The herald., 1898-02-12
AT THE FRIDAY MORNING LUB
A LARGE AUDIENCE LISTENS TO
INTERESTING PAPERS
Progress and Present Condition in the
Various Departments in United
States Presented

Morning club yesterday, to hear some
same general subject, "The Art Indus
tries Of the United States" Close at
tention was accorded all three of the
speakers, and appreciative applause fol-
lowed the close of each paper.
"Rookwood Pottery" was the topic
presented by Miss E. P. True, who
spoke of it as most distinctive Ameri-
can industry, in that 1t was originated
by an American woman, none but Amer
lean materials are used in its manufac-
ture, and but one foreigner-a Japanese
is employed in the factory where 1t Is
made. Miss True referred briefly to
the founding of the Rookwood pottery in
1880 by Miss Maria Longworth Storer,
in an old school house in Cincinnati;
of her indomitable energy, courage and
display Of good judgment during the
nine years that followed before the en-
terprise became self-supporting and the
present commodious plant was erected.
The speaker referred to Miss Storer's
aim in attaining the most beautiful re-
suits from the simplest materials, all
essentially native to the soil. She stated
that Originality is the distinctive fea-
ture Of the Rookwood, in color, in dec
oration and in "flring'' as well. No
printing patterns are used: no two pieces
are alike, and therefore each jug, each
jar, each piece of every description,
after all the twenty-one processes, is
distinctive from all others.
Miss True differentiated the four
glazes: First, the best-known. orange
and olive greens; then the mahogany;
third, the sea greens, and last, the ex-
quisitely beautiful iris, with all their
beautiful gradations Of tone, their
blendings and harmonious contrasts. She
spoke Of the various expositions where 1t
has been displayed and has always won
the highest honors; of the high place
it has been accorded in ceramics by COM
petent judges, both in this country and
abroad.
The second paper was presented by
Miss F. A. Clark, whose topic was
Tiffany Art Glass" Miss Clark touched
briefly upon the history Of glass, of
which the oldest known piece bore the
date Of 1864 B. c. Then of the passing
of the art from the Egyptians to the
Phoenicians, Assyrians, Persians
Greeks, Romans and so on to the win
makers of the middle ages and to
those of our own days.
1t has, however, been reserved for
American artists to make serious ad-
vances in the art, until material has
been produced by what Is believed to be
a new formula, the outcome Of numerous
experiments instituted and carried on
by Mr.. Louis c. Tiffany Of New York,
known as the Tiffany -Favrile glass
mosaic, which not only complies with
every condition required in the time
honored mosaic work, but furnishes be-
sides an unlimited range Of colors, so
that the mosaicist need not, like the
workers of old, supply the deficiency
Of contrasting colors from the palette.
Glass mosaic in floors and on mural
surfaces, and memorial windows in va
rious periods of the worlds history were
touched upon, and then the speaker
gave in detan the manufacture Of the
art glass Of the immediate present and
in America, where the inherent proper
ties of the glass itself, developed to
their fullest extent. obtain light and
shade through depth and irregularity
of color when united with irregularity of
surface; and by knowledge Of the mod
ern chemistry Of glass wonderful effects
Of color are produced.
A. detailed description of this process
was then given as follows: "Skillful
workmen gather about a glass-nelting
furnace pour the molten glass upon a
small iron table and roll it into small
sheets, which are either perfectly smooth
or are wavy, like frozen ripples on a
lake. In pouring out the glass colors
are mixed, and in rolling it down into
fiat sheet the 'colors combine and min
gle in every conceivable manner"
The selection Of the glass and arrange
ment of colors Is controlled by the most
talented artists. The cartoons are drawn
by men of universally Acknowledged
ability, and the results of their efforts
windows, mosaics, vases, lamps and
bowls, having endless variety of text
ure and color, which is enhanced by the
added beauty of carving and cutting
through one layer of glass to another,
and by enrichments of metallic lusters
and iridescent colored lights--in compo-
sition and sentiment rival the paintings
of the greatest artists.
Mrs. Cecilia A. White presented the
last paper of the morning on Tapes
tries" in which she first defined the
word as a fabric made entirely by hand
of woollen threads. She referred to the
European limitations made by machin-
cry. which are limitations solely, and to
those other so-called tapestries which
are painted on coarse canvas to give
tapestry effects, but which are not tap
estry at all.
Mrs. White reviewed the history Of the
art from the times of the ancients: ON
through the centuries and in the differ
ent countries, in Flanders, Brussels
ana Bruges. She spoke of the import
ance of tapestries in all public and pri-
vate ceremonials. as valuable trophies
in battle and as background of every
tournament, marriage and banquet.
Reference was made to the great art
lists, like LIE Brun, Watteau and Boucher,
who drew the cartoons; Of the Gobelins
in France and the royal Windsor tap
estries in England, from which works,
in 1885, the master workman, one Fous-
sadier, was induced to come to America
by William Baumgarten, the well-known
house furnisher. M. Foussadier brought
with him his family and small French
LOOM which was set up at once In one
Of the shop rooms on Fifth avenue.
During the first year several import
ant pieces Of tapestry were made. Four
more weavers were induced to come from
France, more looms were kSiilt, and the