The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-07-08
ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS.
= PROMINENT BRANCH OF MODERN
DECORATIVE ART.
me French System of Manufacture-The
industry In New York City-Tex-
tile Flowers-Those Made of
Wax or Paper
lBrooklYn Eaglel

lDiooklyh Eagle
Paris is the headquarters of this trade.
The productions there made are more exact.
more delicataly beautiful than those of the
United States or other countries. The hest
French makers study floral botany with
much attention, and make themselves &C.
qualnted with minute characteristics which
escape the notice of less observant workers.
The French system in the carrying on of this
branch Of industry is we'll organized. Even
so far back as forty years ago there were
ga makers up in Paris, employing 5,673
hands. These makers up do not manufact-
ure the petals, leaves, buds, stems, tendrils
and Other component parts of flowers; they
build up these elements into finished form
In 1852 the French production was estimated
at &, 200, 0O0 annually. in 1877 the estimate
was raised TO IS, 10000, of which more than
halt went to the work people.
Artificial flower making is one Of the New
York industries. The textile flowers, which
form a large majority of the whole, are
made nearly in the same way in the United
States as in France. Almost the whole trade
is concentrated in New York The trade is
carried on in divers ways. There are in
New y ork few establishments employing a
hundred OF more hands each, working I'M
der one roof and classified according to skill
and kind Of work. Others have from thirty
to sixty hands each, Others a smaller num-
Der. Some firms rely mainly on contractors,
who undertake certain quantity of work
at certain price, and who are the real di
rect employers of the work people. Some
again, make on speculation, and take theiI
] chance of finding customers by calling on
large dealers.
In this as in nearly all trades, the poorest
| operatives are those who work for the con
| tractors, the largest establishments being
| usually the best managed Lower down il
the scale are persons who only employ hal
| dozen or half q score of hands, and below
these, again, are the members of family
mother, boys and girls, working together il
| an ill-lighted and ill-ventilated room, max
ing some or other of the component parts
which more skillful work-people are after
wards to build up into flower.
The Parisans take the lead of New York
ers in the production Of wax flowers not be
cause the latter could not equal the forme
if they chose to try, but because they pre-
fer the adoption Of other and less perishabl
materials. Wax, from its very nature,
ullllUou lOI employ uloliI Ill ihdhll al IliiOls
flowers to adorn the hair and dress; the co
ors when dyed or painted, are somewhf
fugitive, while its tendency to melt rendel
| it i'll fitted as decoration for heated room
Nevertheless, wax flowers, when skillfull
made, are SO beautiful that they are likel
to retain a large share of admiration
works Of art. Besides the professional make
of wax flowers many ladies' practice this ar
partly for amusement, partly as a possib
r source of livelihood The best white wax
required for the art-pure and free fro
5 granulation.
c One more material has to be noticed, WIFI
the artistic artificial florist holds in som
what low estimation, but which is used
larger quantity than any other, namel
paper. Paper flowers are made IN enormo
abundance for decorations, festivities,
: the theatres and the like. Paper flow
making may in some sense be regarded a:
- fancy industry for ladies, inasmuch as SIM
u manuals of instruction in the art have be
published for their use and sets OF the nee
sary appliances prepared for sale.