The Ypres Times.
163
Sunday Illustrated.
The Pageant at the Albert Hall was one of the
most gorgeous I have ever seen. Such a riot of
fantastic colour. Princess Astafieya, as the Queen
of Sheba, had a dress the skirt of which was just a
cascade of shimmering jewels. It had a breast
plate of diamonds, and an enormous long train of
gold, a head-dress of peacock feathers, and a high
coronet of sparkling gems.
Dacia, the dancer, wore a wonderful frock of
purple made with a swathed effect, and a head-dress
with large glittering side ornaments. Among others
I noticed were Lady Newnes, who made a most
realistic Queen Phillipa, and Miss Catherine Cal
vert, who, as Maya, had a most effective gown of
iridescent white with a striped corsage.
Liver/too! Echo.
Many modern dancers saw the stately measure
of the old quadrilles for the first time in the early
hours of this morning as one of the features of the
Ypres ball.
Lady Newnes reproduced the quadrille, from
Queen Victoria fancy dress ball in 1842, and the
grace of the eight couples who took part in the
old-fashioned square delighted the revellers,
who had just-previously been indulging in the fox
trot. Lady Newnes herself represented Queen
Phillipa of Hainault, and was partnered by Lord
William Cecil as King Edward III. Sir Frank
Newnes appeared as a courier of the 17th century;
Viscount and Viscountess Falkland figured in the
garb of two of their ancestorsand Lord and Lady
E. Ossulston were in 18th century dress.
The costumes seemed to fit the stately movements
of the figures, and formed as striking a contrasts to
modern fancy attire as was the quadrille to present-
day dancing.
The Dundee Advertiser.
The Albert Hall presented an extraordinary
brilliant spectacle on the occasion of the Ypres Ball.
The hall was decorated with the old divisional war
time signs and colours. The Earl of Ypres and
General Sir William and Lady Pulteney were
among the notable people present, and the function
was a meeting ground for many members of divi
sions with experience of service in the salient during
the war. A feature of the evening was the brilliant
pageant of Eastern Queens, which had involved a
great deal of trouble and preparation. Some par
ticularly lovely gowns were worn, a notable one
being that of the Queen of Sheba, whose approach
was heralded by the Star of the East, which at a
given signal rose in the property sky, and con
tinued to grow until it became a fully fledged flood
light. This was then focussed on Her Majesty
as she sat on the great throne that had been
specially erected for her, surrounded by her attend
ant Eastern Queen9. Lady Diana Duff Gordon,
who was to have appeared as Helen of Troy,"
was unable to be present, and her part was taken
by that really fine actress Mary Merrall. Quite the
sensation of the evening, however, was Princess
Astafieva's appearance as the Queen of Sheba.
There were many other attractions and excellently
thought-out arrangements for the comfort of
dancers, but the pageant of Queens will live longest
in every one's memory.
Yorkshire Observers
Pageantry on an ambitious scale marked the
Ypres Ball, which took place at the Royal Albert
Hall last night in aid of the funds of the Ypres
League, one of the most deserving of service organ
isations which, as its latest object, aims at the
establishment of a club-house and hostel at Ypres.
The function formed a great reunion for many of
those who served in the famous salient, and it was
given a war character by the use of the old divi
sional marks and colours for decorative purposes.
There were two distinct pageants during the ball,
one a revival under the direction of Lady Newnes,
of the quadrille which took place at Queen
Victoria's fancy dress ball eighty years ago, and
the other The Pageant of Eastern Queens," a
series of tableaux of Oriental splendour which' pro
vided some magnificent pictures.
Liverpool Echo.
Time was tilted back some thousands of years
last night and this morning in the Albert Hall,
London, where a magnificent Eastern revel under
the name of the Ypres Ball was held.
Biblical, historical and mythical men and women
from Solomon to Sinbad gathered in their gorgeous
oriental dresses—a shimmering, blazing kaleido
scope of colour that never ceased shifting until the
hours of the morning.
There was distinct originality in many of the
costumes. One intrepid man in evening dress and
a red bow carried a milk bottle, and labelled him
self Mr. Scrounger from Dundee." The
pageant of the Eastern queens of the ancient
world the feature of the eveningopened about
midnight.
Princess Astafieva, who escaped from Russia
after the revolution, took the part of the Queen
of Sheba, the central figure in the pageant. Her
headdress of brilliants and peacock feathers
measured 8ft. from side to side, and her train, five
