The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-02-25
In WOMAN'S BEHALF.
WOMEN AS DESIGNERS.
An Employment which is Remunerstive -
Well n Pleasant, We

Well as Pleasant. Ne..
Eight years ago wished to become
q designer for carpets, having made mp
my mind to the effect by seeing an ugly
carpet, and wondering why more beau
tiful ones could not be made"
The speaker was a lady who has taken
up practical designing as a means of
support AS at present 'the most val
liable gift which can be bestowed on
woman is something to do which they
can do well and worthily and thereby
maintain themselves" any one who has
opened an avenue that offers a profita-
BILE and adaptable employment for wom-
en- must have something to say that is
interesting and probably helpful to 9th
ers. By her own personal research and
labor this woman obtained the practical
knowledge necessary to enable her to
compete with men in technical educa-
ton in art and design. She visited a
representative factory of nearly every
art industry in the United States, study
ing in each the technicalities of the ma
chinery and practical requirements of
the design of various industries, thus
qualifying herself for the work she had
chosen.
Many women of refined taste and good
general artistic culture waste their
energies and health in the vain endeavor
to make decorations upon silk, satin,
Christmas and Easter cards, panels and
plaques, reasonably profitable, who
might easily perfect themselves in some
one of the many forms Of industrial de-
sign, and thus secure steady income.
"Will you give me some idea of the
opening that seems to you to exist in
this direction for employment for wom-
emp" was a question put to the wom-
an mentioned.
1T is one of the best openings for
woman's labor in the country. 1t is
remunerative; it is easy work; it is as
easy as for lady to sit down and paint
for her own amusement There is de-
mand for patterns which can not be
filed by the designers already in this
country. Almost every manufacturer
of any consequence sends abroad for
hundreds, and some for thousands, OF
dollars worth of patterns yearly.
These designs are brought from Eng
land, Scotland, France and all over Eu.
rope. Manufacturers send men over
there, pay their expenses and pay fol
the designs. These designs could be
made as well in our own country anC
by women. Designs are needed fol
other industries--for instance, stained
glass, rugs, marbles, tiles, tablecloths
calicoes, towels, repousse work in sill
yer, gold, brass and copper, designs fol-
furniture, gas fixtures-almost anything
you look at that is ornamental, is made
in this country, and there is demand
for designs. Some factories require
more than others. .t,,.
"As to remuneration, first-class de
signer for body Brussels will receive
about $4, 500 to $1,000 a year. An in
grain designer receives less, or abou
$4,000. A moquette designer receives ;
little more than body Brussels de
signer. Six thousand dollars is goot
salary for any designer for any purpose
These salaries Of course, apply only t.
the most skillful workers. In one car
pet factory in this city. for instance
they have one man designer, and unde
him anywhere from fourteen to sixteel
men and boys. The boys are employees
at the rate of about 80 a4week whel
they begin. All they have to do is =
grind colors. II they are az all compc
3 tent they get to copying that is, wit
simple patterns !, They are then pal
from 81 to $40 week., 20 Laying on tn
: ground is the next step, and finally the
J, work on the higher patterns If the
r have taste, BY that, time, they hay
70 picked up a great deal from seeing other
!, work, and finally become designer
u themselves. That is the way men b
Il come designers.
d n.'For young women School for teach
. ing technical designing has been estat
h lished within the last few years. TIL
course of instruction extends over tw
II years. Geometrical arrangement tn
e drawing of flowers and adapting thel
to simple dcsigns-that isaprints, etc
h are included in the first years courss
t The technicalities are simple The Sc,
It ond year the technicalitiesof machiner
v and designing for all Fabrics upo
IS which the design is brought to the SUI
z face by the Jacquard loom; tablecloth'
a carpets, silk, or any fabrics in whic
d design is brought to- the surface. Ii
struction is given by lectures; for il
n stance, lecture may be given on il
L grains The machinery is explained a
well as the requirements for maxim
L the design, even to the minutest details
Only one kind of fabric, or one kin
/ of industry, is given at time. = ~
L. "As to the demand for designers
there are from scventy-five to one hui
&c bred carpet factories in this countr.
Some of these employ only one or tw
!" designers and buy many outside design
&c others employ fifteen to sixteen Twel
ty would be large number of desigl
Is crs for any one carpet firm to emplo
u When you come to silk, wall paper Az
other industries. it is about the san
J" Designs are in demand for tides, piar
ID and table covers or similar articles mac
by machinery, for which the usu
weekly salary for designers is twent
IL five dollars. Then the furniture trat
takes a great many designers. TO d
sign for furniture, however, one mu
=, be something of joiner and understal
- carpentcring. You might make bca
!" tiful design, say for dressing case, b
you must make practical working d
~ sign as well, drawn to a scale.
Is II know very little about the salari