Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-07

a Novel Screen for Readers-Those for
Bed Rooms, Dining Room, Etc.


Trun ths Bosson Trsnscrips
Give me portiere. an easel and screen
ana my room is furnished, y bright and artistic
woman remarked the other day, and there is a
great deal Of truth in what she said Chairs
and tablesS Well, . long divan with plenty of
bag pillows would do for sesss, and chairs and
tables seem to come Of themselves. somehow or
other. but she must have the decorative effect
produced by the portiere, the easel and the
screen or she could not be happy or comforts
Bile. And every artistic woman will agree with
her. There Is a grace and beauty in the hang
ing folds Of a portiere. no matter what the ma
terial; the easel ID artistic and picturesque,
even If il be only of stained pine and the
picture on il voodcut And the screen--the
screen with its one. two. three or four leaves,
as the size OF the room allows-is decorative,
artistic, picturesque, useful. and, like charity.
covereth q multitude Of sins If you choose TO
nave IT do So But the screen of today is not
what 1t was few years ago. No longer is the
clumsy clothes horse, covered with wall paper
or cheap calico. considered suitable ne a screen
Nothing Of this sort will be admitted TO even
the simplest homes nowadays The develop
ment OF the screen has been rapid ne that Of
other household articles that are both useful
and decorative and IL has become ''thing of
beauty and Joy forever"
Do you want a screen for your dining room.
library or hall2 IL so, il must be of leather
from six TO eight feet high. You may have
three or four leaves, you choose and il NAV
be OF leather in the Flemish or Venetian de-
sign. Ihe Flemish il raised work and some
what horid in design and gaudy in color but il
Is handsome and quite expensive enough. a
screen with three leaves costing $3.50 The
Venetian, hand-tooled. is preferred by some
people, the designs being reproductions Of old
Venetian designs, the tooling giving it a rich
Ifx.E hat nK.fax l. r.. ri
The Venetian work il in fine. low relief in deep
rich colors, gold and silver and a screen Of
three leaves is worth $780,
A very handsome design is from piece of
old Spanish lace, and is carried out in gold and
silver. No framework is visible in these
screens, the illuminated leather covering il all
Another design Is IN four leaves. each leaf be-
ing In three square pannels. surrounded by
small round brass nails. the framework being
also covered with leather in dark, IRISH hnes in
keeping with the panels. These are paintings
of fruit and flowers, by hand. the background
being fooled, and $500 is the price aaked for
this unique piece of work. screen Of similar
design has landscapes on the panels, which
were cut from large old painting. An excel
lent way, this. of utilizing old pictures that are
almost too large to hang on the walls, and are
of no very great value. Inserted in the leaves
OF screen they show to more advantage and
occupy useful and decorative corner Such
screen was made for ex-Secretary Whitney
Tor his dining room, that is, finished in illumin-
ated leather, the leaves having figures of men
and women. The leather was a genuine old
piece, and not reproduction, such as are de-
scribed above.
The dyed leather is also used for this pur-
pose and is half the price Of the illuminated.
1t is of a tan color. the design being stamped
In two or three shades of browns, and pro-
duces a very handsome effect.
For drawing-rooms and boudors what more
dainty than the screen of the Louis XVI Pc
Rod! 1t generally has three leaves of unequal
height the center one being the highest
the gilt frame sloping down to meet one
on each side that also slopes The panels
are OF Aubusson tapestry, or are finely painted
BY noted artist, and are only three-quarters
the length of the gilt frame. The other quar-
Ter, at the top, is made Of a piece of heavy
plate glass. What is il for? Surely such a
beautiful piece Of furniture is its own excuse
for being. 1t stands behind Louis XVI table,
near a window, perhaps. so that one may have
glimpse OF tree OF sky, and yet be sheltered
from the draught. This is the ideal screen for
rooms furnished in the Louis XVI STYLE and
may be seen in the drawinw rooms OF Mrs ID.
D. Mills, jr., and Mrs s. v. r. Cruger.
screen that is not quite SO ornate is
covered with tapestry, with designs OF nymphs
and cupids, and is quite straight and plain at
top.
A novelty for q library is low screen of two
leaves, that is just high enough to reach a trifie
above the top Of a persons head who is seated
This little screen is to keep off draught or TO
prevent q reader from being seen by those who
pass the open door. and stands at the foot Of a
lounge or near a low chair. Opened at right
angles on the inside of each leaf is a shelf wide
enough to hold book or a cup OF tea, box of
bonbons and a shaded candle. For decoration a
painted tile is inserted and a lattice-work de-
sign at the top has pleasing effect.
And for bed rooms? Dainty effects are pro-
duced in cretonnes that may be made to match
the furnishings and drapings of the rooms.
Screens OF mating are also very popular either
in plain white, Indian red, or of the white.
painted with design in flowers with some
graceful female figure. These panels are hung
on frames of gold and white and are finished
| with tassels and ribbons
Simpler yet are the large screens covered
with a coarse linen crash or some material of a
pale, indefinite hue, and made for the purpose
of serving as background to some bit Of color.
either q chair, table, lounge or an easel and
picture. Such screens usually have draped
across the top silken scarfs of colors that har-
monte with the surroundings.
Perhaps the most original design for a screen
Is one that is OF four leaves, each leaf being a
mirror. The young woman who INDUCES in
this novel luxury is a Murray Hill belle and is
noted for her exquisite figure and her beauti-
fully fitting costumes
The Japanese screens are ALWAYS in fashion
and seem appropriate for any and for every
ROOM as they may be bought in all colors and
OF sizes to suit all tastes and purposes.