st gold from an ancient missal in a famous private collection,
which shows the saints all clad in marvellous white against gold leaf.

Whistler's house at 2 Cheyne Road, London, had a room the dado and doors
of which were done in gold, on which he and two of his pupils painted
the scattered petals of white and pink chrysanthemums. Possibly a
Persian or Japanese effect, as Whistler leaned that way, but one sees
the same idea in an illumination of the early sixteenth century; "Hours"
of the Virgin and Breviary, made for Eleanor of Portugal, Queen of John
II. The decorations here are in the style of the Renaissance, not
Gothic, and some think Memling had a hand in the work. The borders of
the illumination, characteristic of the Bruges School, are gold leaf on
which is painted, in the most realistic way, an immense variety of
single flowers, small roses, pansies, violets, daisies, etc., and among
them butterflies and insects. This border surrounds the pictures which
illustrate the text. Always the marvellous colour, the astounding skill
in laying it on to the vellum pages, an unforgettable lesson in the
possibility of colour applied effectively to costumes, when background
is kept in mind. This Breviary was bound in green velvet and clasped
with hand-wrought silver, for Cardinal Rodrigue de Castro (1520-1600) of
Spain. It is now in the private collection of Mr. Morgan. The cover
alone gives one great emotion, genuine ancient velvet of the sixteenth
century, to imitate which taxes the ingenuity of the most skilful of
modern manufacturers.

CHAPTER III

HOW TO DRESS YOUR TYPE

_A Few Points Applying to All Costumes_

Needless to say, when considering woman's costumes, for ordinary use, in
their relation to background, unless some chameleon-like material be
invented to take on the colour of _any_ background, one must be content
with the consideration of one's own rooms, porches, garden, opera-box or
automobile, etc. For a gown to be worn when away from home, when
lunching, at receptions or dinners, the first consideration must be
_becomingness_,--a careful selection of line and colour that bring out
the individuality of the wearer. When away from one's own setting,
personality is one of the chief assets of every woman. Remember,
individuality is nature's gift to each human being. Some are more
markedly different than others, but we have all seen a so-called
colourless woman transformed into surprising loveliness w