When the Princess arrived in Washington, she was met by Secretary of State W. G. Gresham and Colonel J. M. Wilson, U. S. A., Master of Ceremonies and Social Functions at the White House. Two troops of cavalry from Fort Myer, under command of Colonel Guy V. Henry, had been detailed to escort her to the Arlington Hotel annex, which, cut off from the rest of the hotel, had been set aside with all of its three floors of rooms for the use of the Infanta and her suite of nineteen persons. The annex had at one time been the elegant private residence of Charles Sumner, and only after his death had been bought and added to the hotel property. It had just been redecorated and furnished.
Very shortly after the arrival, the Infanta, with her party, was escorted to the White House, where President and Mrs. Cleveland awaited her.
At the conclusion of the fifteen-minute call, the President escorted his visitor to the door and watched her departure—a full concession to her royalty.
In the afternoon of the same day, the Infanta received a call from Mrs. Cleveland, accompanied by Mrs. Carlisle, Mrs. Lamont, and other ladies of the Cabinet.
A crowd hung about the Arlington and occupied every bench seat in Lafayette Square to get a close glimpse of this bit of elegant pageantry from the Old World.
On the 24th of May, the President and Mrs. Cleveland gave the first state dinner of their administration. It was in honour of the Princess and her party. Thirty-six guests were seated in the state dining room. Just a little while before the arrival of the guests, a small tempest swept over the city. Though brief, it was violent, and during its outburst carried off the strip of carpet placed across the portico of the White House to the carriage steps.
At this function the new Cabinet met for the first time; at the dinner to them on the evening of March 4th their appointments had not yet been confirmed, and some of the wives had not been present. Here, too, were entirely new doorkeepers, new ushers, a new steward, and new servants, Mrs. Cleveland having brought from New York all of the staff within her province to engage. She had, however, retained Miss Josephine Kniep the housekeeper the Harrisons had valued so highly.
Mrs. Cleveland’s artistic taste had been given full scope in the floral arrangement. The long historic mirror in the centre of the table reflected the beauty of the two Spanish flags made of red and yellow roses that rested against each other with their staffs of scarlet geraniums. The flower stands held red and yellow roses, the tapers had red and yellow shades; and these colours were also carried out in the tints of ices, sweets, and bonbons.
After the royal visitors were presented to all of the assembled guests, the party, being seated with punctilious observance of State Department rules of precedence, did full justice to a ten-course dinner with its full complement of wines. At Mrs. Cleveland’s place there was just an apollinaris tumbler.
Mrs. Cleveland was particularly charming and lovely in her gown of blue embroidered crêpe, made in a modified empire style, with the fashionable puffed sleeve; a pleated fall of lace finished the neck. A diamond flower spray in her hair was especially attractive and a beautiful star of these jewels adorned her bodice.