Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-15
PICTURE HANGING.


so,ne Useful Suggestions on the subject.
The Art AmaicV gives some excellent
hints on picture-hanging as follows:
The arrangement OF pictures sylnine
trically 30 as to produce u sort Of unIfor
nifty i'll size and disposition Is always
pleasing, as is all true symmetry. In u
small room the eye takes in the whole OF
the picture mt n glance and rests with
content upon such disposition Of parts
On the other hand, if the pictures are OF
all sizes and hung without any regard to
this principle, they look incongruous and
anyhow, as if they were not worth the
trouble of arranging properly. 1t is not
always that our stock Of pictures will be
sufficiently near in size to enable us to
distribute them equally. Still if they
are judiciously arranged, we may do
away with the objection in great meas
ure. If it is engravings alone we have to
hang, it is an easy matter to get them IN
pairs OF a uniform size. With u mixture
OF oil paintings and engruyings this can.
not well be done, but with care and good
taste even these may be so arranged that
they will not clash with one another. The
practice of hanging pictures SO that they
shall project forward at their tops is Il
question of position as to light. When
the light falls full upon the picture,
whether n vanished oil painting or
framed engraving or water-color, there ID
a glare of brightness which prevents the
whole of the picture from being seen
This is common case, and the only
means of avoiding it is to let the picture
hang ont from the top so that we can see
the whole of it from any part Of the room
without this Objectionable light upon the
surface. This is effected by placing tho
rings Of the frame low enough down to
cause the picture to have the desired III
clination. 1t is good plan when about
hanging room with pictures to make
sketch OF the proposed arrangement pre-
vious to commencing hanging. Tnis
saves much after labor and vexation. The
largest picture should always have a cen
tral position, so that those Of Il less size
and form can be symmetrically grouped
around it. The eye will be satisfied with
such an arrangement. The character
| aud form of the frames is u very import
ant factor in the question. Engravia-s
and water-color paintings should always
have n broad margin to the mount and a
narrow light frame. The margin serves
to isolate the painting or engraving, and
thus enables lis to see its beauties to
much greater advantage. This is more
especially the case if the wall upon
which they are hung has q pattern upon
it. These frames should bealike in make
and breadth rs far us possible.
on paintings require Il different and
much heavier frame than watercolorS
and engravings The principal object in
both cases is to display the painting to
the best advantage. The broad margin
does this with water.colors. but the oil
painting having no plain margin we must
depend upon the frame to effect its iso!a-
ton. In our opinion a great mistake IS
made in having these frames too elabor-
atcly ornamented. 1t is not the frame
we want to exhibit but the picture.
therefore anything tending to lead the
eye from that is an err,r. The frame sur
rounding an oil painting should be broad
and comparatively PLAIN, as We thus
separate and confne the picture So that
the eye takes in the whole Of it, without
being confused or intcrfered with by any
external object. In the hanging OF pie
lures there are several points necessary
to be attended to i'll order that they MAY
be safe and easily adjusted. A picture
moulding firmly secured to the wall Just
underneath the cornice or frieze, upon
which hooks are made to slide along, not
only affords firm support, but is an al
dition to the decoration of a room. This
moulding may be made and fixed by aA
ordinary joiner, or may be bought al
most of the paper-hanging establishments,
in gilt, black, or i'll various woods IN
combination with gilt beads. The hook.
also may be procured from the same
source Brass rods have been much used
for hanging pictures from, but they are
not So serviceable or neat-looking as u
picture moulding, and they are also soon
spoiled by the action of the gas and
moisture III the room, which eats into and
destroys the lacquer. They are now but
little used. Strong wire, cord or line,
both gold and "silver," is now made,
OF different thicknesses, for hanging pie
lures, and is admirably adapted for the
purpose being very thin, but capable ot
bearing great weights. All picture cords
OF whatever kind should be as near tine
color of the wall upon which they are
put as possible, in order to cause them to
be but little seen. Too many cords are
hang the picture with straight cords,
that is to loop the cord to two hooks So
that it shall be perpendicular at each side
of the pieture, and not looped on to
single hook or nail. Wher one picture is
hung beneath another the bottom one
should be hung from the one above and
not from the top we thus avoid multi.
plying the cords, which is ALWAYS oblec.
tionable. Pictures may also be hung
without any cords showing by crossing
the cord through the rings at the back OF
the picture and looping this into nail
or hook neither cord or hook will then
be seen. When picture mouldings are
not fixed, strong nails may be used hay-
ing earthenware, china or brass heads to
them. These screw on to the head of the
nail so that the nail may be knocked into
its place and the head screwed on after
ward These are very neat and have u
good appearance, and always clean up
we'll. Pictures of all kinds should be
kept free from the dust ut the back, for
where this accumulutes injury is sure to
result. To effect this two pieces of cork
at the bottom edge of the frame, will
keep the frame from the wall, relieve the
pressure, and allow the dust to n great
degree to fall down and be cleared away
Gold frames should never be busted with
anything but feather brush, and when
they become dirty servants or inexperi-
enced persons should not be allowed to
attempt to clean them, Ms they will be
sure to spoil them. In cleaning the glass
OF water-color paintings and engravings
the greatest care should be used to avoid
rubbing the frames. They never should
be wetted with the sponge or leather, or
they will very soon be spoiled,
a Washington correspondent OF the Gin.
cnnati Commercial writes that Guteaus
death song, the doggerel verses which be
claimed to have composed the morning be-
fore his execution, is an old plantation song
slightly altered by Guiteau TO suit the circum-
ct nf tln A eV+inAlar tI Lat