Invitation to hear Oscar Wilde speak on "The Decorative Arts" at the Casino on July 15, 1882. Wilde spoke about "The practical application of the principles of the aesthetic theory to exterior and interior house decoration, with observations upon dress and personal ornaments."

This event was part of Wilde's American tour, in part brokered by Sam Ward. Ward introduced him to his sister Julia Ward Howe. Henry Marion Hall, Howe’s grandson, recalls Wilde’s visit to Howe’s farm in Portsmouth in his memoir Grandmother’s Blue Coach: 

"Being a small boy at the time my presence at the tea was not requested, but later I was allowed to accompany the guests down into the valley. The party included Tom Appleton, the famous Boston wit, Adamowski, leader of the Boston Symphony orchestra, Mrs. Paran Stevens, Lilla Eliott, Grandmother’s nephew F. Marion Crawford, and Oscar Wilde, then at the peak of his popularity. Knowing nothing about a fad then known as 'dress reform' I was bewildered at Wilde’s costume when I walked into the vale beside him. He wore a black velvet jacket, knickerbockers to match, dark silk stockings, and low shoes with glittering buckles. A salmon-colored scarf and slouch hat completed his get-up. It struck me as rather queer, but not half so startling as his hair – long, black, and curling to his shoulders… He held a red rose in one hand and sniffed it as he chatted."