Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [1422]

“All the stranger, then, that they should live in such small, cluttered, airless rooms.” Emma made a face, “Also, these celebrated rulers of your great country do not often bathe. And the men never seem to have those frock coats and trousers of theirs properly cleaned.” I must say that I, too, have noticed the rather heavy odour that permeates crowded Washington gatherings. The ladies are of course drenched in French perfumes while some but not all of the men are partial to eau de Cologne. Soap, however, has no magic for the majority. I noticed that the fingernails of Blaine were black, while the portion of neck visible above Nordhoff’s immaculate collar was delicately lined with grey, rather like Leonardo’s silverpoint crosshatching. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 1422

Note

The sensory description here is vivid and specific, contrasting the cleanliness one might expect from social figures with the reality of their neglect. This detail not only paints a picture of the setting but also implicitly comments on the characters’ social pretensions and the nature of their lives in Washington.