The American Boy's Handy Book/Chapter 42
In 1876 quite a large party were returning from New Orleans to St. Louis on board the largest of Mississippi steamers. Every night was devoted to merriment, in which all joined, passengers and officers. One morning, large posters, made with colored chalk on brown paper, and hung at both ends of the cabin, announced a grand masquerade as the programme for the evening.
As a rule, masquerade costumes are not to be found aboard Mississippi River steamers, yet, that evening, when the band struck up a march, every stateroom door opened, and from each doorway issued some queer or fantastic figure. One costume in particular was so simple, and yet so complete, as to be noteworthy. A boy had taken two sheets from his berth, and, by wrapping one around each leg, fastening them at the ankles with strings and at the waist with a shawl-strap, made quite a presentable pair of Turkish pants. The shawl-strap, worn with the handle in front, had the appearance of an odd-looking double belt; a pair of white stockings, drawn over a pair of slippers and the bottom of the pants, answered for white boots; his shirt served as a white waist. A sheet hanging from his shoulders, after the manner of a cape or shawl, combined, with a turban made of a towel, to give a decided Arab look. The boy's face and hair had been made snowy white by an application of flour.
The disguise was complete, and the costume pronounced by all to be the very best in the cabin. In a similar manner many characters may be personated, and the costume made up of such material as can be found about home.
Many proposed tableaux, masquerade, or parlor play is abandoned because the costumes necessary are either unattainable or altogether too expensive.
There is "lots of fun" to be had at entertainments of this kind and for fear that my reader might miss some such opportunity to have a "good time," this chapter is devoted to describing two or three costumes, and showing how first-class character dresses can be made without an expenditure of money.
can be clothed with modern garments altered to suit the occasion. Tights are necessary, and may be made of an ordinary suit of knit underclothes (Fig. 238) by the addition of a little trimming and a pair of trunks to cover the top part of the drawers. But let us commence at the top of the man and work down, describing each article of dress in the order in which it comes.
Soak an old felt hat thoroughly in hot water; put it over the top of some blunt-ended object, a bed-post, for instance, and, grasping the brim with both hands, pull down steadily and firmly until the crown becomes elongated to the proportions of the ones belonging to the hats worn by the clowns in the circuses (Fig. 239). In stretching the hat be very careful not to tear the felt. Turn the brim up in the back and pull it down in front.
Fasten a long feather of any kind, a chicken or turkey feather will answer, to the back of the hat, and let the plume droop over the front, as shown by Fig. 240.
To make this you will probably have to ask your mother's or sister's assistance. Induce one of them to make a cloth skull-cap of the shape shown by Fig. 241. Cover, and sew to this cap Spanish moss or "curled horse-hair," such as is used by upholsterers (Fig. 242). Cotton or excelsior will make very respectable wigs when nicely arranged and sewed on to neatly fitting skull-caps (Figs. 243 and 244).
can be made of white or black cotton, fastened to the face with a little mucilage.
to be in keeping with the mediæval hat, must fit quite closely, and an ordinary knit undershirt is just the thing, especially if Image missingFig. 245.The Doublet. it be a bright-colored garment. At the neck fasten a broad white collar, a piece of lace or a ruff, borrowed for the occasion from some lady friend. From the same source procure a large bow of ribbons to fasten at the throat and conceal the band and button on the front of the shirt. If ruffs or lace cuffs be added to the sleeves, the doublet will be complete, and the shirt so disguised that no one will suspect its true character (see Fig. 245).
Take any pair of old pants and cut them off at the knees; if they are a trifle too large for you, they will make all the better trunks.
Let the same lady friend that made the skull-cap, hem the bottom of the pants. The hem should be strong enough to hold strings within for drawing the bottoms tightly around the limbs (Fig. 246).
If you do not wish to impose too much upon the good nature of your lady friends, you may put the strings in the pants yourself after the manner shown by Fig. 247.
Half a dozen slashes cut in the trunks through which some bright-colored cloth is allowed to show, adds greatly to the general appearance.
A pair of knit drawers arranged with straps that pull the bottoms of the drawers over the insteps and heels of the feet, make as good a pair of tights when worn with trunks as any that can be rented from the costumer, and they are much more pleasant to wear than the often uncleanly hired garments (Fig. 248).
First put on your stockings; then pull on the tights, allowing the straps to fit under the foot. Next put on the trunks, and pull the bottom of the legs of the latter garment up as high as possible, draw the strings and tie them tightly, this will make the trunks puff out and spread open the slashes. Next put on the doublet, and allow it to fall outside the trunks. Slippers or low shoes should be worn.
A friend and myself once made a couple of suits like the one just described, using red knit underclothes for tights and white flannel pants slashed with red for trunks. Red-covered shoes and red feathers in our hats completed the costumes, which were exactly alike in every particular. So closely did we resemble each other when masked and dressed in these home-made garments, that our most intimate friends were unable to distinguish one from the other.
is a mirth-provoking disguise when well personated. To transform yourself into a baby, remove your coat and vest, and, after procuring two long white skirts, fasten one at your waist, and let the waist-band of the other come just under your Image missingFig. 249.The Baby. arms, so that this skirt will fall over the first one adjusted. Let some one tuck up your shirtsleeves to the shoulder, and run ribbons through them and out at the neck, tying the ends in bows at the shoulders. To do this, the shirt must be opened at the throat and the collar-band tucked under; this makes a low neck and short sleeves. A broad sash passed around under the arms and tied in a large bow-knot looks very baby-like (Fig. 249). The head should be covered with a hood. The latter can be made of a piece of white cloth, or a large handkerchief folded in the following manner:
Fig. 250 represents the handkerchief. Take the corners A and B and fold them under, as shown by Fig. 251. Allowing the handkerchief to rest flat upon a table, turn the corners made by the fold over as you would in making a paper hat; this will give you Fig. 252. Again proceed as you would in manufacturing a paper hat, and turn the bottom CD up over AB; roll this bottom piece up and over about three times (Fig. 253). Pick up the handkerchief by the ends C and D, and you will have Fig. 254, a pretty and complete baby-hood, which, when it is put on the head, and the ends C and D tied under the chin, will conceal the hair, and besides adding to the baby look, it will help to disguise the person wearing it.
Thus, I might go on until next year, telling how to make all manner of costumes; but I have sufficient confidence in boys to believe that, as a rule, they only need a hint or two to start them in any project, and that their own ingenuity will carry them through. So far I have carried my descriptions of boyish pastimes through the seasons, and I now halt at the recurrence of spring; not, believe me, for lack of matter, for suggestion breeds suggestion, until there seems to be no end, and my greatest difficulty has been to avoid devoting too great a space to any one topic.
No boy need hope to achieve success as a manufacturer of any of the objects described in this book unless he carefully reads the description and masters the details. Remember that even in sports and plays no slipshod, careless, and partial effort can avoid failure. As a rule, the best and most earnest worker is the liveliest and heartiest companion.
It is not without regret that the author bids farewell; and if the reader of this book derive half the enjoyment from the perusal that the author has from the writing, then the book is not a failure; and if what little that has been said encourage and help any boys—be they few or many—to appreciate, love, and enter into all sensible sports, as every true American boy should, then has this book fulfilled its mission.