Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-01-28

How they are MA nufac tured-Inter
ing Description of n stroll Through
4 IL Valentine Factory. tsIT ilI" -

s. A stroll through valentine factory
is somewhat Disseminating. The
dainty, delicate missives, " beautiful
as love and fragrant as roses" with
which the stationers' windows burst
radiance in the depth of winter, prop
erly speaking ought not to be manufac-
tured at all. They ought to be the
creation Of some magic wand, or at
least should be the work of fairy
hands, and should be imported from
region of moon-l1t groves, pale flowers,
perfumed fountains, and aerial Tyres. G
-. This, however, is not precisely the
origin of valentines. .'....
The inquisitlve explorer who visits
the premises of a manufacturer of
these fancy goods just now, for the
purpose of seeing the process from
beginning to end, may perhaps be
conducted, in the first place, into
barely furnished apartment, occupied
by five or six silent individuals, who
might as reasonably invoke the in
SEPARATION of Venus as Sophocles might
that of Melpomene. q. w.. IN
These are the artists of the establish
ment, and this somewhat cherries
apartment is the fountain-head of pic
torlal sentiment .."
They are not a particularly senti-
mental looking group either. It is, of
course, Impossible TO say what silent
raptures may be trembling beneath
those white blouses of theirs; but
viewed from the outside, these artists
have decidedly sedate and matter-of-
fact aspect, and, apart from special
inspiration, might be supposed to have
outlived the tender passion. At least
one of them clearly has done so, aud
is devoting the experience of gray hairs
to the castigation OF youthful fellies by
means of burlesques. f o 4
He has a sheet of white paper and
stick Of charcoal, and is engaged in
producing the rough draft Of very
large young lady, with very small
bonnet, crinoline, and an infnitisimal
dog.
Another is engaged upon a very
clever little water color sketch of an
amorous subject, while third has be-
fore him a similar sketch which he is
lithographing that is, drawing with
ink Or chalk; On slab of stone, pre-
paratory to its being printed by the
photographic process.
In the next room this printing is
being carried Ion. Brawny armed
mechanics are turning out strange
medley Of lovers and bowers, flowers,
birds, hearts, and arrows, bachelors
and pining spinsters.
Some of the sheets produced at the
presses in this room are. now cut up
into sections, and handed over to the
superintendent of the valentine makers.
Others have to be embossed. For this
purpose the engraving of a steel plate
is necessary, and this often entails a
very serious expense. 1t is not by
any means unusual, for plate, no
larger than a sheet Of note paper, to
cost twenty guineas. The parts of the
design to be brought out in relief are
engraved in soft steel, which is then
hardened and thus fitted to sustain a
pressure Of several tons. -. ,.,... e.
In the next apartment these plates
are being used. An operative sits in a
hole in the floor, beside very power
full screw press, worked by means of a
beam six or eight feet in length, at the
end of which are globular masses Of
iron, designed to increase. its .momen-
trlm The picture to be embossed is
laid upon the steel plate, and placed
in the bed beneath the screw, which is
then brought down with a terrible
thump. There are several Of these
presses at work in this room, one or
two being engaged in the EN- bossing of
lace paper, which enters largely into
the composition of valentines. ssag re
The lace-paper, however, as it leaves
these presses, still requires to be per
forated, and the way in which this is
done is curious. This enclosing plate
is fixed upon bench; sheet of paper
which has been impressed upon by il
is laid upon it, and carefully though
expeditiously adjusted, and is then
subjected to a vigorous rasping with a
large fat file, wrapped IN sand paper.
This rubs away every portion of the
paper which is supported by the pro-
iections in the plate beneath, and Of
course, when the sheet is turned over,
the parts of the design which were
merely depressions have become holes.
I Specimens of the entire productions
VI pIlnGCIo, C"OOooO1o, onu HEIlOId-
tors, together with foreign importa-
tions in the shape of ribbons, feathers,
shells, and ornaments of various other
kinds, are now spread upon a table,
presided over by one or two clever
young women, upon whom devolves
the duty of designing the valentines.
The object they have to aim at is, of
course, the production of the greatest
possible variety Of striking and pleas
ing effects by the. combination Of the
materials before, them, and the most
successful are adopted as patterns for
the other hands.
Nothing, it is said, can be more ca
PRECIOUS and whimsical than the selec-
tions of the public in any matter of
taste, and in the case of valentines
this is especially observable. Very
frequently the particular designs which
the most experienced Of manufacturers
would pronounce to be triumphs of
taste and originality, prove utter fail
ures in the market, and the great hit
of the season may be some production