The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-10

Frenchwoman's Success In New York
Elaborate aud fine wrought trimmings are q
distinguishing feature in all fashionable toilet.
this season. Even cloth gowns Of heavy, sub
stantiai weave, show novel and striking garniturs
about the Jared out skirt edges and corsage apels
Finged and chenille strapped tunics, embroidered
and spangied yokes belts and nantes, hat crowns
inset with rich headings and cunningly contrasted
textures are the order Of the time and capable
operators In the various branches OF decoration
that come under the head OF Bonnaz work, are in
| unusual demand
There Is no school for teaching Bonnaz work
either for instruction in its hand craft ts
| or in the manipulation Of the various costly ma
chimes that from time 10 time have been inven ted
| 10 tighten the labor. The Bonner worker must
get her knowledge iot by iot, hand over hand in
the old fogy school OF experience with close aPpli.
cation for a taskmaster, but once proficient she
is sure OF always having good paying employ
] ment This year moro than ever she has cause
for rejoicing that she learned Bonnaz work instead
Of typowriting or manicuring. bookkeeping, tele-
graphy or other trade by which women earn
livelihood Highest pay for good perforators and
applique cutters" Best wages for the right kind
| Of stampers and hand beaders;" will pay SIS and
$40 week for experienced embroidercrs on
frames" "Sl2 and Sl4 for intelligent two thread
corders are some OF the manufacturer advertise
ments for female hoip inserted in the trade papers
at this time Of year, and work the year round
guaranteed at good salary" and Highest wages to
frst-class hands" are phrases appended to nearly
| every advertisement
But this man can't get his experienced hands at
sl2 and sl4 week" said a Broadway manufac.
] turer, as he scanned the list Good workers
| might have been got once for that money but not
now. Wages have gone UP in our line. There are
not, at the outside more than 500 women experts
at the business and more than double that number
could be used II we could get them, with fashion
setting the way IL does now Even Philadelphia
and Cincinnati Arms are sending TO New York for
workers, and women willing TO take extra work
home to do, or to teach less experienced hands to
help them, can make big salaries; especially from
now TO January The reason why, when a big
year like this comes the manufacturers are put to
il for skilled help is that nobody bothers to teach
Bonnaz work to the young girls Just starting out in
business The machines used are expensive and
one learner would soon put valuable machine out
OF order II q girl applies who Is anx ous TO learn
and has already some insight into the work, she
must be put next TO an expert to have a chance of
learning anything. and that expert will lose yalu-
able time overseeing the beginner or showing her
what To do Each girl who tries 10 learn has 10 nay
$40 down beforehand for the privilege, even II she
should get out Of patience and aba ndon the work
f'of week Hie lhls CONDITION makes ap-
,Jrentices scarce. except merely in the simpler
branches oil 'he' business Somebody started a
school for BonnAz work some years ago in New
York, but it went under, presumably because the
tuition fees were high and too long a course was
required to become proficient
1T is twenty five or twenty six years since the
original chain stitching machine for doing en-
broidery and applique work was invented Since
'here have been dozen improved and more elabor-
ate working machines added 10 the trade plant the
last a beader that puts on beads in any pattern
and on any texture from fine net TO plush or stiff
fened cloth, with almost human ingenuity II
takes Intelligence and long practice TO work this
beader. These machines are all in the hands of
one maker, Frenchman. and are not likely 10
grow cheaper OF course, for the delicate work
on costly fabrics we have to depend ON hand labor
and the New York workyomen in this line are
paid in proportion three times as much an the
Partisan handworker is paid or rather three tm.s
much as the Berlin hand worker gets for Berlin
is the greatest factor in the trade now with Vienna
close second, Paris having let the bulk of the
business slip through her fingers Americ. o,ioi |
mates her own designs in Bonnaz work now and
New York has even furnished ideas and done the |
work for some OF the leading Paris modistes and |
women's tailora |
-In nav cont,.s,s NJ f.h,;.s anal,
dvutt han a
designs outlined with h..dnr .nd ~ wi s0 I
of usinp Aid m.t.,;.Is and ,,.,hrds l., 49,. .'
oil, wo,l ,.nLs It'll IN. 80. h., -. $500. 80
foreign imnor,.tions IN, ,,.,.,i., ~ aI,. . ""
and in a m...u,. n, all, h.s, ;n.,,,.. 80.
work naomi. Mos, NJ IN. an. -, 49,. 80
choice silks ch.niI,.s ,,sss,s oo,d;,n. n""
and imitation precious stones used in o,,r worr
come from abroad. A certain kind Of sn,pg,.
made Of aluminium, tin and relstine Amerirs
produces now In almost as good oua,ty AS Franz.
and might excel the standard II she could cat I.ho
cheap enough. The wires moulds, needles and
cutting implements and foundation fsbrics a..
imported, and much of the artistic success do
depends upon having these of the right s,.d.
The fluctuations of the trade abroad can he Told
IN our workrooms here, Twenty earsayo vmu ,oI
dom came across a skilled woman or man Ronn.y
worker who was not French. AT that time there
were only three Bonnaz making plants m Nav
York all owned and run by French neon,e p.ro
was then the centre Of the trade and Al, The hes,