St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-23
EASTER TOKEN.
By JENNY JUNE.

BY JENNY JUNE.
The gigantic eggs of the ostrich are the
novelty for the coming Easter in one of
the Japanese art stores, some exquisitely
carved, others decorated with gold lacquer,
and balanced in pretty papier mache stands.
Ladies who make their own gifts are busy
preparing Easter favors for friends-knitted
shoes in which Easter eggs are hidden, fans
mounted with birds and grasses, and in the
centre tiny nest, half concealed, in which
three speckled eggs are fastened; the straw
hampers full of fresh eggs, the China goose
with its golden egg, the nests, the straw peck
cts with feathered hen and brood, all reappear
and make one wonder what becomes of all
these expen sve fancies when Easter is over.
And they have lost their significance, for
their cost is altogether out of proportion to
their value and usefulness. The one thing
that excites always honest interest and ad-
miration is the Easter cards, which maintain
their freshness and beauty by their studies
of nature and the best forms of medieval
art. The rapid growth in these decorative
souvenirs has been in the right direction and
certainly tends to increase their popularity.
All exaggerations and strong contrasts are
avoided, the most careful studies are made
by artists of acknowledged merit, and the
coloring has been refined until true feeling
is expressed. and the simplest little card be-
comes sort of education in harmony of
tints and the preservation of tone. 1t is
gratifying to see how far the tone has been
lowered, and that delicacy and truth are the
objects aimed at rather than striking display.
Prang's Easter angels, carrying long
M mol +hn hoo nd
Lit up by sunset sky, are exquisitely beau
tiful and suggestive.
The starry flowers on dark background
with landscape in brown and white on the
reverse side, are both novel and artistic, and
there are lovely triangular cards, decorated
with flowers, narcissus lily of the valley, and
the like on mulberry ground, with pale
pink fringe border, that are suggestive to am
ateur workers in many ways. Birds upon
a circular bit of blue sky, with budding twigs
thrown across it for perches; the frame pale
olive, with branch of palm laid upon it;
the reverse delicate pink, with clover leaf
and butterflies, tell without words of the COM
ing glory of the summer. Last year
white lily upon a silver background, the le-
gend by Jenny Tailor, was one of the most
admitted of the smaller cards. This year
pink and white blossoms decorate a silver
cross upon pale green background the re-
verse showing grasses and tufted snowballs,
with yellow butterflies alight upon them. FL
della Bridges has made US familiar with
long, pane-shaped card, in which, year after
year, for several seasons past, she has man
aged to express so much of the Joy of the
summer. This year it is birds in blossom
ing vine, which is treated with exceeding
grace and delicacy. The color is charming,
leaf greens, grays and brown, with white and
yellow in the tiny blossoms and on the
breasts of the birds. The strongest and most
original of the Easter card is the "Resur-
gum" said to be from the brush of Hamil-
ton Gibson. The top of card shows vivid
fame color and lurid effects, with scattered
and disembered fragments, out of which is
sue myriads of brilliantly colored butterflies
which light up the backgrounds of the lower
part of the picture. This is fringed in red
and gold and finished for hanging as ban
neret.