MONSTROUS HEAD-DRESSES OF THE LADIES. 369 



flowers, and strings of pearls. The extraordinary size of 

 the head-dresses of the period when Mrs. Wedgwood's medal- 

 lion was modelled, and for a few years previous to that 

 time, was a constant and fruitful source of amusement to 

 the satirical writers of the day, and many droll stories were 

 told concerning them. One writer says, speaking of the 

 enormous size of the heads of the ladies, "It is not very 

 long since that part of their sweet bodies used to be bound 

 so tight, and trimmed so amazingly snug, that they appeared 

 like a pin's head on the top of a knitting-needle ; but they 

 have now so far exceeded the golden mean in the contrary 

 extreme, that our fine ladies remind me of an apple stuck 

 on the point of a small skewer." Another writer jocosely 

 says : 



" Give Chloe a bushel of horse-hair and wool, 



Of paste and pomatum a pound ; 

 Ten yards of gay ribbon to deck her sweet skull, 

 And gauze to encompass it round. 



" Of all the bright colours the rainbow displays, 

 Be those ribbons which hang on her head j 

 Be her flounces adapted to make the folks gaze, 

 And about the whole work be they spread. 



" Let her gown be tucked up to the hip on each side, 

 Shoes too high for to walk or to jump/' &c. 



And then, after describing other artificial means of adding 

 to the figure, concludes 



" Thus finished in taste, while on Chloe you gaze, 



You may take the dear charmer for life j 

 But never undress her, for, out of her stays, 

 You'll find you have lost half your wife ! " 



Ladies' heads, when dressed in the height of fashion, were 

 not to be disturbed for some time. The process of building 

 up the immense structure was a tedious and expensive one, 

 and the head had to be preserved with great care. So much 

 care, indeed, was sometimes taken, that ladies provided 

 themselves with a net-bag, which enveloped the whole head, 



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