The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1885-10-29
A WINDOW AaTIsT'3 WORK.
How Decorative Traps Are Laid to Catch
the Unwary Dry Goods Purchaser.
fct Paul Pioneer Press

st Paul Pioneer Press.
SO thoroughly is window decoration
recognized as one of the necessary
methods of advertising that every large
dry goods establishment employs pro-
fessional window dresser, and experts
earn from 81 800 to IS, 900 per year for
this work. A Kansas City window
dresser is regularly pail the latter sum,
and New York dreSsers average from
s., 900 to So, 900. The northwest has Il
veritable artist one of the born-not
made kind in this popular branch Of
decoration, in gentleman having
the good fortune at an early
period Of his career to be the posSessor
of grandmother who devoted
herself to the cultivation of flower
garden and his aesthetic taste in the
matter of cojors at one and the same
time. SO both by Inheritance and in
struction he came into perception of
the refined beauties of color combina-
ton which is the basis OF his skill in
decor ition.
one of his earlier exhibitions of this
gift was during the visit of the Willard
party, when, being given carte blanche
by his employer, he put about $50, eco
worth of the richest fabrics-plushes
that cost 312 per yard and laces worth
$50 per ward into a triple window dis
play that opened the es of the visitors
very wide indeed, and gave them in
creased respect for community able TO
on ourage such lavish expenditure on
its account. DurinS subsequent visit
to Paris and other European capitals
he made a special study of win
dow decoration rs an art. There wab
mOdistes window in the Boulevard
Iiausmann, he said where the displays
were changed every day. and | have
spent hours before it, studying color
harmonies that seemed little short of in
spiration.
This artist thinks that the secret of
the art is congruity. There must be
not only a harmony of colors and pro
portion of parts, but, as well, accord in
the nature and uses Of the articles dis
played and relation TO the season OF
special occasion. For instance, in the
spring he would make his windows airy
and light with the dainty fabrics to bt
WON III War.G weather, summer silks
cambrics, percales, and the trimming
to be used herewith hut with the ad
vent of frosty days he gGeets the eyt
with the comfortable woo,ens and
darker oolors thereto suitable, whil(
mid-winter finds his displa warmeC
! into luxurious richness with furS. heavy
silks and hrocades, cut velvet, plushes
etc. 1t harrows up his sthetic soul Il
be forced to put in juXtaposition arti
! cles which could not !,e worn tagetheI
/ or not in some wav related
"Thoso embroiderits and laces scrcam
at each other he said, pointing to thu
! AIRY festoonud cstGony oTor one of hi
displays, "but dlun't have enongl
laces of the right width" He has
method Of his own to make these feS
toons of laca hang right, rolling then
up iii bundle and taaking his strips a
either end in an in gan;ous way. hilf
these canopieS are hardly consciously
noted by the average window gazor
they have an acct in giving a finish
AMI setting of the main display not
otherwise obtainabie very artist
knows that the accessories arc Of almost
Us much Importance as the central fg
ure5 in his picture. asked how ht
went about "ioing window, thC
gentleman declared that he honestly
couldn't tell he ust went in and began
moving things around, AMI by the
time he had his material we'll in hanG
the design had begun to work itselI
| out