Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library 
 Gift of Seymour B. Durst Old York Library 
 
i 
 
NYMPHS AND SATYR. 
 
 By W. A. BOUGUEREAU. 
 
FIFTH AVENUE /^MADISON SQUARE, 
 
 JlEWYQf\K.eiTY! 
 
HE PAPER WAS ESPECIALLY MADE FOR THIS BOOK BY 
 
 HENRY LINDENMEYR, N. Y. 
 
 "yHE INK WAS MANUFACTURED EXPRESSLY FOR THIS BOOK BY 
 
 J. H. BONNELL & CO., N. Y. 
 
 THE PRESS-WORK WAS EXECUTED ON 
 
 CAMPBELL BOOK PRESSES. 
 
 Copyrighted 1885 
 by 
 
 EDWARD S. STOKES. 
 
 PUBLISHED BY 
 THE PHOTO-ENGRAVING COMPANY, 
 67 & G9 PARK PLACE, 
 NEW YORK. 
 
PREFACE 
 
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IReminiscences. 
 
 RIOR to the year 1830, the business portion of New York and most of 
 its fashionable residences were below Canal Street. The favorite drive 
 ended at a little road-house familiarly known as Corporal Thompson's, 
 on the corner of Broadway and Twenty-Third Street, and on rare 
 occasions an excursion was made as far as the Harlem River. There 
 were no street cars, but few omnibuses, and two or three ferries. The old Park 
 Theatre was the principal place of amusement, and the gray-haired sire still re- 
 lates with pleasure how he witnessed the performances there of Cooke, Kean, For- 
 rest, Booth, YVallack, Conway, Matthews, and the celebrated Malibran, who made 
 her first appearance in America when seventeen years of age. He may also 
 mention the fact, that the first marble-fronted building erected in New York was 
 the City Hall, and that a strong prejudice existed against the use of this material for build- 
 ing purposes which was not removed for many years. Even when it was conquered, brown 
 stone became the fashionable color, only to give place in turn to the present structures in 
 brick, which, independent of old conventional forms, fascinate the fancy by their freshness, 
 piquancy, and daring of design. This peculiarity may be observed on one of the facades 
 of the Hoffman House, which, in point of picturesque beauty, is the equal of any in the city. 
 
 The Press of New York in 1830 consisted of less than fifty journals (all included), chief 
 among them being the Commercial Advertiser, Evening Post, Morning Courier, New York 
 Enquirer, Journal of Commerce, Standard, Porter s Spirit of the Times, Morris Cf Willis s 
 Mirror, and the Knickerbocker Magazine. Irving, Cooper, Bryant, Paulding, Sims, and Fay 
 were then young men, and just beginning to win their literary laurels. The dailies were all 
 six-penny journals, and were distributed only to regular subscribers. The first penny news- 
 paper was The Sun, which was issued in 1833 by Benjamin H. Day. The Herald was first 
 published in 1835 under the auspices of James Gordon Bennett and Anderson & Smith, 
 a printing firm in Ann Street. This establishment was soon after destroyed by fire, when 
 Mr. Bennett became the sole proprietor. The New York Express was issued by James 
 and Erastus Brooks in the same year, and in 1841 the Tribune was published under the 
 management of Horace Greeley and Henry J. Raymond. Mr. Raymond, who began his 
 editorial career on a yearly salary of five hundred dollars, left the paper two years after to 
 form a connection with the Courier and Enquirer. In 185 1 Mr. Raymond issued the first 
 number of the New York Dailv Times. 
 
SINE of the most disastrous events of the early history of this city, was the 
 ?1 great fire of 1835, which, breaking out in the lower part of the city in one 
 ?& of the coldest nights of winter, raged for three days, destroying 648 houses 
 and stores, and property to the value of $ 1 8,000,000. This calamity was followed in 1837 
 by a period of commercial distress, resulting from the suspension of the United States Bank. 
 The reaction, however, was rapid, and trade soon became as brisk as before. About this 
 time the steamships " Sirius," " Great Western," " British Queen," the pioneers of the present 
 magnificent ocean fleets, first reached our shores. 
 
 Croton water was introduced into the city in October, 1842, and the first line of mag- 
 netic telegraph opened to New York, Philadelphia and Washington, in 1845. During this 
 year another devastating fire occurred in the vicinity of Wall Street, destroying several 
 millions of dollars' worth of property. 
 
 Among the local events that will be remembered, are the Astor Place riot in May, 
 1849, when Macready, the tragedian, was mobbed while performing Macbeth ; the first 
 appearance of Jenny Lind in Castle Garden in 1850; the visits of Parodi, Catharine Hayes, 
 Sontag, Alboni, Grisi, Rachel, Thackeray and the patriot Kossuth ; the trial of Ericsson's 
 caloric ship ; the Grinnel expedition to the Arctic regions in 1849 ! tne opening of the 
 World's Fair in 1853 in Reservoir Park; the burning in 185S of the Crystal Palace, in which 
 the fair was held, and the sojourn of Franconi's Hippodrome in the space opposite the 
 present site of the Hoffman House. 
 
 Central Park was purchased in 1856, at a cost of five and a half millions of dollars ; 
 and the work of transforming this barren tract of land, two miles long and half a mile wide, 
 was begun in 1858, and with its lakes, drives and promenades, its forests and flowers, its 
 architectural designs, memorial statues and rural adornments, compares favorably to-day with 
 any similar resort in the world. 
 
 It would be interesting to dwell on the many accessory incidents that belong to this 
 portion of the history of New York, suffice it to say, that in the changes which have taken 
 place, the imprints of improvement are everywhere visible ; we see them in the construction 
 of massive works, in our elevated railroads, museums of art, churches, palatial homes, col- 
 leges, bridges, ferries, etc., etc.; yet, in all we have enumerated, nothing demonstrates more 
 clearly and forcibly the growing taste and culture of the American people than the increasing 
 and imperative demand for modern Hotel accommodation, where those of cultured taste can 
 enjoy all the comforts, elegance, and luxuries of life. 
 
Fsrst Prize Paris Exposition (88l. 
 
 EVE. 
 
 Marhlt Sto/n,- by Ball. 
 
Qhe Doffman Douse. 
 
 HE owners of the Hoffman and Livingston estates in i860 determined 
 on the erection of the Hotel that now bears the name of "Hoffman." 
 and selecting a number of lots on the corner of Broadway and Fifth 
 Avenue, built the stately structure that has since become known as one 
 of the most palatial establishments of the kind in the United States. It 
 was formally opened to the public in 1864 by Messrs. Read, Wall, & Co., Daniel Howard 
 being the company. Two years later, owing to illness, Mr. Howard retired, and was succeeded 
 by Messrs. Mitchell & Read, and, on the termination of the lease in 1871. Mr. Read became 
 the sole proprietor and so remained until the accession of Mr. Ed. S. Stokes to the firm in 1881. 
 
 The Hoffman House in 1864 contained two hundred and twelve rooms. Five years later, 
 two houses on West Twenty-fourth Street were added. In 1870 it was found that the accommo- 
 dations were still inadequate, and the mansions on Twenty-fifth Street were joined to the hotel. 
 In 1876 the same difficult)' existed, and two more houses, with forty rooms, were taken in. In 1882 
 Mr. Stokes suggested the idea of doubling the capacity of the Hotel by the 
 erection of an eight-story fire-proof building directly communicating i ~^wMwimiiunimii 
 
 on Twenty-fifth Street with the one already existing on Broadway. DfflS 
 
 Q r^'l'' BMP 
 
UFFICE it to say the annex is now complete and presents one of the handsomest 
 specimens of architecture to be found in this city, and is recognized by all 
 travelers as not only the most comfortable but attractive Hotel in the world. 
 The style of architecture of the Hoffman House is the Italian Renaissance. The first 
 story is of Belleville stone, the light brown shade of which is in pleasing contrast to the 
 prevailing color elsewhere ; the second story is also principally of stone, but here and there 
 begins a variety of ornamentation in brick and terra cotta, that gives a diversified aspect to 
 the entire facade of the building. In the third story, brick is generally introduced, with stone 
 trimmings to the windows, carved in grotesque and fancy shapes. The other stories are 
 repetitions of the first ; each, however, being different from the other in the matter of dec- 
 oration, until we reach the seventh and eighth stories, which are finished with terra cotta 
 panels and fancy brick designs worked into and around the windows, the openings of the 
 latter being lined with stone. The cornice is also of stone, and presents a broken outline 
 that conforms to the style of the architecture. Three lines of bay windows extend from the 
 ground floor to the roof, and indicate the presence of parlors on the different stories. 
 
 Zhc jftrst jfloor. 
 
 The main or central entrance, on Twenty-fifth Street, opens in a hall and vestibule sixteen 
 feet wide and thirty feet long, and connects with the main hall, which runs parallel with the 
 length of the building, directly opposite the principal staircase. The latter is constructed of 
 iron and marble, and ascends in consecutive flisfhts to the eighth floor. On the rig-fit of the 
 hall is the first suite of apartments, consisting of parlors and toilet rooms. On the left is 
 the office, reception rooms, etc. A bay window projects from the front, and the room is fitted 
 in hard wood, and frescoed and adorned with choice works of art. Back of these rooms, and 
 to the west of the main office on Broadway, are the Banquet Hall and the Ladies' Dining- 
 room. 
 
TLhc /Ifoain Entrance on Broafcwa^ 
 
 HIS entrance, probably the most noticeable of any hotel in the metropolis, 
 is characterized by the elaborateness and beauty of its ceiling and side 
 walls, ornamented by " trophies " in relief of "Carton Pierre," decorated in 
 gold, copper and silver from the designs and under the supervision of 
 Mr. Harding, the architect. The elaborate bronzing was executed by 
 Edouard Leissner, of Fifth Avenue. 
 
TTbe Banquet fball. 
 
 RAX I) indeed is this magnificent room, being about 60 feet square and 26 
 feet high, and far surpasses in dignity and beauty anything of the kind in 
 this country, and may be favorably compared with any room used for sim- 
 ilar purposes abroad. 
 
 The architecture and decorations of this room are pure Romanesque, 
 with elaborate carving and painting, and nothing has been spared to make the ensemble 
 perfect. The room is divided into three parts by two massive arcades of three arches each, 
 inclosing a space of about 30 x 60 feet. 
 
 The ceiling of the main division of the room, supported by massive beams of prima 
 vera wood, and gold dividing it into panels, is a rich blue upon silver, with a bold orna- 
 mental band of ivory white on either side. 
 
 Reference to the cut will show the general treatment of the walls, which are covered 
 down to the springing of the arches with solid gold — except the upper band of ornament, 
 which is perforated for purposes of ventilation — upon which is painted the figures and the 
 spandrel ornaments. 
 
 Next below the perforated band is a broad cove on which are painted allegorical figures, 
 treated decoratively, with a background of arabesque, representing subjects suitable to the 
 purpose of the room. The cove over the mantel, which faces one upon entering the room, 
 is occupied by an extended group of figures representing Music; the opposite cove, over the 
 entrance, has figures which suggest the occupations of the kitchen and the smoking-room. On 
 the right, as -one faces the fire-place, the cove over farthest arch has figures Fishing; the cove 
 next towards the entrance has a representation of Wine, while the nearest cove has a sug- 
 gestion of hunting. On the left, taking the spaces over the arches in reverse order, beginning 
 with the one nearest, one sees figures engaged with Tea and Coffee ; the next compartment 
 shows Fruit ; while the last has the commonplace but necessary Bouillon. 
 
 Below this highly decorated surface is an enriched cornice and modeled frieze in gold, 
 and the arcade with its columns and bases of prima vera. The walls of the rooms outside 
 the arcade, on both sides, are a rich golden red, and the room is lighted by da)' from windows 
 in these walls and in the end wall of the main room, and from skylights in the low ceilings 
 of the outer rooms, all of these windows and skylights being fitted with a very rich but 
 delicate mosaic of colored and opalescent glass. I he cost of this room was over $50,000. 
 
Xatoes' 2)ining 1Room, 
 
 DJOINING the Banquet Hall is the Ladies' Dining-room, which is 36 x 56 feet, 
 and is elaborately fitted with ebony and gold trimmings and a beautifully painted 
 ceiling, with floating figures on canvas, representing on the southerly side "sun- 
 rise," and on the opposite side " sunset." The walls are paneled and decorated 
 with rich gold-colored satin damask. 
 This is the ladies' favorite room, and the exquisitely decorated ceiling pays tribute to the 
 aesthetic taste of its fair patrons. Owing to its accessibility, it is not unfrequent at noon-time to 
 see the room filled with ladies who have been " out shopping." In the evening this room is 
 crowded to such an extent that it is necessary to have a table previously reserved. Here may be 
 seen the elite of New York, and the richest and most fashionable toilets of the Metropolis. 
 
 1Fmmunit£ front jfire. 
 
 The Hotel is built nearly fire-proof. The main staircase is of stone and iron, covered with 
 Parian marble, and continues to the roof. In the rear of the Hotel two lines of fire-escapes 
 extend from the roof to the basement, and there are also a number of lines of ladders communi- 
 cating with the adjoining buildings on the east and west sides of the house. In addition to these 
 precautions all the floors are deadened to the depth of three inches with cement, and the main 
 running additions are filled two feet above the floor with fire-proof material, making it impossible 
 for flames to communicate from one floor to another. Hose is always attached to the pump, 
 ready for instant service, and the employees are thoroughly drilled should an alarm take place ; 
 while automatic clocks are placed in every out-of-the-way corner which indicate to the clerks in 
 the office that the night patrol are faithfully performing their duty. In fact there is no depart- 
 ment in the Hoffman House, either in its old or new wings, upon which the proprietors have 
 bestowed greater attention than upon the facilities for the prevention of fire, and protection of 
 their guests. 
 
 Having thus completed a history of the career of the Hoffman House and its improvements, 
 it is next in order to describe, as clearly as maybe done, aided by the accompanying illustrations, 
 some of the attractive features that have given it such a strong individuality among travelers. 
 That which first strikes the eye on entering any of the several entrances is the luxuriant display 
 of vines and flowers, sending forth their grateful perfume. The office is in the rear of the vesti- 
 bule, occupying its entire width, and by reason of its location enables the clerks who may be on 
 duty to command an unobstructed view of whatever may require their attention in front. It is 
 handsomely carpeted, adorned with costly pictures, and provided with all the appliances and 
 improvements conducive to its successful management. Communication with every room and 
 department is maintained by means of speaking tubes and electric bells, while the telegraph and 
 telephone are near at hand to perform their mission in connecting the house with every portion 
 of the City. 
 
IReaMng 1Room ant> Cafe. 
 
 EYOND, to the left, and further to the rear, is the large and handsome apartment 
 appropriated to the use of those guests who may desire to read or write undis- 
 turbed by the bustle of the street ; where in summer they may enjoy the coolness 
 of an always shaded spot, and in the winter months muse in the light of an old- 
 fashioned fire-place. On one side the wall is adorned with mirrors and pictures 
 in stained glass, alternating with richly polished panels of mahogany ; near by, is a bronze vase 
 that holds a handsome palm, the long drooping leaves of which nearly touch the ceiling. In the 
 corners nearest the doors opening into the cafe are two life-size statues of Nubian Slaves, male 
 and female, supporting on their heads bunches of fruit. These figures are of wood, and said to 
 have been carved two thousand years ago. An immense moose-head, one of the handsomest 
 preservations of the kind in the city, spreads its antlers over a space several feet across, and in 
 close proximity the eye is arrested by a unique combination of the head of an Esquimaux bear 
 and skin, a sledge, and fragments of some Arctic expedition — the wooden portion being mounted 
 in silver. Under this stands an ancient Flemish strong-box, made of iron, such as was used 
 three hundred years ago for the same purpose as a modern safe. Old, rusty and battered as it is, 
 its labyrinth of bolts and bars, and substantial frame, shows that our ancestors were as desirous to 
 protect their pelf as those of the present day. In front of the great mirror which extends from 
 floor to ceiling between the two portals that introduce one to the Twenty-fourth Street side of the 
 house, resting on a table under a glass case, is an old and unique Scotch snuff-box, which is made 
 of a black-faced Scotch ram's head mounted with Scotch jewels — a duplicate of the one presented 
 to the Prince of Wales by the Free-Masons of England on his accession to the chair as Grand 
 Master of all England. 
 
 Cafe ant> Biliiaufc fl>arlor, 
 
 " The Gentlemen's Cafe" or smoking-room, is a favorite spot with the guests of the house ; 
 indeed, at all times it is a pleasant place in which to lounge at one's meals and enjoy, in undis- 
 turbed content, the sights and scenes of Broadway and Madison Square. The furniture is plain 
 and rich, the ceiling handsomely frescoed, the feet sink into the softest of carpets, the appointments 
 of the tables are elegant, waiters are in attendance who speak all the modern tongues, and the 
 cuisine and wines, which are furnished a la carte, are of a quality that leaves nothing to be desired. 
 
 Passing through this cafe, we enter the Billiard parlor, which extends from the inner corrider 
 the entire length to Broadway, occupying a space of 30 x 75 feet. The ceiling is richly frescoed ; 
 the side walls decorated and wainscotted in quartered oak ; the floor carpeted with the finest 
 English Axminster. It is furnished with six handsomely carved oak tables, manufactured 
 expressly for this room by the Brunswick- Balke-Collender Co. 
 
private EHnincHRooms. 
 
 ? EXT to the necessities of a well-appointed cuisine, the gourmet appreciates 
 the luxury of well-regulated private dining-rooms, and here the most 
 fastidious taste is displayed in the magnificent appurtenances of this 
 grand establishment. 
 Several private dining-rooms have been most lavishly furnished for the 
 accommodation of private dining and theatre parties ; each room being different 
 from the others in its decorations and upholstery. It is not alone superb glass, 
 cutlery and china that attract the attention of the guest, but the exquisite 
 taste and elaborate finish that is everywhere apparent. 
 
 The Oriental room is entirely decorated in the Eastern style — chandeliers, 
 candelabra and the subdued light of the Orient prevailing. These attractions, 
 added to the fragrance of vines and choice flowers, render the charm of these beautiful 
 apartments pleasing to the sensitive taste of the "bon vivant." 
 
 The Moorish room is a triumph of the decorator's art, the entire interior being furnished 
 in the most liberal and beautiful manner, recalling parts of the Alhambra at Grenada. The 
 appointments of this beautiful specimen of the arabesque rival in magnificence anything of 
 its kind in the world ; the sconces, hanging lights, and table furniture being expressly manu- 
 factured for this suite at a fabulous cost. 
 
 The Orange room, the " Salle de Flcurs" room, the Blue Satin room, and the Persian 
 room are also marvels of beauty. 
 
Brfoal Chambers, 
 
 HE Bridal Chambers are a suite of seven rooms, occupying the entire fronton 
 Twenty-fifth street of the floor above the parlors, arranged so that they may be 
 !(} divided into suites of two or more rooms. 
 The rooms, in their order from the one nearest Broadway, may be described as follows, viz.: 
 The first is a very delicate and cheerful Arabic room, with pale buffs, blues, and bronze colors ; 
 the next, a richer Renaissance in tones of soft red ; the third, a delicate blending of whites, gold, 
 soft red, and pale blue, with wall hangings of pale gold satin ; the fourth, white and gold, with 
 wall hangings of white satin, with pink figures embroidered in outline with gold thread ; the fifth, 
 soft blues, whites, and yellows, with hangings of India silk with pale blue figures; the sixth, 
 delicate white ornament of gold, white or robin's-egg blue, and golden olive ; the seventh, a 
 Persian treatment as of white tiles, with blues and greens. To describe the costly furniture 
 and the various stuffs and articles of vertu would require a volume. 
 
 /IfoUSlG 
 
 Not unmindful of the musical tastes of the guests, the proprietors have arranged for soft 
 instrumental music in the Grand Banquet Hall at dinner, between the hours of 6 and 8 P.M., and 
 also at supper, from 11 to 12:30. The musicians being secluded from view in a conservatory of 
 plants and flowers, lends an additional charm to the already magnificent surroundings. 
 
 ©rcbestrion, 
 
 A grand Orchestrion is located on the parlor floor for the benefit of the ladies and children. 
 It represents a strength of thirty musicians, and was made specially for the Hoffman House, 
 being an exact duplicate of the Orchestrion made for the Queen of Portugal, and the only 
 one of the kind in the United States. It is adapted for all kinds of music, with the follow- 
 ing accompaniments : Flute, oboe, clarionet, trumpets, metal stops, drum, big drum, cymbals, 
 triangle, etc. 
 
ZEbe Bat>1Room. 
 
 ONSPICUOUS among the curiosities of the City is the Bar-Room of 
 this house. The exterior entrance is on Twenty-fourth Street, and in 
 its brilliantly illuminated recess is not unlike that of many of the 
 palatial mansions of New York. Electric lights in front, and great 
 windows of glass, the colors of which are woven into exquisite pictures 
 of different designs, are the only indications that the room is not of a 
 private character. A few steps carry us to the threshold, and there 
 for a moment the visitor may pause, as he contemplates the magnificence of an establish- 
 ment the praises of which have been sung throughout the Old World and the New, — a 
 place that, but for its convivial suggestiveness and atmosphere of good fellowship, might be 
 mistaken for a cabinet of curiosities or a boudoir of art. 
 
 The room is 50 x 70 feet in dimensions, and all of its wood-work, paneling, bar, lunch 
 counters, etc., is of highly polished San Domingo mahogany of the finest quality. The ceil- 
 ing is frescoed in light colors, and the iron pillars, by which it is supported, are adorned 
 with golden vines that trail in graceful curves around their ebony sides. The floor is of 
 tessellated tile laid in small squares, and the portion occupied by the chairs and tables is 
 covered with handsome Turkish rugs. The furniture is solid and plain, and mounted in 
 accord with the prevailing style of decoration. 
 
 At each end of the long counters a small, upright cub-bear supports a standard, on the 
 top of which is a unique imitation in miniature of the old-fashioned street lamp of our fore- 
 fathers ; on the corresponding ends opposite, two bulls perform the same silent task — gentle 
 reminders of their namesakes in Wall Street. 
 
fAN AND BACjHANTI. 
 
 (First Prize Paris Exposition 1878.) SCHLESSLVGER. 
 
buffet, 28 feet long and 18 inches wide. t> rSj£fjBl£S : %L 
 
 — In the middle of the room is a 
 buffet, 28 feet long and 18 inches v 
 This is surrounded by brilliantly pol- a 
 ished counters of corresponding length, c ^?^ r Sf 
 
 where may be seen at all hours the citizens and tyj^^'^i 
 strangers who have dropped in to enjoy a social glass.^ 
 It is attractive, however, in more senses than one ; it is 
 '3' adorned with the rarest and most exquisite objects of art. 
 They occupy a score or more of little shelves and niches, are 
 repeated in the mirrors, and vie with each other in challenging 
 the admiration of the beholder. Perched on the cornice, just 
 under the ceiling, and half concealed among the ferns and 
 
 g^; palms, is a fox indulging in his favorite propensity before a 
 . 1, well-filled basket. 
 
 Occupying prominent positions elsewhere, you see an 
 F equestrian statue by Ida, the sister of Rosa Bonheur ; 
 a life-sized cockatoo in porcelain ; a pair of elegant 
 and-painted Dresden vases ; a California miner in 
 terra cotta, with kit on his back, "wearily wending 
 his homeward way"; a chased silver fruit-stand, 
 with a Venetian cut-glass flower-holder ; a whiffletree 
 made of old English oak, trimmed with silver 
 antique Greek vase in black enamel ; a large 
 "stirrup cup" of English oak, bound in silver; 
 a silver punch-bowl and tankards ; a silver 
 barrel, under which the gas jets play and keep 
 the water hot that makes the fragrant punch ; 
 plaques, vases, groups of miniature statuary 
 all scattered in artistic profusion among the 
 nooks and alcoves of this museum. These, 
 added to the superb collection of silver and 
 glassware for common use, and the quiet grace 
 with which prince and plebeian are served alike 
 by those in charge, are well calculated to enlist the 
 interest of the wayfarer. 
 
 III 
 
BOUDOIR OF AN EASTERN fRINCESS. 
 
 ETIENNE. 
 
TJHE EGG DANCER. 
 
 By G. A' A ST. 
 
©il {paintings. 
 
 N promenading around the room, the eye is still further 
 arrested by the valuable array of paintings, statuary, and 
 bric-a-brac. Chief among the former is the famous picture 
 of Bouguereau, entitled "Nymphs and Satyr." In this connec- 
 tion, it is proper to introduce a copy of the letter from the artist : 
 
 75 Rue Notre Dame des Champs, 
 
 Paris, June iith, 1877. 
 
 Sir : — You are the possessor of one of my most important and 
 successful works, "Nymphs and Satyr," which I am very desirous 
 should be seen at the Universal Exposition of 1878, as without 
 the exhibition of my works would be deprived of what I assure 
 I consider would be the most notable feature of my future 
 exhibitions, &c, &c. 
 
 Believe me, 
 
 Yo?irs very truly, 
 
 Wm. Bouguereau. 
 
 Still another very handsome work is one that adorns the western wall — 
 ^ a unique piece of Gobelin tapestry, 20x20 feet, made for Napoleon III. 
 ,V* It represents the Port of Marseilles, the palace presented by the citizens 
 
 C* — y 
 
 > of Marseilles to the Emperor, the church on 
 
 r the hill, and vessels and the lighthouse in the 
 
 ) foreground. Its delicate colors, marvelous 
 f & 
 
 tints of water and sky, and the elaborate 
 
 art shown in its manufacture, texture, and 
 
 design, have been greatly admired. Near this, c^J^} 
 
 under a canopy of maroon velvet plush, lined with 
 
 whitesatin and illuminated by four electric lights, is 
 
 the great painting "Narcissus" by Correggio. The following is a description of the subject 
 
ARCISSUS was the son of the river god Cephisus and the sea nymph 
 Liriope. According to Pausanias, he had a sister to whom he was 
 tenderly attached. She resembled him in features, was similarly 
 attired, and until her death accompanied him in the hunt. Narcissus, 
 deeply lamenting her loss, frequented a neighboring fountain to gaze 
 on his own ima^e in its water. The strong resemblance made his 
 own reflection appear to him, as it were, the form of his sister The 
 Goddess Echo calls to him in vain, and the Gods, looking with pity on his grief, changed 
 him to the flower that bears his name. 
 
 Another painting is by Demonceaux. It represents the Friar Angelica, falling asleep 
 over his unfinished picture, " The Holy Mother," and dreaming that it is finished by an 
 angel. He wakes to find that his dream is realized. The angel is present with an attendant 
 holding a palette, halos around their heads. Light streams in from the window, the Bible 
 of the old Friar is on the floor, and on the rude table in the foreground are his paints and 
 brushes. The angel has just added the last touch to the head of the Virgin when he wakes. 
 
 Among other important works that may be enumerated and have places on the walls, 
 are "The Russian Mail Carrier," by Chelmonski ; "The Vision of Faust," by L. Falero, a 
 marvellous work of art, and in the judgment of many persons, second only to the " Nymphs 
 and Satyr;" "The Nymph of the Danube," by W. Kray, a life-size figure, full of beauty; 
 Etienne's " Boudoir of an Eastern Princess," and the " Palm Sunday," by W. D. Sadler. In 
 the latter, three jolly priests are about to enjoy their feast of fish and wine, and their faces are 
 expressive of the pleasure with which they are anticipating the first cut. There is also a strik- 
 ing picture by J. H. Merle, entitled " An Eastern Harem." 
 
 The larger pieces of statuary are so disposed in front of mirrors and elsewhere, that the)' 
 command a favorable light both by clay and night. Among are these Ball's "Eve," in marble, 
 doubtless one of the greatest productions of the sculptor's chisel ; " Pan and Bacchante," in 
 bronze, by Schlessinger ; "The Egg Dancer," by G. Nast, a fine piece of old bronze; and 
 " The Driver," by Taracchi. 
 
NARCISSUS. 
 
 CORREGCW. 1564. 
 
©bjects of Hit 
 
 CATTERED elsewhere around the walls between the windows and 
 pictures are articles of vertu. At the Broadway end of the room one 
 is confronted by the gigantic frame of a knight in armor, the latter 
 being adjusted with such life-like reality that memory involuntarily turns 
 backward to the days when Richard, the lion heart, led his brave 
 Templars to the gates of Jerusalem. Near by is a " Haarlem Clock," five hundred years 
 old, from a Rotterdam palace. It chimes twelve times and strikes the half and quarter 
 hours with different sets of gongs. Besides these are two Louis XIV pendulum clocks. 
 " A musical tight-rope dancer " is to many persons an attractive feature combined as it 
 is with a music-box, which plays various airs. This fine piece of mechanism was made 
 in 1803, by Berguet. of Paris, and is running as well to-day a? when it was first put 
 into operation. In the same line of interesting objects is a "Musical Aviary," an old, rare, 
 and beautiful automaton, which plays numerous airs accompanied by singing birds, while 
 a monkey plays on a violin and a minstrel dances in the foreground. One of the daintiest 
 objects in this treasure house of curiosities, at any rate one that ""attracts much attention 
 from the lovers of the beautiful, is a gold-lined bowl adorned with bunches of grapes, 
 resting on a table upheld by three storks. Fancy, however, must take the place of any 
 description in detail, for it is impossible for the pen to convey a correct idea of the 
 manner in which taste in arrangement has been combined with the creations of art, in 
 producing such a handsome and harmonious whole. 
 
advantages of Xocation, 
 
 HERE is no hotel in the city more centrally or favorably situated for the 
 purposes of business or pleasure than the Hoffman; From the front 
 entrance on Broadway the guest may step into the street cars and omnibuses, 
 that either go direct or connect with the Elevated Railroad and other lines, 
 that will convey him to every important point in the city. In the main corridor of 
 the Hotel itself, the merchant or speculator may hear beating the pulse of Wall 
 street, and note the fluctuations of the market ; while banks, express and telegraph 
 offices in the immediate neighborhood afford every facility for transaction of business. 
 
 Only a few minutes' walk down Broadway is Union Square, one of the most 
 noted of the minor parks. Here, too, within a stone's throw of each other, are the 
 Union Square Theatre, Wallack's old theatre, now called "The Star," the Academy 
 of Music, and Tiffany's famous jewelry establishment, where are to be seen the most costly 
 forms of ornament with which wealth delights to surround itself, and where the fashionable side 
 of New York life is fully represented from morning until night. Madison Square, which is in front 
 of the Hoffman House, includes about six acres, bounded by Twenty-sixth Street, Madison 
 Avenue, Twenty-third Street, and Broadway. The park abounds with fine shade trees, has a large 
 fountain, and its trim lawns are interspersed with splendid beds of flowers and vari-colored plants 
 shaped in geometrical designs. At the junction of Broadway and Fifth Avenue, opposite the 
 Hoffman House, stands a fine monument to the memory of Major-General Worth, a gallant soldier 
 of the war of 1812, and the Seminole and Mexican campaigns. On the south side, adjacent to 
 the Broadway corner, a bronze statue of William H. Seward is seated on its pedestal. On 
 the Madison Avenue side of the park a large and beautiful drinking fountain has been 
 placed, and the various stages and carriages which stop there to permit the horses to drink, 
 give a vivid and novel aspect to the scene. This park, like Union Park, is lighted by six 
 electric lights suspended on a tall mast one hundred and fifty feet high. 
 
 This description of the grandest Hotel of modern times would not be complete without 
 a reference to the facilities for bathing possessed by this establishment. In this connection 
 the following article, from a leading New York journal, will explain itself : 
 
TLbc Wine 1Room. 
 
 ROM the beginning of this enterprise, it has been the aim of the pro- 
 prietors of the Hoffman House to maintain its reputation for catering 
 only to the choicest appetites. To this end their cuisine and wines have 
 been religiously kept at the highest standard of excellence. The purity 
 of the liquors is an especial feature of the establishment, for it is a well- 
 known fact that there is no place where the quality of fluids imbibed is more closely scrutinized. 
 The wine cellar of the Hoffman House is the largest, and contains the best selected stock in 
 the city. Long experience has taught the lesson, that only the best liquors which the cellars 
 of the world afford will satisfy the guests who patronize this Hotel. 
 
 Zbc Ikttcben. 
 
 The kitchen may be classed among the remarkable features of the establishment, and in 
 the arrangement of this, the architect, J. B. Snook, exercised extraordinary skill, with a view 
 of possessing the most perfect kitchen in this country, if not in the world. 
 
 The system of ventilation in the culinary department, as elsewhere in the premises, is simply 
 perfect, pure air being introduced, while the heated atmosphere is being expelled through massive 
 iron cylinders to the roof. The machinery for the elevator, pumps, tanks, etc., is also located in 
 the basement, and is directly under the control of one of the engineers, who in turn is in electric 
 communication with the main office. Under the sidewalk are spacious vaults and boiler-rooms, 
 and here also are to be found huye refrigerators, said to be the finest in the countrv. 
 
H /Iftagnificent Bathing Establishment 
 
 [From the Morning Journal.] 
 
 ONG ago Mr. Stokes conceived the idea of having a bathing establish- 
 ment in connection with his house, and for months he has been devoting 
 a great part of his time to constructing and furnishing the finest establish- 
 ment of this kind in the country without any exception. Over $50,000 
 has been expended, and the result is a hydropathic sanitarium, to the 
 completeness and luxuriance of which nothing can be added. 
 
 The baths adjoin the Hoffman House on the Twenty-fourth Street 
 side, and are entered through a hall, the floor of which is inlaid in dark 
 marbles in Turkish designs. They occupy three floors of the building. On the first are the 
 Turkish and Russian baths. In the latter the pool is reached by marble steps, and is sur- 
 rounded by a heavy nickel railing. It is in the style of the baths in old Roman palaces. 
 Marble steps rise in tiers about the room. The ceiling is a dome richly decorated in gold. 
 The temperature can be regulated to a degree. A needle shower-bath adjoining is one of the 
 largest and finest in the world. The ante-rooms would ornament the mansion of a millionaire. 
 
 The velvet rugs and carpets were imported for the purpose. The elegant rugs were 
 selected by Mr. Stokes in Paris. All the wood-work is solid carved white oak. A row of 
 beveled mirrors extends around the compartments. The draperies are in heavy satin damask, 
 the prevailing color being maroon The ornamentation is oriental, and Turkish designs are 
 everywhere visible. Stars and crescents cover the walls and ceiling. The sconces are magnifi- 
 cent Turkish lanterns, and throw a soft, dim lisrht that is eratifvinsf to the eves of the 
 bather. Every compartment is completely isolated, and the glass-work throughout, all of it 
 stained glass of peculiar pattern, moves on axes to furnish a perfect ventilation. The couches 
 and divans are soft and luxurious. 
 
 There are Turkish, Russian, medicated, electric, sulphur, herb, plunge, shower, and a 
 dozen baths of other descriptions. Attendants are in waiting, and a house physician is in 
 constant and personal charge of the establishment. 
 
The main up-town offices of the Commercial Cable Co. (Mackay-Bennett cables), "*^| 
 The Postal and Bankers' and Merchants' Telegraph Companies are located in the 
 Hoffman House, and are, without doubt, the most elaborate electrical offices that have ever 
 been designed They are constructed of hard woods, beautifully carved, and inlaid with panels 
 of rare stone, and metallic emblems wrought in antique hammered work. 
 
 The patrons of the house are enabled by these lines to send their messages to all parts 
 i ' of the world where telegraphic communications are established , and besides having facilities I 
 of seventy-six thousand miles of land wire, can communicate abroad 
 by the new Mackay-Bennett cable, which the Faraday has just laid. 
 
 The Commercial Cable Company is a private enter- 
 prise, owned solely by Messrs. John W. Mackay, of San 
 Francisco, and James Gordon Bennett, of New York. 
 
 The public demand for a lower tariff prompted these gentlemen to begin the 
 
 task which has just been so successfully completed. They ordered of the Messrs. 
 Siemens Bros. & Co two new cables, to have all the latest improvements, 
 and to have embodied in their construction every advantage known to 
 this firm through their long experience. The public can, therefore, rely 
 upon a superior cable service at a reduction of at least twenty-five per cent, below 
 the present rates. 
 
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