The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-12-04
INCORPORATING.
How Cheap Taste Has Affected Dis
astrousiy the Old Art.

A storage room for many years ac-
cumulation of knicknsckS. notions, and
bric-a-brac of every description, dusty
and dingy. is always full of interest.
saws the Cincinnati IfneS-Stdr. 1t
was the reporters good fortune TO
stumble on 10 two of these places.
They were the work shops of ivory
carvers and wood-turners. One was
Uttered with tools of every shape, some
covered with the dust of twenty years;
all sorts of fancy-shaped pieces OF
ivory, wood. and rubber; in fact. a
general collection, very interesting and
hard to describe, filled the shop.
Noticea Die above all was the yellow
cat, the queen of the shop, that dozed
majesticailv on the workman's desk.
This shop belonged TO pleasant-faced,
rather old German, who, for twenty
two years, has worked at his trade in
this same ware-room. He Is an ivory
carver. worker in fancy wood and
rubber, and, in fact, in any material
out Of which can be fashioned some
thing artistic.
This turner was not like the gloomy,
taciturn carver who inspired that
beautiful American poem, The Ivory
Carver the refrain of which is so
familiar:
SILENTLY sat the artist alone.
Carving his Christ from the ivory bone"
The trade of the ivory carver is but a
sha re of what it used to be. The
various machines of modern invention
do the work that formerly gave en-
ployment to scores of these artists.
And another thing is the cheap" taste
that has been developed. Bone and
celluloid work. cheaper in every way,
satisfies the majority nowadays, while
of the real ivory work comparatively
little is done.
This ivory artist learned his trade in
the old country and came to Cincinnati
to follow it up, and this was twenty
two yealS ago. Then the demand for
artistically carved ivory was good.
No such limitations as cellulcid were
thought of. Mother of pearl work, in
laid gold and silver work, etc, nothing
was too fine. But now this is all
changed. The work of the carver is
confined principally to penholders,
paper knives, needle cases, dice, and Il
few such articles, and any elaborate
piece of work is only to ill an order.
The carver talked remorsefully of the
decline of this specially.
No said he, with a shake of his
gray head, Il can't make a speciality of
ivory-carviug like | would People
want only the cheap imitation now.
When first came | could not do The
work, and it was fine work. too.
II learned my trade in Germany,
where most all of us did. What else do
do? | do most everything with fancy
woods. Iuse lockwood. rosewood, and
ebony principally. Police clubs. canes
inlaid work, electric supplies, and
hardwood handles. All sorts of gam
bling layouts ! make only to order
though | make loaded dice when
ordered. | make billiard balls, too,
but not many. Here's 4 piece of walrus
tusk. used to work in that too; we
used only the outside of walrus bone
for the heart is too yellow. | also
shape horns and decorate them. and
work in amber. Aud my cat here, :"
iunct of the shop. She kills all the
rats, and these rats, if they had chance,
would eat the varnish from all my fine
work
Where do YOU get your ivory?"
From New York city, and all of She
fine wood | use comes from there.
That is where most all of the fine ivory
carving is done now
lis ivory work cheaper now than it
WASP
The work has to be cheaper; but
the ivory costs the same"
The other antique shop discovered
was on a smaller scale. There was not
the varied collection of fancy articles
to be seen. The workman has given
up fancy carving altogether. He turns
billiard balls for some big firm. He
works in hardwood at odd times.
Here, too. there were numerous gam
bling devices discovered. Dice-large
dice the size of walnut, turned from
ivory-werc being spotted. This car
yer talked in the same strain as the
others.
Il devote my time altogether to
billiard balls and some little wood turn
ing. 1t used to be paying business,
this ivory-carving, but this was years
ago"