DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.62134#0191
fools’ caps.
183
bladders of colour., architects’ rules., compasses—a glorious
array of artistic tools. Ivy sprays, and wreaths of pine
and moss, bind all together, uniting them with the
musician’s trophy, a cluster of musical instruments, trum-
pets, violins, flutes, clarionets, and drums ! Beyond the
platform is a partition of dark green drapery, with garlands
hung symmetrically upon it.
We stood completely bewildered with the magic of the
scene, which was increased a thousand-fold by the marvellous
crowd collecting.
Every lady and gentleman had been requested by the
Artists’ programme to assume a fool’s cap for the evening, in
case they did not come in masks or fancy costumes. Thus
every head presented a brilliant bit of colour. The gentle-
men received their caps with their tickets, and these caps
were simple enough in form, but of two most vividly-con-
trasting colours—green and scarlet, yellow and pink, blue
and orange.
The ladies’ fools’ caps were much more extraordinary;
varying from a quaint, tiny jester’s cap of mediaeval cut,
covered with gold or silver bells, embroidery, flowers and
feathers, to an ordinary evening head-dress rendered
Carnivalesque by bells fastened to the ends of the ribbon
trimmings ; there were pointed witches’ hats ; tiaras ;
shepherdesses’ hats ; jelly-bag caps ; there were caps
trimmed with lace, with gold, with silver, with ostrich
feathers, with peacock feathers, with cocks’ feathers; there
were caps of scarlet, of blue, of amber, of pink; there were
parti-coloured caps, and tricoloured caps; and caps of velvet,
of lace, of gold, of silk, of gauze,—of every hue, texture, and
fashion, in short• all, more or less, developments of the
jester’s cap of the middle ages. There were hundreds and
hundreds of these caps surmounting faces of every age and
every expression; there were hundreds and hundreds of
183
bladders of colour., architects’ rules., compasses—a glorious
array of artistic tools. Ivy sprays, and wreaths of pine
and moss, bind all together, uniting them with the
musician’s trophy, a cluster of musical instruments, trum-
pets, violins, flutes, clarionets, and drums ! Beyond the
platform is a partition of dark green drapery, with garlands
hung symmetrically upon it.
We stood completely bewildered with the magic of the
scene, which was increased a thousand-fold by the marvellous
crowd collecting.
Every lady and gentleman had been requested by the
Artists’ programme to assume a fool’s cap for the evening, in
case they did not come in masks or fancy costumes. Thus
every head presented a brilliant bit of colour. The gentle-
men received their caps with their tickets, and these caps
were simple enough in form, but of two most vividly-con-
trasting colours—green and scarlet, yellow and pink, blue
and orange.
The ladies’ fools’ caps were much more extraordinary;
varying from a quaint, tiny jester’s cap of mediaeval cut,
covered with gold or silver bells, embroidery, flowers and
feathers, to an ordinary evening head-dress rendered
Carnivalesque by bells fastened to the ends of the ribbon
trimmings ; there were pointed witches’ hats ; tiaras ;
shepherdesses’ hats ; jelly-bag caps ; there were caps
trimmed with lace, with gold, with silver, with ostrich
feathers, with peacock feathers, with cocks’ feathers; there
were caps of scarlet, of blue, of amber, of pink; there were
parti-coloured caps, and tricoloured caps; and caps of velvet,
of lace, of gold, of silk, of gauze,—of every hue, texture, and
fashion, in short• all, more or less, developments of the
jester’s cap of the middle ages. There were hundreds and
hundreds of these caps surmounting faces of every age and
every expression; there were hundreds and hundreds of