set off her person to the greatest advantage."

Passing from the generalities of female dress and coming to particular
descriptions thereof, here is an account of the costuming of the
ladies who assembled at court to congratulate his majesty George II.
and his queen, Caroline, on their nuptials: "The ladies were variously
dressed, though with all the richness and grandeur imaginable; many
of them had their heads dressed English, of fine Brussels lace of
exceeding rich patterns, made up on narrow wire and small round rolls,
and the hair pinned to large puff-caps, and but a few without powder;
some few had their hair curled down on the sides; pink and silver,
white and gold, were the general knots worn. There was a vast number
of Dutch heads, their hair curled down in short curls on the sides and
behind, all very much powdered, with ribbands frilled on their heads,
variously disposed; and some had diamonds set on ribbands on their
heads; laced tippets were pretty general, and some had ribbands
between the frills; treble-lace ruffles were universally worn, though
abundance had them not tacked up. Their gowns were either gold stuffs
or rich silks, with either gold or silver flowers, or pink or white
silks, with either gold or silver nets or trimmings; the sleeves to
the gowns were middling (not so short as formerly), and wide, and
their facings and robings broad; several had flounced sleeves and
petticoats and gold or silver fringe set on the flounces; some had
stomachers of the same sort as the gown, others had large bunches of
made flowers at their breasts; the gowns were variously pinned, but
in general flat, the hoops French, and the petticoats of a moderate
length, and a little slope behind. The ladies were exceedingly
brilliant likewise in jewels; some had them in their necklaces and
ear-rings, others with diamond solitaires to pearl necklaces of three
or four rows; some had necklaces of diamonds and pearls intermixed,
but made up very broad; several had their gown-sleeves buttoned with
diamonds, others had diamond sprigs in their hair, etc. The ladies'
shoes were exceeding rich, being either pink, white, or green silk,
with gold or silver lace braid all over, with low heels and low
hind-quarters and low flaps, and abundance had large diamond
shoe-buckles."

The preposterous hooped petticoats which ladies wore out of doors
subjected them to the good-natured banter of the wits of the time. One
of these sallies, whic