Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-30
Exhibits of Especial Interest at
atlanta.
&OyN IN TEE ARTS
Silk Fabrics Woven by the shak-
ers.
POTTERY AND WOOD CARVING
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star


| timore room, for instance. with its colonial
furnishings and its many well-chosen ex-
ampIes of art. the exhibits of especial in
terest are the embroideries sent by the
Decorative Art Society of Baltimore. Mrs
William Reed established this organization
two years ago, and it has quickly attained
the reputation of being society where the
work Is of the highest excellence. From
the beginning Mrs. Reed insisted that no
piece Of embroidery of any description
should be accepted unless originally de-
signed by the artist and perfectly executed.
The design, Of course, must be unique and
artistic, and one In present favor. The
standard was carried out to the letter. and
the result is seen in the exquisite examples
shown in the Baltimore room from that
school The school is now self-supporting,
and offers to the deft fingers and artistic
taste of the first-class needlewoman every
opportunity for earning an excellent liveli-
hood. q
In the New York room the central inter
est lies, perhaps, in the achievement of
women in music. In the decorative art de-
partment the greatest object lesson relating
to the industries of women Is to he found
in an intelligent study of the collection of
laces loaned by Prof. Wilson of Washing
ton, d. c. Lace making Is one industry
that from time immemorial has belonged
to women. Men have wrought and created
great tapestries anu textile 1aDrlC, Cney
have won the way to fame by the fashion
ing of frocks and bonnets; they have been
great cooks, but never have masculine fin
gers woven into perfect pattern the most
feminine of feminine adornments.
In this collection lace making is traced
from its crudest state, where the meshes
were dull and heavy-hued as a fish net. to
its perfection as shown in these wonderful
examples of round point and Valenciennes,
the weaving of a yard of which takes the
lace maker one long month of weary toll.
Lace Is the veritable expression Of the pa
thence and refinement in feminine art.
The decorative art department in this
building ought really to be called the de-
partment of decorative arts and curios. be-
cause there are number of interesting
collections to be found here in the way Of
miniatures, jewels, embroideries. ETC., that
have never before been shown at an expo
sition. Among these are some splendid
priests robes, completely patterned In mas
sive emhretdsrh 9fI Eold and silver. woven
In dainty little cabinet there is a jewel
box with a pathetic history. 1t was carved
from meat bones by prisoner in the Bas-
tile during the GeikH Of terror. The lid and
sides are paneled with quaint little water
colors under g1uEss representing dainty la
dies and court gentlemen. The central
panel of the lid shows two bleeding hearts,
pierced through with arrows-a fit emblem
for the poor prisoner and the time in which
he lived -
SILK Industry of the South.
The most interesting thing in the room
fitted up in oriental.style to display the work
of the women CT Columbus. Ga, is collec-
ton of Indian relies recently unearthed in
Cherokee county These consist of the or
naments of aboriginal women, the pottery
made and decorated by their hands and
their BuddhaesquS gods.
The women Of the south, who believe that
their greatest advancement lies in industrial
endeavor, will tell you that one of the most
interesting exhibits is that In the Kentucky
loom. This consists of silk fabrics woven by
the Shaker women at Mount Pleasant. It is
the only industry Of its kind in the south,
and the cloths which come from these
looms are really wonderful in the design
and texture. Among them Is cloth of gold
as fine as any altar piece that hung in Solo
mons Temple. The industry Is one which is
sure to prosper TIN oughout the south.
If you ask the creole in charge of the New
Orleans room what is the most vitality i'm
portant exhibit there. she will probably
show you the fan or mantilla of the Spanish
f1irt, or point with pride to a quaint bit of
mahogany. Don't take her seriously, how
ever but look at the curtains and draperies
and ask who made them. She will give an
Indifferent sort of a reply: 'Ze Arcadians."
And IL you inquire further she will tell you
that this is. a colony of Arcadian women in
lover Louisiana. who have been carrying on
this industry for many years. They have
attained a high commercial value of late
years. Their colors and patterns are much
like those in oriental stuffs.
Go and ask Miss. Clara Newton of Ohio
what the women of her state are accom-
plishiEg in the Industrial arts of pottery and
wood carving, and she will give you prac-
teal illustration of their achievements
which viii open your eyes to the progress of
the sex in these lines. Cincinnati has
great room. Every object 1t contains Is the
work Of women. and Is, moreover, a perfect
example CT its kind. The object perhaps of
most meaning Is small mahogany table,
which some twelve years ago proved an in
SEPARATION for the first school of wood carving
for women In this country. The table was
done by Miss Pittman, who through her
decoration of the Cincinnati room at Chi
cago. attained national recognition. Her
father saw this bit of wood carving and
said: well, IL my little girl can do such
work other girls can" And with that idea,
Ben PittmaE opened his school for women,
lockwood Pottery.
In this room I must not forget to mention,
hand in, hand with this art, the lockwood
pctterics from the school established by Mrs.
Be,lamy Storer: the examples of woman's
work in the ceramic art shown here are
wonderful. Miss Mclaughlin, who was
making lockwood pottery two years before
the school opened, has on exhibition exam
pies of her latest ceramic discovery. The
specimens shown are entirely original and
can be described no more clearly than to say
That the decorations consist in baS-relief
under glaze. Miss Newton has beautiful
creation of pottery from her own clever
hands, which is the largest piece of blue and
white ware under glaze ever made in this
country, and 1t will have the honor of being
one of the illustrations in Prof. Edwin A.
Barbar's History Of American Pottery.
The Massachusetts women have all at
tractive room and one which in its entire
furnishings and decorations represents the
work of women. The carpet is woven by
women, the draperies come from the looms
OF women in Taunton, Mass. Miss Mary c.
Saers of the Woman'S Educational and In
dustrial Union sends stained glass screen,
and another example of that art in which
women are making such success is STAIN
ed glass window designed by Mrs. Henry
Whitman. The embroideries and exhibit
of silk culture go to make up the industrial
features of this room.
Fine Examples Of Wood Carving.
The Connecticut room has some fine ex-
amples of wood carving. the especially in
teresting one among these being a panel
bearing the coat of arms of Gov. Jonathan
Trumbuil. one of the first colonial govern
ors This loom is also furnished with car
pets and curtains woven by women, and
the walls, of light blue silk tapestry, were
especially wrought for the room by the wo-
men Of the silk factory in South Manches-