Wenzel, a maker of artificial flowers in various materials, who received an award at the Industrial Exhibition in 1802, sold very admirable specimens of his art, and greatly contributed to the success of artificial flowers when employed for the dress or hair. Flowers were worn mingled with braids of false hair. Philippe de la Renaudière dubbed these “the offspring of imposture.” Campenon, in his “Maison des Champs,” exclaimed,— “Oui, loin des champs, il est une autre Flore, Que l’art fait naître et que Paris adore ... Sur ces bouquets méconnus des zephirs, Un pinceau sûr adroitemont dépose L’or du genêt, le carmin de la rose, Ou de l’iris nuance les saphirs; Puis on les voit dans nos folles orgies, Au sein des bals, loin des feux du soleil, S’épanouir aux rayons des bougies. L’art applaudit à leur éclat vermeil; Mais sur ces fleurs, enfants d’une autre Flore, Je cherche en vain les pleurs d’une autre Aurore.”[56] The art of flower-making has made some progress since 1738 and 1802, and it may be said that artificial flowers are indispensable to an elegant costume. The Empire was the period of “toquets” in embroidered tulle. Horace Vernet, the great painter, although very young in 1813, has portrayed “Les Dames de Paris” in the reign of the first Napoleon. Nothing seems to us more hideous than their hats and feathers, their sleeves tight to the wrist, and the embroidery on their gowns. Mme. de Staël’s “Corinne” turned the heads of the fair sex in 1807 and 1808. They assumed an inspired expression, fancied themselves on Italian shores, played on the harp, and wore scarfs that floated with every breeze. The fashions of the Empire have been much, yet on one important point, perhaps, not sufficiently criticized. We allude to the use of stays, which came in with the winter of 1809, and have held their place ever since, in spite of all the sarcasm that has been lavished on those mechanical aids to dress. By way of compensation, the Empire gave us Cashmere shawls, first brought into France at the time of our Egyptian expedition (1798-1802). Previously to that, Tippoo-Saïb had included shawls among the gifts he had sent to Louis XVI.; but they were not generally worn until later. Piis wrote the following lines on the subject:— “D’ailleurs, ces schalls si solides, Que vous portez à l’envi, A des Arabes perfides De ceintures ont servi. Ah! de ces tissus profanes Comme à mon tour je rirai, Si le goût des caravanes Par eux vous est inspiré.”[57] Cashmere shawls are so called from the capital of a province in Asia, within the territories of the Great Mogul. About 100,000 shawls were made yearly in Kashmir.