31.—TRAVELING IN STATE.
The great singers of the olden time, even of the first half of this century, would stand aghast at the splendor that surrounds the prima donna of to-day. The most regal elegance is thought none too good for her who has the public at her feet.
The prima donna of "ye olden tyme" traveled in a lumbering stage coach; the most favored one of to-day, in a private car costing some £11,600—for that was the cost of Patti's conveyance. In this beautiful coach the walls and ceiling were covered with gilded tapestry, the curtains were of silk damask, and the furniture was upholstered in the same material. The drawing-room was fitted in white and gold, with paintings by celebrated artists. The lamps were made of gold and the woodwork of sandalwood. The same wood was used in the piano, which alone cost £400.
These are some of the main points in the construction and adornment of this car, which might well have been built for royalty. But at the day Patti was thus accommodated, no king or emperor on earth enjoyed such luxurious traveling accommodations; for in no country in the world had there been built such a sumptuous coach.