The Arizona sentinel., 1884-12-27
Some New York Interiors.


Perhaps one of the first conspicu-
ously artistic interiors in New York was
that of the house of DR.. w. A. Ham
mond in West Fifty-fourth street. After
giving his walls time to settle, he began
a series of internal decorations, which
it will be difficult for artists to surpass
for some time to come. His dining
room is hung with frieze copied from
the Bayeux tapestry-patient Matilda's
chronicle of the stirring times of VIII
liam of Normandy. The ceiling is
painted in the earl Saxon ornamental
tion-ribbon winding through a con-
ventionalized pattern. The room is
decorated with the choicest specimens
of porcelain and china, and the win
dows are of stained glass. The portieres
are of Algerian stuffs, heavy and hand
some.
The dining-room is large room,
thirty-six by sixteen feet; the walls are
hung with deep crimson maroon leather
stamped in gold, with figures of Chin
erical animals of mediGval design; the
ceiling, Renaissance of the fifteenth
century. Opening out of this room is
an Egyptian retreat, with the lotus, the
scarabaus, and the procession of slaves,
huntsmen, and animals Cn the strange
but expressive drawing with which
Brugsch's book has made US familiar)
It would be in vain to describe the
hawk-headed goddess, the dog-faced
deities of Egypt, the inscrutable eye
Of the high-priest as he presides over
the fireplace This room is devoted to
consultations on hemysterious diseases
of the brain, and is fifty dedicated to
that Egyptian intellect which saw so
clearly behind the veil, and read as nc
other people have read the enigma of
life The house of Edward n. Dicker-
son, but lately finished, is one of the
triumphs of both a new and admirable
system of ventilation, and of internal
decoration of high order. The stair
case reaches up through four stories, is
of solid unvarnished mahogany, with
panelling of the same 1T the side. This
is a superb feature of the modern
house. The frequent landings, the
broad low stairs, all are improvements
on the old-fashioned narrow, ugly stair
way of the immediate past. Mr.. Dick
erson has much beautiful stained glass;
his drawing-room windows are made to
repeat the delicate scarlet and dove,
color of the paper and window curtains,
wilhelm bedroom swallows fly through
apple-blossoms, and are in moro i'm
perishable form represented in the
glass window.
Here also we see that nothing is more
effective than stamped leather for din
ing-room walls, and carved Bullets with
painting on leather, let in after the
fashion of tiles, ably supplement this
finish. Mr.. Dickerson has famous
window in his dining-room, which is
outlined by fine bit of Japanese carv-
ing. This piece has given the keynote
to the room, which has also ceiling Of
painted plaques, very harmonious, Curl
GUS, and ornamental. Brass .conces of
cinque-cento and Henri EeuI add much
brilliancy to these dagkly ornamented
rooms. A boudoir in ebonized cherry,
with tile fireplace, the tiles painted
with bright flowers, and much ornament
al brass-work about, is extremely pref
ty, as is the whole of this artistic dwell
ing.
In some Of the fine interiors we see
deep crimson hangings and carpets,
with dead gold and bronze paper,
chandeliers of silver and brass. and fire
place of FURNISHED steel. This intro
duction of steel is one of the most beau
tiful of the modern improvements.
In others we see, as we enter, Alger-
inc striped portieres and rugs of Persia
or Turkey, the furniture made in forms
suggestive of lounging, and covered
with Eastern stuffs. The sideboard
has severe simplicity, however The
lines are straight and formal, the out
line definite. No shallow curves, no
ornamentation. Per
haps shells cut out of hard wood, with
some good brass-work to use for han
dies, key, and hinges. The richest bro
caded Chinese silks, with the heavily
carved teak-wood furniture OF oul
Oriental brethren, fifty furnish forth
the rooms where the pottery is collected.
The Moorish vases, the Egyptian water
bottles, japanese cups, Thuringian por-
celain, crackle-ware, cloisonne, Spanish
faience, Palsy, Etruscan, Kioto, Ores
den, Russian, biscuit, Nankin, majolica,
and Hungarian porcelain can not be
better lodged than in the Chinese
room. It is fitting tribute to China,
which has given its name to every
species of pottery. 1t is, however, now
a reigning fancy to hare rare plaques
hung on the walls of every room.-M.
E. W. SHERWOOD, in Ha1per's Maya