Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1893-02-02
FRAMING AND HANGING PICTURE
TFrom .The House Comfortable."l

From "The House Comfortable."l
EY FRAME should never be more
n striking than the picture. 1t
should accent the picture and yet
VA in itself be unobtrusive. Itshould
sFN soften the lines of the wall
IA - around the picture and focus the
eve upon it. Oil paintings should be
framed in gold, silver or bronze. A
frame of white and gold is best for
water-color, while epgravings and etch-
ings look best in frames of natural wood,
ether polished or vanished, but never
gilded. Photographs can be framed in
natural wood or modest fiat gilt or bronze
frames, according to the su .ject and the
tone of the picture. Soft gray or cream
tinted mats are the best for pictures in
general throwing the picture back from
the glass and softening the effect, but
tinted mats of other shades may occa-
sionally be used. A dark blue mat when
the picture is blue in tone, or wine
colored, or rarely q silvered or gilded
one, may be very effective, but should
ouly b used cautiously. The frame for
an oil painting should never be flat, but
always thicker at the outer edge, to
throw the picture back and increase the
perspective in which it is best seen and
harmonize it with the walls. Sometimes
an oil is Of modest coloring and low tone
and is most effectively framed in dark
crimson or dull blue velvet, the pile of
the velvet softening the picture yet i'm
parting luminous and rich effect, which
the glitter of golden frame almost
wholly absorbs to itself.
Water colors are very often harmoni-
ously framed in tints which carry out
the delicate prevailing color in themselves
especially in landscapes and marines.
The mat can often be the palest tint of
cream, pink, buff, atmospheric gray or
sea green, while the frame itself may re.
peat the tint, with delicate lines of gold
or h made of simple white aud gill
moulding.
"A 81, III may be said in regard to hang.
ing pictures. They should be hung SC
that the centre of the picture will not be
more than five feet and few inches from
the floor. This is the average height o.
a woman and enables one sitting to see
picture with the eyes naturally anC
his vision directly opposite the heart o.
hung trile higher, but the same genera
proportion must be observed. A picture
at such height may be hung nearly fla
against the wall, but in hanging picture
over tall piece of furniture or another
picture select one of vigorous outline anc
bold execution and tip it forward severa
inches from the wall. Very small pictures
should be hung low and are best treated
in groups Of three or four. Sometime
such small pieces are more decorative
than artistic and their brilliant colorins
is then seen best over large, sober etch
ing or photograph. A small picture tina
is at the same time fine in its details an(
execution should be placed on littl'
easel on table, mantel or shelf, where it,
artistic daintiness can be seen at once.
In choosing large picture for an ease
to "break up" bare corner or awkar(
space do not select single figure ,piec'
or a bold, strong landscape. The posi-
tion on the easel throws the picture int
greater prominence than those on th'
wall and, by contrast, the picture itsel
should have finer and more detaile'
subject. A fine landscape or group Q
small, fine figures invites attention ant
bears we'll the scrutiny which placing
on an easel gives it.