Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-03-29
LENTEN LEISURE.
A Society Girl Tries Her Hand at Fres-
Going.

From the " Y World.
A certain society girl in New York has been
utilizing her Lenten leisure in experiments in
the art of frescoing, q new departure in the list
Of feminine accomplishments. The idea was
not original with her, however, she having Dor
rowed it from Buffalo girl, the Buffalo young
women being, as q rule, the most astonshingly
superior and capable persons, On Delaware
avenue Of that city the experiment was begun
The room was freshly plastered and the surface
was left slightly rough. Upon this was laid
coat of blue paint, pale towards the floor and
deepening as it went up to the ceiling, which
was given the tint of hot blue, seen in June
skies. All over this ceiling is painted in fresco
groups of clouds of the SOFT translucent white
OF the clouds Of summer moons. All over the
walls grow masses of daisies Of every height
and size, singly and in groups; sometimes with
broken stem or nodding over as if blown with
the wind; standing with broad white disks
growing straight upward or else with close
folded blossoms not yet opened to the sun. The
room is furnished in white wood. the draperies
are OF muslin, and wherever there is room for
embroidered daisies there they are In her din
ins-room this gifted young woman has painted
her walls OF soft green. There is no reckless
here, though suitable enough
In the bedroom. The frescoing is done in a
very deep frieze of painted orange boughs.
as decorated background for the gold
en- globes OF the fruit. The above-men-
TONED young woman in New York having
heard of this, and learned by experiment
that she herself had some talent in the
same direction has been spending her time since
Lent began in Transforming her boudoir into a
woodland bower. Half way up the wall she has
painted the slim, silvery trunks of dogwood
trees, and from these spread upward until they
cover the entire ceiling branches set with the
blossoms which make the dogwood beautiful in
spring. The impression upon entering the
room almost takes away ones breath with sur
prise, so much does it seem as though one had
suddenly stepped into the heart of the spring
woods, the effect OF blossomng verdure is SO
realistic. The furnishings of the room are be-
ing all arranged in white and green, which
matches the beautiful canopy of flowers. and so
delighted is the painter with the success of her
work that she has already made designs for the
adjoining OF her bedroom, which is to be deco
rated with the wisteria vine in full blossom She
says: 1T has always been my desire to have a
room furnished in the color Of wisteria flowers,
and now this frescoing business has given me a
beautiful new idea concerning it. Every spring
go up to the park when it is time for the wis.,
terra to flower and spend hours sitting under
the trellis near the Casino. where it grows. The
vine is so luxuriant and blossoms so profusely
that one cannot even see the sky through the
thick purple canopy it makes over ones head,
and sit there for hours under the rain of per-
fumed purple blossoms falling all the time with
a little whispering sound. 1t has always seemed
to me the most beautiful thing in the whole
world. and mean to paint the very same thing
in my bedroom. l will paint the big brown
vine as springing up in every direction from
the lower part of the wall and spreading out in
branches loaded with its purple flowers until
it covers the entire ceiling. All my room will
be hung and furnished in the same shade. l
don't think it is generally known" said she,
the light which comes through lilac People
hang rose-colored curtains and use it in the
shades of their lamps under the impression that
it is very becoming, but in reality these red and
pink shades make the faces seen behind them
absolutely colorless, while light that shines
through lilac will make the whitest face look
rosy. Let any woman hang lilac shade in her
window or sit in the sun under a lilac parasol
and she will promptly fall in love with herself
for her own beautiful complexion"
~