Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-05-21

lists at work-Unique Designs.
Among the queer trades in this great
city that of making more or less edible
show pieces for banquet tables is one of the
most artistic variety.
At very many corporation dinners it has
become somewhat the custom to have a
large table ornament which will from its
form or detail suggest the particular sort
of enterprise in which the promoters of the
dinner are interested. A great many of
these fancy pieces are constructed from
sugar pasta aud others from nougat,
candy paste literally besprinkied with
fragments of nut kernels.
The amount of labor put upon some of
these art works might be considered wasted
when you consider how perishable they
are, and the artistic quality Of the work
gives an idea of great expense, because you
naturally conclude that such excellent
handiwork must come high.
A young Frenchman employed in one of
our local restaurants is a clever exponent
of this branch of sugar architecture. and
he il kept busy nearly all the year round
for banquet purposes alone.
Like most men who have achieved sue
cess ia the lines of artistic manufacture,
this young artist, whose name il Donnie
vile. was compelled to serve long and
ardu0us apprenticeship. Starting at the
age of fourteen he worked as a helper for
a well known German artist, whose crea-
Gions ia sugar and gum paste a few years
ago were considered marvels. Six years
ago Che old gentleman retired on his lau-
rels, and his young assistant, by assiduous
'stady in the meantime in drawing and
7nodeiing classes, was able at the early age
of seventeen to take his instructors place.
According to Mr.. Bonneville there is
nothing in the figure or flower line that
cannot be reproduced in sugar by a clever
worker
CAPABILITIES OF PULLED SUGAR
The best material for flowers and ere.
atoms OF delicate outline is what the artist
calls ''pulled" sugar. To make clear white
pulled sugar he melts down the finest
brand Of loaf sugar, and mixing the mass
when Just hardening with a little clear
strip, he works it after the manner of the
man we occasionally see pulling long strips
of soft candy in uptown confectioners'
windows.
From this mass before it gets cooled he
shapes his leaves and petals and sticks
them together in natural flower form as
he goes along. Where the flowers have a
the boiling sugar When the flower is one
shat needs but tinge of color it is put on
with a brush.
One OF the most artistic creations in this
line was made for exhibition at French
ball held in 1888 The body Of the design
was made Of nougat and represented a
wheelbarrow three feet long. Inside the
wheeibarrOw was an artistic heap of Gala
lilies and roses, of natural size and perfect
form and color. These flowers, leaf, branch
and blossom, were made OF the best quality
Of pulled sugar.
A material called composition paste is
used for figure pieces. The paste is made
of gum tragcanth, marble dust and corn
sIanch. This product can be given finish
SO near like that of highly polished porce-
lain A. TO deceive the average observer.
When Augustin DAILY banqueted Henry
Irving in 1888, he ordered five figures OF
Mr.. Irving in as many different costumes.
These figures were each eighteen inches
high, and they attracted a great deal of at
tention on account Of their artistic fidelity
to life.
Aes banquet given Mr. Edwin Booth by
Mr. DAILY in the year following, five figures
Of the tragedian were exhibited, uniform
an sire with those of Mr. Irving.
WHAT GUM PASTE CAN DO.
Two OF the best examples of figure group
work that have been produced in sugar
were made for the chamber of commerce
banquet in 1888.
These groups were made of what is called
gum paste. This is a combination of gum,
sugar and corn starch. In this material
the sugar replaces the marble dust used in
composition paste. The two pieces were
81 feet high each. The modelling was per.
feet. and their preparation took about four
weeks time. The groups were afterward
secured rs trophies by individual members
of the organization.
A very large table piece made of gum
paste was shown at the chamber of com.
meroa dinner on Nov. 10, 1899 This piece
was six and a half feet high Its make up
called for over thirteen thousand pieces OF
sugar paste, and the artist worked steadily
at it for six weeks. II cost the chamber OF
commerce people about $500. This was
probably the finest table piece ever shown
at a banquet in this city.
At the French cooks ball in 1888 two OF
the many interesting show pieces were rep
RESERVATIONS Of picture frames with relief
aowers in the center. One group was
cluster Of wild roses aud leaves, perfect il
form and arrangement. The second fran,
contained wild mass Of very natural
looking apple blossoms.
OIL PAINTING IN CANDY.
IL might seem odd that any one should
make a candy structure to use as the basi,
for an oil painting, but this very thing wa,
done for the sake OF novelty, and the piec,
was exhibited with Others at large gath
eriRg Of banqueters The picture fran,
was three feet long and two feet high
This part of the work was made with gun
paste and afterward gildsd The ornamen
eatons were modelled in the approve
picture frame style. In the opening tn,
artist created a landscape of sugar paste il
reAief
Although this part of the work might
have been made in natural colors, il va,
considered that the design might be NOR,
realistic If painted in oils. There wa
enough OF the sugar surface lett in place
20 prove the real foundation of the design
The effect produced by the combination
was very fine, and the piece shows the in
finite resources open to the artistic cand,