Describes the dancers at a dancing place near Luxembourg in Paris. Transcription: embourg. Twas partly a covered one, decorated with lamps, but having arbours and shady paths, a good orchestra, and plenty of musicians and dancers. The price of entrance to men a franc, girls being admitted free. The scene was immensely amusing, as we, seating ourselves round the base of a pillar, the top of which was ornamented with lamps and flowers, were soon in the midst of a Maelstrom of dancers. How they danced! Swaying the body, in and out, never a collision, always dexterity, sometimes grace, sometimes
Describes the dancers at a dancing place near Luxembourg in Paris. Transcription: embourg. Twas partly a covered one, decorated with lamps, but having arbours and shady paths, a good orchestra, and plenty of musicians and dancers. The price of entrance to men a franc, girls being admitted free. The scene was immensely amusing, as we, seating ourselves round the base of a pillar, the top of which was ornamented with lamps and flowers, were soon in the midst of a Maelstrom of dancers. How they danced! Swaying the body, in and out, never a collision, always dexterity, sometimes grace, sometimes grotesquerie, sometimes down right absurdity. Girls holding up their dresses, (of which they appeared very careful,) girls with dark hair, light hair, thick hair, scanty hair, wild hair, and no-hair-to speak of altogether. Good featured, slim, and dissipated young fellows, big beards, little beards, no beards, mustachious fierce and amiable, heads shorn a la convict, and hair sweeping the shoulders! Very wide trousers and very tight ones, ? all in rapid oscillation. I saw no bad dancers, and certainly never witnessed aught like this Ball-display. Very few can-can peculiarities were indulged in, there were no masters of the Ceremonies, and only one slight row. We heard a feminine squeak, and were told that one girl another had assaulted her another but 'twas over in a moment, I think the combatants were expelled. Soldiers were present to keep order. Most of the girls present were grisettes, shop-girls, modistes, and the like, some there were doubtless of looser life, but you+?-?-?d see a mother bring her daughters here, holding their shawls while they danced. You saw very few really handsome faces, but many lively and agreeable ones. Frenchwomen are not so pretty as are En- Title: Thomas Butler Gunn Diaries: Volume 7, page 96, June 17, 1855 . 17 June 1855. Gunn, Thomas Butler, 1826-1903
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