The Irish Bomfords

Lady's Pictorial February 23, 1889

Our Irish Letter page 251

........So numerous have been the parties, balls , and "at homes" in
Dublin and its vicinity, that I must be pardoned if I fail to make
mention of a tenth, or twentieth, part of them. The beginning of the
week was made miserable by half a foot of frozen snow on the ground,
and an atmosphere rather below zero - but, in spite of these
discomforts, pleasure-seekers were not be disappointed, and a very
large crowd of guests assembled on Monday night at Greenville, Upper
Rathmines, to partake of the hospitality so freely dispensed by Mr. and
Mrs. Henry R. Emerson. The floor was in perfect order, the Gasparro
Brothers supplied the music, the supper was hot and abundant, and, to
crown all, there was an imposing number of pretty girls, chic matrons,
and enthusiastically-inclined dancing men. Indeed it seems to me as if
there was a feeling among hostesses that a time had at length come to
exclude the doorway ornament, staircase impediment, and supper-room
"sneak" - and I think the Dublin lady who issued blue tickets for the
refreshment-room and pink for the more substantially-provided
apartment, and presented the former to the brigade who "could, you
know, but didn't care to" deserved the applause of her long-suffering
but less courageous sisterhood. Mrs. Emerson's house was very prettily
set out for a party, every inch of space being utilised, and made
comfortable with warm upholstering and draping - while the conservatory
off the dancing salon formed a pleasant lounge for those to whome
exercise imparted an undue amount of warmth. The hostess looked
extremely well in rose-coloured satin, with sashes and shoulder drapery
of Chartreuse striped gauze: a costume eminently becoming to her tall
and well-moulded figure. Mrs Leech was, I thought, next best-dressed
woman in the room. She wore a gown of soft black silk, veiled with
clouds of tulle, and trimmed around the skirt and shoulders with a
double row of pink roses without foliage; long black silk sash, and
pink suede gloves. Miss Dunne wore a charming frock of amber tulle,
dotted all over with minute knots of amber and ruby gauze-and-velvet
ribbon: ruby velvet bodice, and mixed aigrette in her hair. Miss Ward
looked very handsome in grey net, with chocolate trimmings; and Mrs
Warren in black, and [deleted in ink], in white beaded satin,
were largely in request among the dancers.

On Tuesday, Mrs Plunkett,.......