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MioitsSprim),
nADY DUFF-GORDON, the famous '‘Lucile" of London.
and foremost creator cf fashions in the world, writes each
week the fashion article for this newspaper, illustrating it
with sketches and photographs of her own original models.
i i
By Lady Duff-Gordon {“Lucile”)
KNOWING the American liking
for novelties, i will talk to
you first to-day of the new
three-decker skirt. The skirt is one
of the devices for novelty this
Spring, being formed of three
straight, scant flounces of cloth, set
one above then other, the first at
tached to a wide band of stitching
One of the All-Bead Gowns,
Which Weigh Many Pounds.
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GREAT Interest has been
aroused among art connois
seurs in Europe by the dis
covery of what 13 said to be the
earliest picture by Rembrandt,
perhaps the greatest painter that
ever lived.
The newly discovered picture is
In the collection of Sir J. C. Rob
inson, a famous English art collec
tor, who is especially an authority
on Rembrandt.
This picture is a study of still
life, representing books grouped
around armor and a skull crowned
with laurels. It Is dated 1621, or
six yfers earlier than the earliest
of his hitherto known works.
These are “The Money Changer,”
now in the Kaiser Friedrich Mu
seum in Berlin, and "St. Paul in
Prison,” now in the Royal Gallery
in Stuttgart. These are dated 1627.
Both have been Identified in recent
years, the first by Sir J. C. Robin
son.
The newly discovered painting la
of large dimensions and painted on
an oak-panel made up of four lon
gitudinal planks of width
clamped together. Evidence that
Rembrandt painted such a picture Is
to be found in the inventory of his
effects, drawn up at the urging of
his creditors on July 25 and 26, 1656,
in which appears the following
entries:
“No. 25 Sen still leggent leven
or embroidery in the same color as
the cloth, below the waist. The
straight plain flounces are of equal
length, and with a band of stitching
or embroidery attached to the belt,
form the entire walking skirt. All
are made upon a drop skirt of taf
feta or messaline.
With this is worn a candidly short
jacket. There is no quarter-length
compromise with the longer coat.
It is a short jacket cut away into
points at the front and sloping up
ward in the back from these points.
The short jacket graduated to a
greater length in front is a keynote
of the new Spring costumes.
A third novelty shown in the gray
Found—the First Picture Ever Painted by Rembrandt!
(still life) van Rembrant gere
tukeert (retouched).”
“No. 27. Een vanitas van Rem
brant geretukeert.”
"No. 28. Een dito van den gelven
met een scepter geretukeert.”
“No. 120. Een vanitas van Rem
brant geretukeert."
The expression “van Rembrant
geretukeert” indicates that these
were early works by Rembrandt
himself, which he had retouched.
Had they been the work of pupils
or other painters, the placing of the
words would have been “geretu
keert van Rembrant”; and most
likely the artists’ names would have
been given, as in so many other in
stances in the catalogue. The de
scription of No. 28 with the words
"van den selven” (by the same) is
even more conclusive on this point.
Whether the picture in the pos
session of Sir J. C. Robinson is to
be identified with the “Still Life”
(No. 25) of the inventory, or
either of the “Vanitas” subjects—
the laurel-crowned skull would
justify this description—is uncer
tain. It cannot be the picture
numbered 28, since r.o sceptre is
Included among the subjects de
picted The one thing which is cer
tain is that the still life does bear
slena of retouching, though these
retouchings are not extensive, the
chief alteration being the lettering
underneath it.
This Is Nell
Brinkley’s
Idea of
How
the N evf
Spring Styles
May Work Out.
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The New “Snuffer Cap.’’—Masses of Fabric Lavishly Ornamented.
broadcloth costume reproduced on
this page Is the pair of huge revers,
of white cloth thrown Into relief by
the wider, supporting revers be
neath, of black and white striped
silk. The jacket hangs in a straight
line in front and is half-fitting in
the back. One row of buttons on
either side a row of loose meshed
braid, like that to which the upper
flounce of the three-decker skirt is
attached, finish the front.
In/the same picture appears a
fourth novelty, showing that the
young woman here pictured is wear
ing the latest mode. It is a tall
coal scuttle bat, so called because
it is of the shape of an inverted coal
scuttle. As though by an after
thought, the gray straw of which
the hat is made is plaited over on
the right side in a large fold. A
flat velvet bow of the new purplish
shade of red ornaments the right
side. A high willow plume of the
new popular shade of red tops
qir J C. picture :s
separated from the earliest known
Rembrandt by a space of six yea
of rapid development. It cann°
proved on internal evidence to he
by the master, because It waa
painted before he had acquire a
personal style. But there are these
points to consider. It is evidently
the work of a very young and
naive painter, whose hearllß filled
with such Ideas as would re3u t
from early university schooling. It
shows remarkable talent, a strong
feeling for light and shade, and a
certain knowledge of reflected
lights, and Ib free from the Italian
influence of which Rembrandt
showed traces for a time, after he
had become a pupil of La3tman, at
Amsterdam.'
Passages, like the pile of books
on the table, occur In his earliest
known works. The signature Is un
usual, but shows nothing to Justify
the suspicion that it was added at
a later time.
The production of Rembrandt in
the six years before 1627 has yet
to be accounted for. Perhaps Sir
J. C. Robinsons "Still Life" will
serve as a touchstone for the hith
erto unidentified pictures, and the
publication of it may bring to the
light the other “Vanitas” pictures
of the inventory—or even other
works painted before 1627.
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hat, as does the plume of a Knight
of Pythias in parade.
The Spring instead of banishing
the metallic effects of the Winter
costume will strike a deeper note In
that material. The odd. cuirass-like
gown on this page is one of the
Spring models for a dinner or thea
tre gown. It is made entirely of
gold beads. It Is cut in a modified
Empire style, the waistline being in
dicated by a slight curving Inward
of the line of the gown. The
sleeves, reaching to just above the
elbow, open to reveal the whiteness
of the wearer’s arm, the space being
covered only in part by narrow
beaded cords.
The gown is made over a black
slip. A handsome embroidered panel
of white heads In conventional de
sign, edged with an inch-wide band
of black velvet, extends from the
shoulders at the back to nearly the
hem of the tunic, aDd is finished by
black bead fringe. The band is ex-
The Newly Discovered Rembrandt, Dated Six Years Earlier Than Any of Hi* Other Paintings.
The Enormous “Snuffer
Caps,” the Three-Decker
Skirts, the All-Bead Gowns,
the Extreme Sailor Collar
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The New Chained Fmger Rings.
tended on the right to the under arm
seam. The skirt and short sleeves
are finished by a band of black vel
vet corresponding to that which
completes the panel. Tufted fringe
of gold beads finishes the half do
conetage. The effect has au Orien
tal magnificence.
Let me digress here while treat
ing of the beauty of these metallic
effects to tell of some curious rings
I have seen ■worn by Russian women
who borrow their Ideas of personal
decoration from their barbaric an
cestors, but have softened arid sub
dued it by their own exquisitely in
dividual taste. One of those curiosi
ties is the double ring. There are
two sorts of double rings. One sort
is worn on two fingers, a delicate
hoop of gold connecting the two
parts of the ring. The other is worn
on one finger, but the parts are sep
arated by the space of the knuckle
and the length of the first Joint of
the finger. The rings are of differ
ent sorts, the lower one being of
solid gold with one small diamond
surmounting each of the triple
parts. The upper one Is a double
band of pearls joined by lengthwise
rows of pearls. The gold ring and
pearl ring are united by gold chains.
Now gauzelike metallic tissues
will be very much used for the mak
ing of toques and "snuffer caps,"
and will appear In many millinery
touches in the Spring nats. Many
of the newest cabochon oruuments
which are destined to figure on hats
and toques have a basis of sliver.
Some of these are in pincushion
form, the likenesß being increased
by a covering of Valenciennes lace.
There will usually he added a bor
der of beads, gold or silver, or tur
quoise, or coral tinted, the last
variety being very specially favor
ed. Ornaments entirely covered car
ried out in coral beads of several
sizes are a feature of the coming
season, in trimming of both gowns
and hats. There are a multitude ol
the quaintest and prettiest of shells,;
modelled hi the same metallic tis
sue, generally silver, and broidered
with lines of tiny coral heads.
The star fish is chosen for still an
other millinery adornment, the star
fish form being entirely covered
with closely colored beads In a
, great variety of shades. Beads put
L in an appearanoe on almost every
and garment.
<jr Anolher notable novelty is soon to
be Introduced, whoso name, “Stctl-
lan gauze,” will per
haps suggest something
to you of its texture, it
Is closoly woven, having
something ol’ an alpaca
like mesh and some
thing, too, of the dura
bility of that exceedingly
serviceable fabric. Uut
it is semi-transparent,
which fact gives an ap
parent lightness to its
draped folds. It Is usod
for hat coverings, and is
especially effective when
swathed In the folds
that encircle a turban
A decided advantage of
Sicilian «augo is that its prlca
not prohibitively high.
I have also been looking at som 9
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The New Three - Decker Skirt, and the
New Immense “Sailor Collar” Reveres.
wonderful new ribbons, to which I
wnnt to give you the earliest poeeh
hie introduction, for this particular,
,nd particularly pretty, form of trim
filing will be in ever-increasing evi
dence on Spring and Summer hata
Plumes and quills are entirely mod
©led in cleverly formed and manlpo
latod ribbons, which, In such cues,
will often blend two strikingly eoa*
trastod colors.
In this connection, let me remind
you that the coming coronation in
already casting Its shadows, or nt
any rate, its shades, before. On
every side I note the blending ot
the coronation colors, blue and red,
which, though they sound and some
times actually are, rather more bold
than beautiful, can be entirely at
tractive and artistic. If a fuchsia or
Indian red be carefully chosen and
united with just the right shade ol
dark yet bright blue.
There Is another ribbon which
will delight the heart and ease the
task of the amateur while
its assistance will be by no means
despised, even by the expert artist
For, Interwoven in its either edge,
is the finest of gilt wires, a mere
thread. In fact, but strong enough
withal to keep bows and ends and
loops permanently and prettily erect
without depriving them of any ol
that suppleness of effect which is so
desirable, and which it has hitherto
been somewhat difficult to secure
when upstanding loops ot wire had
to be attached.