Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-10-15
fmmtr's department.
Color Of Country Houses,


q, II is easier to decide what the color Of city
houses should be than of those in the country.
Every one can see that streets lined with rows
of white buildings would be intolerabe none
but eagles eyes could endure the glare. City
houses should mostly be of sober tint, alb
sorbnS not rejecting, the suns lays, and not
easily disfgured by dust and smoke. But the
case is somewhat different with buildings in
the country.
Formerly, white was the prevailing fashion.
It was neat and cheerful color, and supposed
TO be the most durable. But change was
at length decrecd in this fashion. Foreign
writers condemned it, and native writer's echo
ed their words with emphasis Artists and
travellers gave it q shower of rldlcne. White,
they said. 4" is too intense cOlor-lt does not
barmonze with the hues of a landscape A
house so painted forces itself into notice-it
impudently stares you in the face. An object
of a sober tint, unexpectedly gilded by the
sun, is like serious counterance suddenly
lighted up by a smile whitened object is
like the eternal grin of fool. No artist, of
any reputation, would introduce white house
upon his canvas The color is too glaring for
the eye to rest upon, under our brilliant sun
shine" And so on. These criticisms turned
the fashion into the opposite extreme. Dark.
sombre colors, became all the rage. Many
beautiful cottages and cheerful houses embow-
cred amoug trees, were changed into gloomy
barn-lke prson-like structures The most
popular color was what the painters styled
" Victoria brown" dngy, melancholy hue
in faint imitation of free stone Nobody real
" liked the change it was a little too abrupt
Int tba foSh q
swallowed down as very genteel thing. But
common sense could not be long sileneed, and
she soon spoke out as follows "Oh, We sons
of men, why run to such extremes Because
white is too glaring, must we therefore take
refuge in black? Choose some of the softer
and more cheerful colors which furnish you,
the various shades Of gray, fawn, light drab,
cream-color, straw Color the many pleasing
tnts in your rocks and sands" Men listened
to this sage monitor, and the result was most
happy Now, houses are mostly painted in
sober hues but not in gloomy brown in
cheerful hueS, but not in intense white.
Let us not maintain, however, that no country
house should be painted white. A white cot
tage with green blinds, nestled among trees
and festooned with vines, is one of the pleas
ATTEST scenes in any landscape Nor would
we OIVect Ill all cdSeS, W green DilIluS ou oIH-
Z er houses which are painted in some neutral
tint The porch, cornice, window-frames and
other dressings, should be painted darker or
lighter shade than the house itself, to relieve
what would otherwise be bald monotony.
Barns and other out t-buildings should be
painted a darker shade than the house, to
make them inconspicuous, and to mark their
inferior uses. Several enterprising farmers of
our acquaintance, have lately rebuilt their
barns, clap-boarding them and painting them
arhits! Why do you so? we asked one the
other day. Oh, well" said he, " think as
much of my barn as / do of my house and
then, wanted to spruce up little" Want
ed to spruce up little; that was it. But his
cattle and pigs have rubbed their muddy hides
against his clean white paint, as if determined
to get it as near the once fashionable Victo-
ria brown " as possible.
Fences should be painted in some subdued
color, so as not to attract much notice. "A
fence" says Cooper, which looks as if it
were covered with clothes hung up to dry,
does very little towards aiding the pictur-
esque."
And now having left the house and got on
" the fence we shall decline saying anything
more.