The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-14
NOVELTIES FOR CHRISTMAS.
New Wares that May Be Seen in a Tour
Among the City Stores.
Where Toys Are Made and by Whom They
Are Manufactured-The Prevailing Craze
for japanese Bric-a-Brac.

Christmas tree is in the air, faint as yet,
but day by day, even hour by hour,
growing stronger and more palpable.
Christmas is only ten days off. and the young
Sters are on the tip-toe of expectation. Fathers,
mothers, kinsfolk and friends are many Of them
in the depths of despair, vainly endeavoring to
determine what to buy. A great many who all
the remainder of the year are considered
sane and comfortable persons. 60 quite daft
in the two or three weeks preceding Christmas
They really don't know what to buy, and their
minds become as jumbled and changing
as the figures in kaleidoscope. Come
along with the reporter; keep COOL
look about you, and you will have no
trouble to make satisfactory selections. Let US
first see what others are doing. A great many
people at this season buy pictures, engravings,
etchngs, photographs, etc. 1t requires some taste
to select such things but the people OF this city
are coming On in art, and there is, year by year,
a constantly increasing demand for pictures of
various kinds. The chrome has had its day, and
etchings, pastels, engravings and oil and water
color paintings are in demand.
There are at the book stores fine collections of
etchings. One of the finest books is Philip Gill
bert Hamerton's Landscape" with original
etchings, which sells for $35. There is also
American Etchings;;" IA Half Score Of Fitch
ings" by as many different French artists, with
descriptive text by Richard Riordan; English
Etchers," fifteen etchings by noted English art
lists. with descriptive text by G. W. H. Ritchie;
Recent American Etchines," original plates by
ten different American artists, text by F. r. w.
Hitchc ock; Some Modern Etchings," by ten
different authors, text by Hitchcock.
Boys books and girls books, too, are selling
cheaper than ever before This is particularly true
of standard works in which the book stores no
longer have the exclusive field
Among the new books for boys are
Knox's South America" Partons Princess"
Authors and Statesmen" "Plutarch for Boys
and Girls" "Pliny for Boys and Girls" Travels
of Marco Polo.o Among the higher priced books
are 'The Joyous Story of Toto" a beautiful
"Rudder Grange" in an elegant edition for the
holidays; "Bric- brac Stories" illustrated, for
boys and girls. by Mrs. Burton Harrison; "Chil-
drens Stories Of American History" by Hen
rietta Wright.
Never before was there so handsome showing
of Christmas cards and calendars, ana never
before could so much artistic excellence and
elegance be bought so cheaply.
The rogressive euchre parties, japanese we'd
dings and Mikado fairs have. revived the craze
for Japanese goods. Anything and everything
that is Japanese sells. The articles in the way
of wall ornaments and decorations are pictur
esque and inexpensive. Japanese scrolls, con
sidering their beauty and neatness of workman
ship, are wonderfully cheap as are the FANS fire
screens and lanterns. The lanterns are far bet
ter than these of American manufacture, and
with ordinarily careful using may be made to
last long time.
There is a greater demand than ever for brio
a-brac ware-a perpetual! struggle in many
Royal Worcester, Wedgewood and Minton. all
English. bring good prices. There is much sale
for Vienna, Carlsbad and Haviland china and
Hungarian ware Bohemian ware, which nearly
went out Of style, is coming in again, as it ap-
ton pitchers. at $25, and Hungarian pitchers,
not for use but for ornament, at
$l4 gives an idea of the prices paid.
Belleck china, the only factory of any note in
Ireland, is now made at Trenton N. j. This
tea-cup and saucer selling for 81. The great de-
mand is for Japanese ware A bowl holding
pint or 80 ian unpardonably gross and prosaic
comparison), surmounted by griffin sells for
$25, and smaller bowls ct 81 and $40. The
Cloisonne or Shippo ware is exceedingly fine.
This ware has for it's base either porcelain or
copper. A drawing is made Of the design, and
this is transferred to the vase or plate prepared
with it. On this small pieces of wire. usually
of brass, are placed, and fastened by prepare
ton on the lines of the drawing, and the spaces
filed in with liquid enamel in various O. ors
Then the article is baked, again filled with en-
amel las the enamel shrinks very much in bak-
ingl, and this process is repeated, usually six
times until all the spaces are completely filled.
The finishing process consists in polishing the
surface, which is done entirely by hand, with the
aid of stone and water. The whole process Is
extremely interesting to the lookeron, but must
I -, IL a..
Dor that make these Japanese wares so expen-
sve.
The children of Indianapolis have the largest
array of toys in all this broad land of liberty to
select from-a variety that is almost limitless.
This Is as pleasing statement of fact as 1t is
remarkable, butt is exact for our largest toy
house has not an equal even in New York city
A few years ago our children's toys were i'm
probationary, France, and. to q small ex-
tent England supplying Santa Claus with all
his wares in that line. This is no longer the
case Within eight or ten years the manufacture
of toys in this country has, from nothing, grown
to great industry The Yankee toy-maker is
practical fellow, and most of his toys are edu-
cational in their influence He has brought into
the market line of steam toys such as toydom
never know before, and wonderful electrical and
scientific contrivances that do not merely
amuse but instruct. The American boy likes to
make things Brother Jonathan was formerly
represented with pocket knife, whiting The
saws and tools Of all kinds, and here in our great
toy houses are SER oil saws, with foot-power. at
prices ranging from So. so to $40, and steam en-
gines from so cents to $l5, the latter. though
small being quite powerful. Nearly all
the savings banks are of Ameri-
can make and as they are furnished
without president cashier, or teller they are
comparatively safe repositories. There is great
variety in these safes Some have combination
locks. while others are of comical designs in
which the greatest liberties are taken with hu-
man and animal anatomies. The performing
horse bank is wonder, while the dog that parks
and wags his tail when coin is fed to him is 3
marvel Building blocks out Of which grow
architectural vagaries that would drive Christie
pher Wren Wild are all made in America and
some of the best of them are made in this very
city of Indianapolis, out Of native woods that
cannot be equaled in effete Europe.
Toy musical instruments are all Of German
and French make-all except the banjo which is
American Instrument There Ia d.