at
the Court of Louis XV of France that the practice of gumming small
pieces of black taffeta on the cheeks originated, the patches soon
afterwards becoming common in this country. From simple circular discs
were evolved stars, crescents, and other curious forms; then, as in so
many other instances, extremes of fashion brought the practice into
disrepute, for so extravagant became the style that the "coach and
horses" patch and others as absurd came into favour. The famous Sam
Pepys recorded in his Diary the first time he saw his wife wearing a
black patch; apparently it caught his fancy, for he wrote: "My wife
seemed very pretty to-day, it being the first time I had given her lief
to wear a black patch." Incidentally it may be noted that the famous
Pepys controlled even his wife's toilet, and that she was obedient to
him even in the mysteries of the dressing table!

Enamelled Objects.

The receptacles for all these compounds varied; some were of wood,
beautifully carved, often embellished with brass mountings, the insides
being lined with silk, and small mirrors were inserted in the lids. The
pretty trinket trays, curiously coloured and decorated, boxes, and
little candlesticks for "my lady's table," made of Battersea and other
enamels, were much in favour a century or more ago.

Some remarkably charming boxes are met with stamped with the name of
Lille, in France, where many such objects were made--the English enamels
of that period are rarely if ever marked.

It would appear that very many of these little articles were the gifts
of friends or purchased as souvenirs of the comparatively rare visits to
fashionable places of resort. Many of those given by friends were chosen
because of the mottoes and emblems with which they were decorated; for,
like the combs, they were made use of to convey messages of love and
friendship. We can well understand the fear that might arise lest
patches became loose and rendered the fair wearer ludicrous; hence the
little mirrors so often found within the boxes, which it may be
mentioned were carried about in the pocket ready for use when
opportunity served.

Many of the older specimens are found with mirrors of steel which, owing
to exposure to damp, have become very rusty, and, in some instances,
have perished altogether. Others with silvered glass mirrors show spots,
and are much blurred from the same cause. The colourings of enamels
vary; in some the groundwork is white, in o