The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-05-28
METALLIC MILLINERY.
Congo Africans Competing with Amcri.
can Bellies.

uBo OF trimming the collar and cuffs OF
women's dresses with lace, network and
other articles in metal, has not been
confined to the daughters of Europe and
America, but has struck responsive
chord in the savage breasts of the deni-
zcns of Africa From all parts of the
dark continent comes cry for the
cheap and gaudy metal millinery of
Christendom- The demand is pnrticu-
larly large, says: brakes Magazine,
from the communities where brass, cop
per and other wire has long been en-
ployed as an ornament for tho neck,
arm, wrist, waist dhd ankle. The prac-
ticc is followed by the warriors as we'll
as tho women, and is said to produce
very picturesque results A chief or
belle whose costume consists of mile
of bright brass or Furnished copper
wire, with small cloth around the
loins, must present brilliant effect to
the European traveller.
In Christcndom the practice has grad
ually grown to rather large proportions.
According to n late price list the metals
employed to make the fabrics are gold,
platinum, gold plate, silver, silver plate,
nickel, steel, german silver, pewter,
lead and Berlin iron. The articles
manufactured include collars, collar
cites, wristbands, belts, sashes, braid,
lace, crochet work and embroidery.
Over three thousand designs arc in tho
market already, and more than twenty
manufacturers advertise to reproduce
any design within Il reasonable time to
please either jobbcr or retailer In one
system the goods are produced in the
rough by passing sheets of metal be-
tween embossed cylinders of hardened
steel. This makes the cheapest and
poorest work in the market. 1t is
chiefly employed in manufacturing met
al collars, belts and attachments for
hanging watches, handkcrchicfs and
pockctboolls to the waist. Its only adj
vantage is that it enables Il poor shop
girl to buy silver-washed belt for one
dollar which resembles in faint way n
handsome silver one costing forty dol
lars or more. The rolls will not turn
out fine goods, such as lace work and
the like.
a second method employs dies run by
steam power and the requisite metal
rolled in sheets of high tensity. For
merly it was difficult to get dies and
stamps to do really fine and delicate
work. The coinage of silver and gold
and the enclosing of tin were about
the highest points reached. Recent i'm
provementS in mechanical science and
art have brought in vast change for
the better, and now enable the metal
smith to stamp out fabrics as fine nnd
delicate as brussels lace. In q series of
experiments, according to this mode of
manufacture, admirable reproductions
in steel, tin and aluminium bronze were
made of ferns, cycads, Nottingham lace
and crochet work. The work is ey-
quisitely delicate and can be brought
down to a thickness not much exceed
ing silver foil. The imitation of fab
RIGS is excellent, especially that of laco
work. steel collarette, to be fastened
to the outside of n coat collar, is made
by this method with such clcan-cut
angles and fine lines as to suggest the
finest kind of the jewelers. art.
The third system consists in so modi-
tying the knitting machine and the lace
loom as to allow the use of metallic
threads instead OF Others The first cx-
pertinent in this line probably took
place in the successful production of
wire netting. The next step lay in the
braiding and weaving of wire into
all sorts of patterns. The third step
was easy, and brought Interviewing
down to Il common level with all other
kinds Metal work has this advantage
over linen, wooden, cotton and silk. 1t
can be drawn into threads of almost
mathematical perfection, and through
subsequent treatment with chemicals
can be made almost finer than
the human eye can perceive
al, -
employed in weaving, the resulting web
is more delicate than the gossamer of
the poets. BY using n form of the
jacquard loom, 1t is possible to weave
colorcd pictures in metal, using red.
green and yellow gold, white or black
silver, gray platinum, red copper and
other distinct shades. BY using the
same variety of metals with lace loom
chromatic effects can be produced such
as no point ever displayed. With the
proper kind of metal, the durability OF
all these ncw-fanglcd art products APP
proaches indestructibility. The cost of
this textile process is much greater
than with the rollers or the dies. Tho
prime cost is very great, and tho ex-
penses increase rapidly with the intri-
cacy of the design employed and the
fincness of the wire.
a fourth process has just been intro
duccd from Paris Any article to be re-
produced is immersed in strong bath
and exposed in peculiar way TO the
action of heat, electricity and powerful
reagents. The atoms of the article are
distracted under these conditions and
replaced by those of any metals desired.
Among tho things thus treated may be
mentioned insects, blossoms, leaves,