New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-01-16

designers ideas OF the greatest difficulties
to be overcome. At first II seemed If the only
| thing TO be done was TO bring workers over from
| Europe, but there decided objections to this
| course. These men have traditional methods OF
working and are not inclined give them up. More
over the materials used for American mosaics while
| similar I'm many respects to those employed in Eu-
| rope, differ widely in other points The color fed
OF American mosaic glass for instance is not only
much broader than that Of any heretofore known.
but is capable Of retaining graduations OF I'm
one piece. Hence new methods OF work were
CURED
MEETING A DILEMMA
In the face Of this dilemma It occurred to Louis
c. Tiffany that possibly young women might be
trained to be good mosaic workers although in the
whole history OF the art. which goes back to the
beginnings Of architecture no one, so far is
known had ever thought Of such n thing before
Accordingly the experiment was made Mrs
Clara Wolcott Driscoll the present head OF this
department at THany's. and then employed by
the company a designer went o.work at the
mosaics, and within few weeks demonstrated
that the art Of the Musivarius as such a worker
was ancently called, within the capacity OF
women. number OF young WOMEN were then
brought together a. apprentices. and soon they
were in !ull possession of the field
ONE MAN HOLDS HIS OWN
An occasional man Is stu employed. and it hap
pens that one Of these do the work better than
any Of the women, bat he is regarded by the COM
pany freak of nature and his achievements
do not shake the general belief that the mosaic
department is I'm woman's sphere
Nevertheless. there Is great and apparently
insupcrablc objection t. women here. They can't
be prevented from marrying. There seems TO be
something In the work Of placing the dainty 'tes-
serae that has an irresistible attraction for Cupid
for he is continually lowering around the mosaic
artistic, and has worked such havoc at Tifanys
that the department has been nicknamcd the Mat
rimonial Bureau" one Of the present workers ex-
plains the phenomenon by the fact that the mosaic
worker must always possess tho virtue Of patience.
And about twenty young women are now en-
plOycd at 1indnys IN the mosaic department.
most OF them being graduates OF the var.oI. art
tian Association classes. Cooper Union the Art
students League and the School Of Applied De-
sign for Women. Special training. beyond that re-
CURED FOR the cutting Of the glass Is absolute
~ necessary. but II has been found that those
who have had an artistic cultivation have gained
n skill Of hand and keenncss OF color sense not
possessed except in exceptional cases by those
who have mot had such advantages.
The work j. pleasant. II IL does require patience
and the success OF the artist dcpends largely
the latter has the satisfaction OF knowing that she
l. really q servant OF art.
The accompanying pictures Of mosaics that
were done entirely by women. The Last supper"
winch they are now working at, IL to 30 TO the |
Paris Exposition.
An interesting mosaic be seen in the show
rooms OF the Tiffany Glass ana Decorating Com |
pany was made from broken crockery by a nurse |
own idea, and the results decidedly inter
estlng