The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-10
MIllIIls! a9le
WOMEN DECORATORS.
THERE rs ONE IN CHICAGO WHO HAS
ACHIEVED SUCCESS.

Mrs. Benfey's Views on Beautifying the
Home-Expensive Furnishings Not a Ne
oessity-Ths Correct Use of Materials
the Main Thing.
The development of the art of household
decoration has opened TO women one OF
the most delightful and suitable profess
sions that in these days Of wo1nan's work
can attract the time and talent Of the sex
To transform barren, often ugly, rooms
into attractiveness is a truly feminine task
All women are supposed TO have some
aesthetic taste, or at least TO love beauty
even If they are so unfortunate as to lack all
power of creating it for themselves. Who,
indeed, does not admire the talent that
changes graceless corner into an early
English" conceit, or transforms a barren
fireplace into an Eastlakean dreamf The
little house that was so poor and bare has
become paradise of rest to eye and heart,
and tired steps grow lighter with the Joy
of being there. Such tasks belong In some
degree to all home making, and are not
confined to professional decorators, but 1t
is nevertheless true that training is needed
70 make one an artist in this respect. But
training alone will not do it.
MUST BE AN ARTIST.
The decorator should be born an artist.
So important has this art OF decoration be
come that even the housekeeper's skill is
measured less by her ability TO buy roasts
than by her faculty for metamorphosing
garrett furniture into art studies, or with
an inexpensive bit of cheesecloth or Gre
tonne evolving beauty out OF unsightly
walls or windows. In recent years most
of our dry goods stores have added what are
called art departments, where are displayed
all sorts of aesthetic fancies for home adorn-
ment. At first a corner or an upper floor
was all that was needed TO show these
goods. Now what a changed Not only
must there be wide spaces for cases and
counters, but a window or two on the main
floor must be devoted TO the display of
newest designs. There must be designer,
too, to preside over the department, sug-
gest ideas 10 buyers and make suitable Sc
lections These places are often filled By
women who are thorough artists in their
way and who are well paid for their inter
esting work.
A woman who stands at the head Of her
profession in this line is Mrs. Lillian Ben
fey. Her fame extends all the way from
New York TO Denver She does not believe
in sitting down and weeping because tbs
world is so large and women are oppressed.
Her motto has been TO look on the bright side
of things, and if the somber, unfinished
side will persist in turning toward her,
well, let it turn, and with a strip Of velvet,
bit of ribbon, few hensington stitches
and a touch OF the stencil here and there
take away the gloomy aspect 1t is because
of her natural aptitude for this that she
ran draw a salary of 81 300 year, and that
Inn Keeper Southgate, of the Auditorium
hotel, gave her carte blanche to furnish his
private parlors Her own parlors on the
south side are said to be faithful copies OF
the famous Moorish room in the Hoffman
house, New York
Mrs Bentley talks entertainingly about
decorative effects and how they are pro-
duced. She says: when | enter a room
to plan its decoration and furnishing
look first at its prevailing color, for Of
course this is to be my background. My
ideas must be regulated by it.
BASE OF OPERATIONS.
Next look around for desirable bases
of decoration. A mantel is one, the bare
wall opposite another Then follow cor
ners, and last of all furniture. Ny chief
effort will likely be the mantel in select
ing material my greatest care must be not
10 take anything which has become pasSe
or out Of style, for a woman VIII quickly
detect old ideas. 1t may be a charming
bit, but if it has been used the season be-
fore no one will have it. A trifling blum
der in this respect will be as Objectionable
as If my work were out of tone. When
the mantel suits me attack a corner. So
few women know how TO treat Book. 1t
s. the easiest thing in the world to overdo
here. If handled perfectly when finished
St will be as beautiful as painting
"In treating materials l avoid embroid-
cry as much as possible. Too much en-
broidery detracts from a high art finish.
Turkish goods, with all their oriental
coloring and designs can almost always be
substituted. However, there is nothing 70
Equal a simple figure in magnifed wheat
or clover, done with orange colorsd rope
linen on Roman red poTtieres Draperies
IN solid colors, as n rule, are not hurt when
illuminated with we'll chosen peedlework
Although my sample card contains over q
hundred stitches-and think there is not
a stitch in the world that lam not familiar
with do not encourage a stampede
toward that sort of work
FURNITURE AN AFTERTHoUGHT.
THE work Of supplying furniture for a
room Is an afterthought. Cushions and
pillows consisting OF odd designs may be
picked up anywhere. For the latter use
those queer little pieces collected from
stocks of Eastern importers, making il a
rule never TO duplicate anything" Ii is in
this style of furnishing that Mrs. Bentley 6
talents are brought into play. If she has
nothing that Will answer her purpose like
q true artist she proceeds TO create some
thing. Any decorator can reproduce, but
st is only the true artist who can create at
viii. Her manner OF treating baskets,
toilet articles and the hundred and one
things about a house which admit Of
adornment is her peculiar forte.
From a hand painted frieze on moleskin
velvet she depends on group OF etohings,
attaching butterfly knot Of some gobelin
tinted ribbons to destroy the appearance of
Studied arrangement. Beneath the whole
She places a Chippepdale, setting Kabyls
pot or an old vase on the top to complete
the group, SO that the effect of the whole
table, pottery, needlework and pictures-is
complete from the floor up. The placing
of ceramics on the cabinet ahoTe the man
tel requires equal care and should never be
left TO one who is not a mistress Of her art
Chicago News.
The Hostess Golden Rule.
Ii was lady who had long presided over
n cultivated home OF wealth and who had