Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-16
ESTHETICS AND ART.
HOW PARL oRs ARE PRETTlLY DECO
RATED WITH ODDS AND ENDS.
OF ski1ful Amatcurs--Thc Kodak
and Its Disciples.

and Its Disciples.
When Oscar Wilde, the "long- haired
aesthetic crank" as the public saw fit to
call him, lectured in this city several years
ago, he said, among other things that ex-
cited ridicule at the time, that even n
broomstick, If properly embellished, could
be made thing of beauty and an orna-
mont TO household. In every circle he
was laughed at and made sport Of, but, not
withstanding tho fun heaped upon him,
his doctrines took firm hold in this city,
and even to this day almost every parlor is
beautifed by the bric-d-brdc that he so
warmly advocated.
Now almost every society lady can Mt
least paint some little, and few salons arc
lacking in some representation Of the
melancholy stork perched upon ono leg,
which may be said TO have been introduced
by Wilde along with other curious fancies.
THE CHINA CRAZE PREVALENT.
The craze for different styles of china
and porcelain has also grown greatly IN
Richmond. and in many households there
are beautiful specimens OF antique table
ware which have been handed down from
generation TO generation, becoming more
and moro valuable with the increasing
weight of years. Ladies have also COM
menced painting upon china to large ex-
tent, and many of them have exquisite ser
vices decorated entirely by their own
| hands.
REPTILES II OUR PLATES.
! Iambrequins, Oriental scarfs, graceful
/ draperies, china, porcelain. and pottery Of
/ various shapes now constitute the tout IN
/ seynble Of all the beautiful parlors among
I tho higher classes in Richmond. and how
| ever incongruous the groups Of Shiny rep
! tiles and loathsome insects crawling over
/ our sOup-plate5 may seem, no truly
/ aesthetic Household must be without them.
I Every available thing that falls into the
| hands of the ladies' OF this day ls deco
rated, and some Of the hOmeliest objects
| that used to make home hldeous now ap-
/ pear bright and beautiful under the ar
/ tistic touch OF tho delicate fingers OF the
/ fair sex.
! Old shoes-the most homely possession
| of mankind-now rest upon the nantes,
! bedecked with ribbons, Gilded and gar
nshed with all the delicate tints of tho
/ rainbow and homely jugs and ginger-iars
/ develop INTO gems OF rare beauty beneath
/ the brushes of the feminine artists.
ODDS AND ENDS IN PARLoRs.
The taste tor everything of an aesthetic
I
| lar in Richmond, and 10 Il really surprising
how the average parlor Of the present day
| is decorated. No matter how large the
, room nav be, every corner Is tlled with
little odds-and-ends and no portion Is left
| without somo attempt at ornamentatlon.
1 Mantels are exqusitely decorated with
tiles, placques. and draperies; walls are
hung with pictures. china, armOr, old wea-
pons, and everything that would have
been considered oiars fifty. years ago;
| But with all these eccentric odds and
! ends homes have become more and more
! beautiful, and although an awkward
/ young man feels decidedly uncomfortable
as he picks his way through the various
little ornaments, his eye, If he has any
taste for the beautiful, is bound to be
pleased. Every woman has good taste IN
artistic matters, however backward she
may be in other things. The same dis,
eliminating power that tells q red-haired
I girl that dress Of crimson or pink would
be unbecoming 20 her guides her hand IN
arranging her parlor or her home.
WHITES AND ARTISTS FEEL ALIKE.
Tho unsentimental individual has nc
place in the world Of art and aesthetics
and oven o barn is good enough for hi.
domicile, provided il keeps the wind
I away and shelters him from the bowling
. q
| who loves his home and can appreciate
decorative art. everything in the way
Dickens could never have conceived
7 of lovely character like Lizzie
/ Hexam-" the heart well worth win
ming and well wOnn-whOm he describes
so Beautifully as sitting by the winter
freside with the Pickering lights from the
burning embers upon her pretty face unless
he had tho heart Of a true artist, and even
though he could not have portrayed this
charming picture upon the canvas, ht
must have had the Imagination and those
finir sensbilities that actuated Michael
Angelo, Raphael, and the other old
masters who have won the admira-
ton Of the world. Thackeray, the novel
ist. whose descriptive power was almost
unrivalled. was q very skiltul artist, anc
some Of his sketches are exceedingly
amusing and expressive and exactly co
incide with the readers idea of what the
characters no describes would have ap'
peared had they lived. In fact, no mar
who writes in "a manner that attracts hi'
l readers can be devoid Of appreciation FOL
that which is beautiful and artistic.
In this CITY while the taste for things II
the aesthetic line is very prevalent It car
hardly be said that art, as the regular
painters and sculptor5 conceive Of 1t, II
very popular. though every year interes
in IL is increasing. Richmond is certainly
not backward in public statuary, and tn.
most skilled art critics in this country snt
Europe do not hesitate to say that the
Washington and Lee monuments are
among the finest specimens in theWorld.
EMINENT sCULPToRs
Richmond's own sculptor, Valentine
has won the highest praise for his ability
] Il 81 ~ honor nm
self and the city. He is now engaged OF
several splendid works.
Another sculptor from this city WHIT
has achieved great reputation for his wOri
is Sir Moses j. Ezekiel. who now has
| studio in Rome, and has gained an envia
bic reputation for his striking work
Ezekiel is about forty-slx years old, an'
, has been the recipient Of numerous prize
/ in Turope for his work, besides bein'
, knighted. He graduated at the Virgins
Military Institute short time before IN
, late war and served in the Contederat
The contract for the bronze figure Of
Confederate soldier, which is to surmoun
, the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors
, Monument, now being erected on Labb,
Hill, has been awarded to him, and he ]
working on the model. Photographs o
the work will be sent to this. city shortly
] j ut skNLuo W III 10 hbbub hNSANS AS~N 49, %
PAINTERS.
The professional artists of Richmond
such as Messrs. Sheppard, Cox, Brown
shuman. Craig. and others, are all too We
known to require special mention. Their
are also quite number of ladies here VIII
teach drawing and painting, and, while 4
point OF experience they can hardly b
called professionals, their work would ceI
.. tainly DO credit TO any artist.
Perhaps one of tho most skilled lady
painters in this city is Miss Lily Logan
She received her art education IN Rome
/, after several years of arduous study
which, combined with her natural talent.
has won for her both distinction and merit
; While searching few days ago for IL
|, formation concerning art IN Richmond,
representative of the Dispatch visited be
studio in the old Allan mansion. He wa
ushered into a large, old-fashioned ROOF
with many windows, through which th
, merry sunbeams poured down upon pol
, traits and sketches of wild. unkempt IL
diyiduals and melancholy landscapes.
THE QUICK OF TIE DEAD.
Gray serOent-like MOSES were hun