rosy, nor to those that have a tint of orange mixed with brown, because the red they add to this tint will be of a brick-red hue. In the latter case a dark green will be less objectionable than a delicate green. Yellow drapery :-Yellow imparts violet to a fair skin, and in this view it is less favourable than the delicate green. To those skins which are more yellow than orange, it imparts white; but this combination is very dull and heavy for a fair complexion. When the skin is tinted more with orange than yellow, we can make it roseate by neutralising the yellow. It produces this effect upon the black-haired type, and it is thus that it suits brunettes. Violet draperies :--Violet, the complementary of yellow, produces contrary effects; thus, it imparts some greenish-yellow to fair complexions. It augments the yellow tint of yellow and orange skins. The little blue there may be in a complexion it makes green. Violet, then, is one of the least favourable colours to the skin, at least when it is not sufficiently deep to whiten it by contrast of tone. Blue drapery-Blue imparts orange, which is susceptible of allying itself favourably to white and the light flesh tints of fair complexions, which have already a more or less determined tint of this colour. Blue is, then, suitable to most blondes, and in this case justifies its reputation. It will not suit brunettes, since they have already too much of orange. Orange drapery :Orange is too brilliant to be elegant; it makes fair complexions blue, whitens those which have an orange tint, and gives a green hue to those of a yellow tint. White drapery :-Drapery of a lustreless white, such as cambric muslin, assorts well with a fresh complexion, of which it relieves the rose colour; but it is unsuitable to complexions which have a disagreeable tint, because white always exalts all colours by raising their tone; consequently it is unsuitable to those skins which, without having this disagreeable tint, very nearly approach it. Very light white draperies, such as muslin, plaited or point lace, have an entirely different aspect-appearing more grey than white, because the threads, which reflect light, and the interstices, which

absorb it, produce the effect of a mixture of small white surfaces with small black ones. Black drapery:-Black draperies, lowering the tone of the colours with which they are in juxtaposition, whiten the skin; but if the vermilion or rosy parts are to a certain point distant from the drapery, it will follow that, although lowered in tone, they appear relatively to the white parts of the skin contiguous to this same drapery, redder than if the contiguity to the black did not exist."

In regard to ladies' bonnets, it is generally supposed that a great deal, if not the main part, of the effect is produced by the colour of the bonnet being thrown or reflected upon the face. M. Chevreul, after experimenting, in his usual painstaking way, with various coloured bonnets upon white plaster-casts, found that this was a mistake, that the reflection, even under the most favourable circumstances, is very feeble, except upon the temples-and, moreover, that these reflected hues have always a tendency to produce, as they pass into the ordinary daylight, colours the very opposite of themselves; so that when rosecolour is reflected upon the face, a space lightly tinged with green will intervene between it and the parts of the face illuminated directly by the daylight. As for any reflected tints falling upon the face while the present fashion lasts, the thing is impossible; for the bonnets are placed so far off the face-or rather, we should say, off the head-that any reflected tints can fall only on the hair. Here is M. Chevreul's catalogue raisonnée of head-dresses in relation to fair and dark complexions; and it will be strange indeed, gentlest of readers, if you do not find "a love of a bonnet" that will just suit you in the list here presented.

FAIR-HAIRED TYPE.

"A black bonnet with white feathers, with white, rose or red flowers, suits a fair complexion.

A lustreless white bonnet does not suit well with fair and

rosy complexions. It is otherwise with bonnets of gauze, crape, or lace; they are suitable to all complexions. The white bonnet may have flowers, either white, rose, or particularly blue.

A light-blue bonnet is particularly suitable to the lighthaired type; it may be ornamented with white flowers, and in many cases with yellow and orange flowers, but not with rose or violet flowers.

A green bonnet is advantageous to fair or rosy complexions. It may be trimmed with white flowers, but preferably with rose.

A rose-coloured bonnet must not be too close to the skin ; and if it is found that the hair does not produce sufficient separation, the distance from the rose-colour may be increased by means of white, or green, which is preferable. A wreath of white flowers in the midst of their leaves has a good effect.

I shall not advise the use of a light or deep red bonnet, except when the painter desires to diminish too warm a tint in the complexion.

Finally, the painter should never prescribe either yellow or orange-coloured bonnets, and be very reserved in the use of

violet.

TYPE WITH BLACK HAIR.

A black bonnet does not contrast so well with the ensemble of the type with black hair, as with the other type; yet it may produce a good effect, and receive advantageously accessories of white, red, rose, orange, and yellow.

A white bonnet gives rise to the same remarks as those which have been made concerning its use in connection with the blonde type, except that for brunettes it is better to give the preference to accessories of red, rose, orange, and also yellow, rather than to blue.

Bonnets of rose, red, cerise, are suitable for brunettes, when the hair separates as much as possible the bonnet from the complexion. White feathers accord well with red; and white

flowers, with abundance of leaves, have a good effect with

rose.

A yellow bonnet suits a brunette very well, and receives with advantage violet or blue accessories; the hair must always interpose between the complexion and the head-dress.

It is the same with bonnets of an orange colour more or less broken, such as chamois. Blue trimmings are eminently suitable with orange and its shades.

A green bonnet is suitable to fair and light rosy complexions; rose, red, or white flowers, are preferable to all others.

A blue bonnet is only suitable to a fair or light red complexion; nor can it be allied to such as have a tint of orangebrown. When it suits a brunette, it may take with advantage yellow or orange trimmings.

A violet bonnet is always unsuitable to every complexion, since there are none which yellow will suit. Yet, if we interpose between the violet and the skin not only the hair, but also yellow accessories, a bonnet of this colour may become favourable."

As an important memorandum, it must be added, that, whenever the colour of a bonnet does not realise the intended effect, even when the complexion is separated from the head-dress by masses of hair, it is advantageous to place between the hair and the bonnet certain accessories-such as ribbons, wreaths, or detached flowers-of a colour complementary to that of the bonnet, in the way above prescribed for the violet bonnet; and the same colour must also be placed on the outside of the bonnet.

These hints, thus thrown out primarily for the benefit of the ladies, are calculated to be of use also to portrait-painters,—to that class of artists whose peculiar province and happy fortune it is to copy and transmit to posterity those types of female loveliness which, in the richness of bodily presence, earth can but retain for a too brief season. The method of bringing out a colour by contrast, ought in a peculiar manner to fix the

attention of such artists. Many a lady's portrait has been spoiled, and a poor instead of a lovely effect produced, from a want of tasteful selection in the colours of the dress or of the background. The first thing the portrait-painter has to do, is to find the predominating colour in the complexion he has to paint; and that once found, and faithfully reproduced on his canvass, he must seek out the accessories best fitted to give value to it. This is often no easy matter,-so many are the varieties of complexion, blending into each other by invisible shades, which lie between the two extreme types of dark and fair. No rule can be devised that will guide him here: the artist must be able to judge for himself. It is for him to judge whether the dominant tint of a complexion ought to be exalted, or diminished, or wholly neutralised. And if he choose to weaken it, he must judge also whether this will be best done by using a drapery of the same colour as the complexion, but of a deeper tone; or whether he should oppose to the complexion a drapery of its complementary colour, taken at a sufficiently high tone, so as to produce the effect of weakening at once by a contrast of colour and a contrast of tone.

Colour is so beautiful an object as to be specially suitable for being much used in the portraits of the fair sex, with whom beauty is almost always the greatest charm. But with men it is different. Thought, as old Anacreon long ago sung, is as much the characteristic of the rougher sex as loveliness is of the gentler one; and to represent the simple majesty of Mind, nothing is better than black or dark colours, which serve to concentrate the eye of the spectator upon the head alone. Indeed, as our farewell suggestion to portrait-painters, we would observe, that the attention of the spectator is always led away from the face in exact proportion to the number of colours and accessories in the rest of the picture. Hence the rule may be laid down, that if the model has a physiognomy which recommends itself neither by the beauty nor by the expression of its features-and still more, if there is a natural