Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-29
PRINCESS LouIsr STARTED III.
A Woman Caused the Revival OF y
Mexican Fad.


, The origin on dhe McXicam carved
leather Is aS hSNl to trace rs the roots
Of some Of The family trees,
The MeNlcllns seem 10 have applied
the art only In saddory, Now and
then some dashlng senior decked hla
'omblero with q bread bind OF carved
'oalhsr, but that was all, And there
WIS no more of II in California until
u dozen or 30 years ago,
A share of the credit IL due 10 The
Princess Louise for preciptalting a faIa
which has been 20 long lived as 10
seem no longer " 6atl, When this
royal Tourist WAS in Santa Barbara In
the early sos, she admired eXtrava-
ganty AN elnbowtely carved saddle
she saw In one of the shops, and
stNlghtway ordered a portfolio and
some other trines malIp OF carved
Leather.
This sell some enterprising man to
thinking, and not long afterwards he
had men at work turning out belts
umh pockethooks for tourists, Thug
Santa Barbara came no be known as
phe home of the Mexican carved
leather.
Santa Barbara also boasts the most
costly and wonderfully wrought sad
die In the static of California, owned by
d. W. Thompson, Indeed, II Is said
that even in Old Mexico, the realm OF
the wquero, there Is not such a sad
Vrle or such u piece of carved leather.
Every pant Of THE salIdle anil brlGle
WAS made by hand, the ltrapplngs from
The silver bullion OF Mexican dollars.
'nhe value of the silver, about $3.50, was
a smarl part Of the cost OF the outfit,
avs compared with the hNndw1rk,which
was done in 1850 by a native Of Mex
ico, who learned his Made there.
The saddle is studded with silver Or
nnments. The leather nacingS are set
thick with buttons and lOstUtes, The
pomnel Is cncaSel I'm silver, the cor
ncrs OF the aprons tipped with II.
The leather which shows between
the silver mountlngs is e'abor2cely
curved in n delicNte design, giving
richness and rare artistic beauty Ia
the whole.
Ten yeNns ago the tourist that came
60 Los Angeles couId only pick up an
odd bit Of carved leather here and
there, dhe work Of slJme Mexican whc
h0d SERVED an apprenticeship In sad
; dlely. Now there are numerous fac
tories where work is turned out.
The MOST interesting thing to 10
learnpd about MrNicln hand carved
leather Is that 1t is not carved at all,
i. is hammered and stamped, Tho
only part ihl'l might be called carving
IN the cutting Of the pattern, a mere
out jinP, with small sharp chlsel, Fou
beginners or whore the design Is very
intricate, the pattern Is family out
lined on the damp leather, wAnsferred
from the drawing or the paper. Older
workers. can fOIll'w the pahern by
Keeping 1t before them on paper. a
few ed thp dldtst ones do away With tho
drawings altogether and work out tho
design ID, they sen \. in their mini.
Before the workman IA a Square Of
marble sometimes Of IuNl. Beside the
sQuUnh il IL row Of small steel tools
about four inches long, the end Of
eNch showing q Different stamp. Some
Eimes the workman makes these for
himself from WIRE nails, fling the end
nIo suit his fancy
First the heather Ms glued fast TO u
piece of mllnila paper, or cloth 10
keep il from stretching, and 1t Is us
uully kept camp 10 make ii more im-
questionable. Then 1t is laid on 10
marble slab, the design eat, and The
hammering bcgns-lhalt ceaselc,s mo.-
nol0nouS rap, rap, rap, that goes on
from morning I'LL night IN the carved
leather factories, until one minute OF
silence is mere no hp desired than any,
thing else i'm the world, With a stamp
having SmaIl Tiny cluster Of tiny
dots a hammer, mairl, or piece OF
hard wood--il may be part Of thu
spoke OF I'M old wagon wheel-nnd "
steady, quick rap rap, rap, the back
ground Is hammered in. This throWS
flowers, leaves. sclollS, arIbesques--
whatever the design into relief, The
effect Is heightened by The deeper,
richer color of the hammered back
ground.
The finishing is done by a few deft,
dtllcbte touches, with different ones OF
the Numerous steel tools--the vein OF
u leaf, the center Of Il flower, a crease
to show the fold of u rose p3.tal, "A line
of dots here and there TO give bit OF
shading. 4 man is no longer an APP
prentice who does his own finishing
and does It well,-Ios Angeles Herald.