The record-union., 1893-02-25
PATRONS OF ART.
Reception by the Ladies of the Kings
ley Art Club.
a Delightful Afternoon at the New
Pavilion-An Address by Mrs.
Anna B. Comstock.

uay afternoon with ladies in attendance
upon the reception rendered to Mrs.
Anna B. Comstoek of the Stanford Uni
Versity, prominent and talented en-
graver and artist In the modern art of
wood engraving and white line" draw
ing.
The reception to Mrs. Comstock is
made the occasion for the first annual
eAhlDltlon of the club, and concludes
with this afternoon and evening.
Mrs. Comstock is widely acquainted
with the leading artists of the country
and many abroad, and through her
friends she has made a very large and
valuable collection of masterpieces, espe-
cially in the line of modern wood engrav-
ing She has on exhibition at the clubs
rooms no less than l35 drawings many
of them the work of the most talented
artists, and all of them engravings of the
highest merit.
The art of wood engraving, which orig
mated In Germany early in the fifteenth
century, was crude in its development at
1irst, and languished until Albert Dursr
made it a fine art.
for some reason the art never became
generally popular, as compared with the
lar more expensive process of steel en-
CRAVING, until taken up by w. j. Linton
IN this country.
Mr.. Linton gave it new impetus, and
at present the art reaches its highest eX-
preston In the work produced by the
American Society of Wood Engravers.
Members OF the society received the high
est awards at the Paris exposition in 1889.
ana since then many of its members have
achieved distinction for excellent work.
Mrs. Comstock is one of three ladies
VINO have become mem bers of the society,"
and she has become widely known rs an
artist and engraver OF great taste and tai
ent, and has in her collection many orig
mai sketches and engravings of her own
production.
Aside from her attainments as an artist
Mrs. Comstock is delightful conversa-
flonalist. with wonderful faculty of en-
tertaining and instructing those interest
ca IN art studies She is ably assisted by
Mrs. NJ. X. Higgins the President of the
club here, and the members themselves.
During the afternoon yesterday, while
those present had the opportunity of ex-
amlning the engravings and discussing
art topics, very enjoyable musical pro-
gramme was given. There was flute
solo, by G. A. Neale; a song by Mrs. B.
+. Howard, with flute accom- paniment by
Mr.. Neale; piano solo, by Mr.. Martins:
violin solo, by Mr.. Vanderhoff. and a
piano solo by Mrs. Neale. Several others
gave selections, either vocal or instru-
Refreshments, consisting of bullion and
Tea, were served on tables about the room,
and the whole affair was one of an ex-
ceedingly social nature.
MRS. CoMsToCK LECTURES.
In the evening Mrs. Comstock lectured
upon the subject of "White-Line En-
Eraving-Its Method and History"
Mrs. Comstock's lecture was an in
structive and delightfully."- entertaining
dissertation a ft,l
esting topic, and was given in a most
charming and graceful manner
Beginning with general analysis of
the art OF engraving and the several pro-
cesses of etching and carving on wood
and metal, she succeeded in giving her
large audience clear and comprehensive
understanding OF the subject.
by way OF illustrating the earliest at
Tempt at the art OF engraving upon wood,
the lady showed q print in colors from
wood cut OF ''St. Christopher" done in
the year 1923. This is the first engraving
on wood known. and could not be com.
pared with modern work in the art
The first engraving upon wood was
cone with Infinite labor by cutting with
knife lengthwise of the grain of the
wood, and the blocks We're used merely
as stencils for colors, while the colors
were as unartistic and crude as the en-
. CRAVING itself. 1t was i'll reality, how
ever, the precedent and copy for nova
ble blocks for printing later on. and
these were followed by movable words
upon blocks, and finally by movable
type, so that the art of wood engraving
was the mother of printing.
Albert Durer, she said, in the fifteenth
century took up the art and gave it per
haps Its most marked character and i'm
petus. His great work. done with so
much patient labor and skill, "The Tri-
ulnph OF MaXimilian,' was l75 feet LONG
and sixteen inches high, and he proved
himself master of line engraving. but
not In the art as in vogue to-day. He
was master of engraving lines upou
wood or copper-plates. but he seemingly
oid not conceive OF dealing with lines in
black and White alone, to give color
effects.
An engraving done by Holbein in the
sixteenth century was shown, in which
there was some attempt at an improved
process. a singular thing developed by
the engraving shown. which is that of a
piowman, is that wheels were used TO
guide and regulate plows as early as 1857.
while many people suppose plows with
wheels to be modern invention.
In the latter part of the sixteenth and
the beginning of the seventeenth CEN
turies the art Ianguished until Thomas
Bewick, an English engraver, revived it |
and was really the first to endeayor the
lime tint" process, or to produce color
effect by line engraving. He was so sue
ceSsful with ii that after his death he !
was imHated by artists of less ability |
and the process was so poorly executed |
by them that II lost prestige and fell into |
disuse or disgrace.
w. j. Linton, another Englishman, in
the eighteenth century, took up the art of
line engraving again, and to him we are |
largely indebted for its revival and i'm
provement to the perfection attained by |
the artists of to-day. The art has been
followed in America until to-day Amer
lean engravers on wood lead the world. |
and for this the Society of American
Wood Engravers is largely to be credited. |
Mrs. Comstock made many references |
to the engravings adorning the room, and |
described the various effects which the |
line engravers labored to produce. As |
compared with steel engraving, line en-
craving on wood has a conspicuously !
more graceful and natural effect, and is |
probably the nearest approach TO the |
most delicate effect of the brush.
1t is now the custom of the best wood |
engravers to make their sketches directly |
from natural subjects, the same as the |
painter would sketch his work. Instead |
Of using the brush and palette. or the |
pencil. the wood engraver uses his in |
struments of steel with touch and effect |
probably more delicate and faithful to |
nature.
A study of the best results of this pro-
cess causes one to feel and appreciate |
color effects in the delicate lines in black |
and white, which are not attained by any !
other means. Photographs are falling
into disuse for the purpose of the engra-
Yer. as they do not reproduce color
effects, and are misleading and unreli-
able.
To reflte the general impression, and