The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-01

THE CENTENNIAL.
English Art at the American
Exhibition.
Embroidery by "Ths Royal School Of Art
Of Needlework."
UNDER THE AUSPICES or PRINCESS CHRISTIAN, &C.
The "0pus Anglicum" Of Modern English
Ladies.
JyDER THE AUSPICES Or PRINCESS CHRISTIAN, &c.

LONDON, April IL. 1875
For the past few days fashionable and artistic London
has been crowdng South Kensington 10 the DIS
play OF embroidery executed by tho Royal School OF
Art Necdlework" for the Centennial Exhibition at
Philadelphia. Yesterday the exhibition closed, and As
these exquisite specimens OF resuscated art Will soon
be on their way to your shores lose time in send
ing you account OF them aud of tho school"
whence they emanated.
1.-THE ROYAL SCHOOL NEgpLEwoRK.
Founded but short time since, under tho prcsi-
dcncy of the Princess Christian, with the object OF
and popularity, tins school has steadily grown in favor
and increased in Importance To such skin has It
now attained that its members execute repro
duce in the most perfect manner the beautiful and
difficult designs furnished by the best English artists
and the unrivacd specimens OF ancient work still in
existence. This rapid and extraordinary dcveopment
has been iostcred and encouraged by the and
influential operation OF of the highest person.
in English society.
Tho Queen herself is patron of the establishment;
the Princess Christian, already stated, Is at its
head and her sister, the Princess Louise, Marchoness
oil Lorne is one Of the exhibitors Lady Marian Afford
Vice President, and on tho council list such
names as those OF tho Duchess of Northumberland,
Dorothy Nevill the Hon Mrs Lloyd Lindsay and tho
Duke of Westminster. Lord wharncjrc Is one OF tho
trustees and his Countess OF the most ardent pro-
motors Of the school. Among
THE ARTISTS
whose designs carried under such auspices
Messrs. William Norris Walter Crane, OF s'Toy Book
celebrity, and g. r. Bodey; and among tho designers
are Messrs. T II. Pollen Fairfax Wade g. Aitchson.
Burne Jones, Poynter and Armstrong. Tho
COMMITTEES on TASTE
consists Of Messrs Leighton, r. A., Prinsep and Bod
ley Such sufficient guarantee for tho arts
tic excellence OF tho designs which furnished, and
We must now inquire who are
THE WORKERS
who carry them GU. SO skilfuly and beautifully. II
will be conceded that interest which attends this
modern revival Of An almost lost and certainly too
much neglected art must be deepened by tho knowl-
edge that the majority of the workers poor re-
duccd gentlewomen, who do not enter tho school to
satisfy a diieaante taste, but to by their
sklliul industry honest living All honor ihcn. 10
the royal lady and her companions VINO have thus hit
upon method OF gratifying the artistic tastes and pro-
cvitiss OF the wealthy by OF tho faithful labor
OF the poor; who have once met double demand :
the demand OF the luxurious tor luxures and OF the
needy for necessities Art lovers and philantnroplss
thus unite in congratulatng the promoters upon their
success in establishing upon a firm basis this truly
royal school,
II was happy idea to send to tho great ''worid's
farn at Philadelphia Of the choicest specimens
which the school and It's designers have yet pro-
duced. They have had placed at their disposal the
Centennial building small room, twelve feet square, In
which to display treasures and the artistic value
OF the exhibition may be imagined when Is stated
that the objects contained in this small space
II sd
OF specimens selected and worked for Philadelphia
attended to exempfy. SO far as can be done on SC
limited scale, the great scope aud adaptabilty OF
brodery purposes of secular decoration and not the
extent TO which It carried for purposes Of com
mercia profit Still IL may DO we'll TO remark that a
though artistic manual labor OF this kind be
very cheap, the school has been steadily supplying TO
artistic Londoners designs selected by the purchasers
at certainly moderate price,
SO confident are ali who have visited tho exhibition
here that II will with the appreciation and ad-
mraon OF transatlantic lovers and prove to be
OF the attractions OF tho Great Exposition, that before
proceeding TO describe few OF the specimens them
selves tempted to devote fow lines to the history
lnow repeating itsel) OF this beautiful art Many
living can remember tho embroidered gowns and
other grandparents The days gone when the
serner sex can strut about In the flowing garments
Win sucl potiWiks anu sWOfus anu bta1ciy mau
in such excellent keeping but for tho ladies
the privilege still remains unmpaired and, IN stree,
or ball room, they can avail themselves Of species
OF decoration which gives beauty to the commcnest
ana enhances that OF the richest material
HISTORY or THE ART.
Leaving then far behind in the vista OF the past
the days Of WASHINGTON, ascend TO remote
tiquty for the origin Of the art OF embroidery until
we ind ourselves among the monumental and written
records the phArlO oil EgyDt the BabytOnlan
kingdoms OF the Euphrates Valley, the very ''crade
Of tho human race" Tho monuments and wall paint
ingsof
EGYPT AND AssYRA
constantly present TO u.s. upon the draperies OF the
generally OF seometrical cnaractcr-spots circles,
lines, &c-and the same style Of ornamcntation -
frequent upon tho
PAINTED VASES OF ANCIENT GRxxcK
which have descended to IN such numbers These
designs or maj kings arc obviously intended 70 repre-
sent the epbroidered pattern Of the actual dresses
arc preserved two pieces OF early Egyptian web,
wrought with needlework, one Of them Injured all over
with white embroidery OF net pattern. SIR Gardner
Wilkinson, In hrs work, 'The Egyptians in the Time
Of tho Pharaohs." says Of them:-"Tbey are mostly
cotton and suffice 10 show that the manu-
facturc Egyptian; tho many dresses painted tho
monuments OF the eighteenth dynasty show that the
most varied patterns were used by The Egyptians more
the Babyionans, VINO became noted for their needle
work.
To Egypt also, as is evident from tho Book Of Ex-
odus, tho
IsRAELfTEs
indebted for their knowledge Of the art, which
they freely employed In tho decoration OF the hangngs
OF Tabernacle and OF tho sacred Of their
priestA
To such an extent was the use OF embroidery carried
In these remote periods that It. used dec
Grating the
those employed In the sacred festivals Of the Nile were
SO adorned The Prophet Ezekiel 10 the people OF
Tyre:--'Finc linen, with brodcrcd work from Egypt,
that which thou sprcadcss forth 10 be thy sail
pLI<Y
ascrbcs the Invention OF embroidery TO the Phrygans,
stating that embroidered garments were called Phry
gionic. The "art wrought vests Of splendid purple
int produced by Dido and the cloak given by andre
machc Ascanus OF such fashion. but although
Phrygia was generally celebrated for the ART,
BABYLON
especially, Plny tells us, also became celebrated for ts
embroiderieS Ample evidence Of this has descended
10 our the wonderful series OF sculptures In the
British Museum brought from Nncveh. which, az
already mentioned, are avishly adorned with what ID
evidently intended TO represent ncediework To Baby
Iona the
TEMPLE