MDMD: the mirror

[Judy Panetta]

Furniture-The mirror

The mirror...hmmmmm. The LeSparks were loyalists?

Knowing this...all you Yankees out there, did this fact go against the grain
for anyone? Feeling a tad less sympathetic toward the LeSparks. Makes me
wonder how the factions reconciled themselves and rebuilt their community
after the war.

Two brief accounts of the "Mischianza:"

"On September 25, 1777, General William Howe marched into Philadelphia
triumphant against the patriot general Washington. Howe's campaign against
Philadelphia had begun when he sailed with his troops from New York City on
July 23, 1777. An armada of over 250 vessels carried 19,000 troops to begin
the assault upon Philadelphia.

"Howe relinquished command of Philadelphia to Sir Henry Clinton May 21, who
arrived in on May 8, 1778. [Gee...isn't that Mr. P's...] Before departing
for England on Howe was feted by twenty-two younger officers who subscribed
4000 pounds for a magnificent farewell party they called a "Mischianza."
Festivities included a regatta on the Delaware, a tournament in which
British officers appeared as knights, and seven Loyalists girls dressed in
Turkish costumes, a splendid banquet, a dance, and a supper at midnight. Two
ceremonial arches were built, one for General Howe and one for his brother
Admiral Howe." (John R. Alden, A History of the American Revolution, 1969,
p. 302)
-----------------------------------------
There is all manner of intrigue surrounding this event. John Andre, later
hanged with Benedict Arnold, organized the Gala. Two weeks after the bash,
Andre presented a souvenir book to Peggy Chew of Phila. at a ball...Note the
name Peggy Chew—she was the daughter of Benjamin—one of the commissioners
appointed to oversee THE LINE... Her best friend married Benedict Arnold.
Oooo
gossip, gossip. But more about the book...

"The book details the medieval-style pageant called the Mischianza that
England's occupying forces staged in Philadelphia on May 14, 1778. Major
John Andre raised 3300 pounds from his fellow officers and organized the
extravaganza to honor General William Howe upon the commander’s recall to
London. Andre presented...[this] book to her to remind her of the evening's
most evocative images--barges floating down the Delaware River, costumed
contestants jousting in tournaments, and hundreds of guests dining under a
vast tent lit by candles and mirrors.

[note: mirrors]

"Though undeniably magical and romantic, many Philadelphians considered the
Mischianza a scandal. American girls had danced with the enemy at an
inconceivably lavish party while many suffered from wartime deprivations."

http://www.cliveden.org/Pages/story_of_cliveden.htm

Painting imagining the event:
http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/schwarz/43-22.jpg

Frederick James (1845-1907)
The Mischianza ["Grumblethorpe," Germantown], 1881
Oil on canvas, 35 x 49 1/4 in.
(The Schwarz Gallery, Philadelphia Collection XLIII, Nov. 1990)