kent, too, is represented as wearing a round cape of ermine And the Coronation robes of Queen Victoria and of our late King Edward were splendid specimens of the art of the furrier. Ermine is a fur that makes history. Ermine is a fur that must be treated with due care and consideration. Its fine quality and pure whiteness causes it to become easily soiled and damaged. A careful lady's- maid would wrap her mistress's ermine fur in la^^'ers of tissue paper ; and. after use, a muff, stole, or necktie should i.M lijlilly wiped over ,j, with a fine white cloth — for choice, with a cambric hand- kerchief. A brush must never be used, and, if wet, ermine must not be dried bv Photo, Kcutliri'^rr, , r- K "•«- Ermine worn as a cloak has a regal effect, the black tails forming the , i j u most suitable trimming. A stole of the fur, with tails at the ends, is ShOUld bc another favourite arrangement of ermine gCntlv Shaken And even when economy is an object, good fur should be sent, when soiled, to a furrier's, and by no means be subjected to what is known as " home-cleaning." And precious fur of any sort ought never to bc left in a room with a dog, unguarded. A tragic tale is told of a costly ermine muff worried to pieces in its owner's absence.