The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1886-12-01
SHOP WINDOW DECORATIONS.

Am Art That Is Greatly Ira Demand
and which Few People Possess.
"a well dressed window nowadays is
about the best paying advertisement e re-
tail business house can invest in,n said a
drygoods man to reporter few mornings
ago. The speaker, though quite n young
man, was one of the most competent hands
at window decoration in the city, and is an
employee of prominent State street dry.
goods store.
" am, as my name would indicate, q
native of the Green Isle,'n he continued
and have studied the art of window dress.
ing not only in the metropolis of that coun-
try but in London and Manchester, and you
may take my word for 1t that next to news.
paper advertising nothing draws SO much
business to houses in which sales are effect.
ed across the counter as this same system.
Call it an art ? Yes, do, and 1 tell you
that old and experienced drygoods and
hardware men are unanimous in the belief
That about one of the hardest things to find
is a man who is an adept in window trim
ming.
American cities are away ahead of the
old country ones in this respect. They
realize the importance of the thing and give
it far more attention than do business men
across the water. In the drygoods trade
the window trimmers have to cater to the
tastes of the ladies, for men as rule vol't
stop in front of window filled with stuffs,
trimmings, and such frippery. You imag.
inc that on this account the decoration OF
dry goods windows must be confined to the
latty fingers of the women folk, but you
are mistaken. A woman can no more dress
,ut good window than she can mend Q
Iced pencil or make up neat parcel. No.
ii is the work of men, and it is an accom-.
plishment that can't be acquired by any
apprenticeship, however long. II is taste
that must be inherent in the operator. Talk
about your newspaper editors. Why, O
window trimmer has got to have more in
ventive genius than half dozen of them
rolled up into one. lie must keep ON get
ting up something new all the time if ht
doesn't want to have the girls turn up then
hoses and cry chestnuts.' have known a
aew design in the arrangement of silk hand
kerchiefs in that window to increase the
sale Of the articles by three TO one over the
biggest average previously made during the
season."
The windows OF the big stores are al.
most as faithful an indication of the
change of the seasons to town folk as the
flowers and foliage nre to the rustics. The
long rows of aristocratic looking but " wood.
,n-headed" gentlemen who stare vacantly
out through the plate glass of the big
clothing stores are among the most reliable
of this species of thermometer. The dex-
ferrous window trimmer is always most
careful to have these graceful figures clad
not only in the pink of fashion, but in the
manner most suitable to the season and the
weather.
A new and ingenious idea in the disp osi-
ton of windowful of hats which were on
display in q north side store the other day
filed the footpath on both angles of the
corner, for an entire evening, with an ad-
hiring crowd The attraction consisted Of
a number of pasteboard portraits of promi.
nent politicians and statesmen of at least
half dozen different natioEalities.