Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-09-02
Costumes fn Design.


The general apprehension in relation to
works of art is that they are admirable in
proportion to their cost; or, to put it in
another form, costliness is an evidence of
value. Almost the FIRST inquiry made with
reference to an article recently purchased
is its cost. In fact, Americans as class
place more value on first cost than would
be considered by almost any other peoples
of the world.
1t is cost that replaces the influence
which tradition exerts upon other nations.
The elements of this cost are invariably
uniform, and practically of but one unit,
namely, monetary, in its ultimate form.
As the ability to command money varies
so greatly with the individual. the estimate
of value accorded to any article also varies
with the earning power or acquisitiveness
of the individual.
This fact itself is sufficient to show what
false basis our Judgment is founded
| upon. Few individuals are capable of
rising beyond the limitations of their own
| immediate horizons, and consequently
their standards of comparison are fixed at
low mark.
Consider these facts and their environ
ment in relation to the planning and exc
cution of dwelling-house. For many
years, by many people, the beauty of
house has been esteemed in proportion to-
| its cost 1t has become quite common to
hear the remark that such and such a
house is very beautiful, and the reioinder
that it ought to be beautiful, it cost
enough. or the diverse propositiun-such
house is ugly or homely because the own
er was afraid to spend anything on the
| structure.
| Popular sayings become popular truths
by constant repetition until they become
worn into commonplace adages. Never
theless, with all due respect to the popular
heart, its foibles and its fancies, we must
protest against such an ill-founded faith
and such case of mistaken identity.
Cost and value are not synonymous, nor
can one always be identified by the other.
Especially is this true of low-cost struc-
lures, the very essential of comparison in
such q matter as this.
When a studied effort is made to design
dwelling which shall be low in cost as a
prime necessity, and further considera-
ton be that it shall be tasteful, or, to use
an i'll chosen, popular phrase, as circum-
\ stances will admit meaning monetary cir
cumstances, the current belief is that the
two are incompatible. Now, while thi:
may have been true many years ago, it II
not to-day. In days gone by efforts wer'
lust as carefully made to combinea aee two
with poor success it will be admitted, fol
then the skeleton of the structure wa
pared down to the plainest makeshift, an'
J to make up for thinness OF externals
caves, cornices and porches were LITERAL.
, crowded with cut details, bold, coarse an,
confusing. The reason for this was no
| the lack of invention or design on the par
! of our architects, as in the lack of ma
chinery or cheap hand labor to execut
r good designs. That this is a fact and no
{ | a fancy. it is only necessary TO turn to til
modern French or German villa, wher
their designers are still struggling unde
the burden of coarse and vulgar detail
similar in form and derivation in origi
from the same sources that dominated on
, villa architecture of many years ago. L
the French and German villa work of tC
day we are inclined to believe that thei
coarse and striking details have two res
sons for their present existence, one
| which fortunately our own art is not sui
ject to, namely, that of tradition, and th
E other the lack of machinery to execut
turned ornaments and delicate moulding:
Architects are often unwilling to comics
how much their own advancement an
/ that of the art they love are due to th
{ modern improvements in and develop
I
manual Skill but true it is, nevertheless.
Coming back to American work, it is
1 | fact that it does not cost any more to hay
original mouldings cut than to use stoc
mouldings. This is a great advantage
s an architect possessed of a trained eye an
delicate skill in the choice of moulding
n for any given purpose. To-day rnachiner
supplements hand work in almost ever
J. phase of architectural or decorative ar
Now this is a supplementary service;
does not necessarily vulgariZe art. Tru
art can never become commonplace. /
other words, the world itself can never |
surfeited with examples of good taste
design.
With the advent of the wonderful M
chinery which clever designers are no
willing to avail themselves of, it is aui
possible to design house which shall
simple in outline and decoration, and v,
be in the utmost good taste, and as a COZ
sequence, of admirable design
One remarkable and interesting fact
noticeable with the advent of this class
structures, and tits the growing admir-
ton for simplicity of form, moderation
color and expressive detail The create
difficulty met with is that of fndil
trained workmen to execute such work.
1t may be believed by even the me
skeptical that it does not cost more to e,
cute well-designed, simple detail than