The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-10
DECORATIVE ART SUCCESS
The Great Inaugural Ballroom an
Artistic Triumph.
a Fine Color Scheme Recalling n Fn-
nous Painting by NilIcgns In the
Vanderbilt Gaiiery-Mrs. Rowan's
Wonderful Paintings Of Flowers.

| large picture 1.-The Christening" by Vii
| legas. in William II. Vanderbit's private
| gallery, | remember asking myself the
| question, What is the character of the
| rest of that great cathedral Interior not
| more than one-third of which was COM
! pretended in the picture? There was n
profusion of ornate architectural detail
swept into imposing shadowy masses
| by the hand Of genius and that a Span
ish genius. The colorful splendor of that
I interior, and the gold, jewels, and rich
fabrics on that royal assemblage exceeds
the power of language to convey, for it
| is in itself a climax exceeding any reality
and therefore the outer limit OF sane i'm
agination. Like a sunset in the Tropics
one is made speeches., however much he
may long for courage to describe his SEN
sations This much / decided-the artist
had made this picture of a part seem
picture of the whole and it was practi-
| cally that for one was oblivious to that
major part of the cathedral not repre-
| scented in the picture.
There was in the Pension Office Mon
day night n scene dazzling 'eautifu!,
surprising the dream of vi in size,
| spectacular magnificence and
harmonious color but IL was g. ub-
| ject for a painter II was too democ, tic.
| There was no splendid altar, like Ill
| liant throne. no glittering crown, and err
mine trimmed robe of scarlet to accentu-
ate the picture. Nothing on which the
| pencil might rest as a central note OF
| form or color more conspicuous than the
| rest The Presidents balcony was sim
| pie but thoroughly tasteful and appro-
| pirate affair, while his party, with true
republican spirit, seemed little different
| from the vast mass of humanity which
packed the floor and galleries of this great
| interior The decorations and every fea-
ture of the adornments seemed to pro-
! claim with emphasis The people are SOW
| ereign here"
Above the music. gayety. andspirit of con-
graduation that was in the air arose those
eight mighty columns imposing and
| sphinx-like, sign of the enduring char
| acter of this great nation of ours. In no
| court assembly hall in the world may
| one see anything at once so imposing
and so simple. For the first time in the
| history of this glass-roofed court was the
| ceiling brought down to The level of the
| capitals of these great columns and this
| ceiling of yellow cheese cloth was mas
terpiece of decorative skill and simp!ici-
| ty The smilax and azaleas festooning
| the smaller columns was broken by
| swinging and circling lines of electric
| lights. These confined to the four walls
of the interior helped materially to de-
| fine the space and give form to what
mint otherwise have seemed chaotic. 1t
was wise to keep the lights and greenery
from the great columns and the ceiling.
At these two points alone was there that
| repose without wh--h no decorative
! scheme is quite M. il should be. A
| note Of rare taste was the four groups
| of flags in the centre of each of which
was placed, glowing and brilliant.
| shield in red, white, and blue in electric
| lights.
Discussing the paIntabil,ty of that spec
| tacle with some artist friends there, it
was agreed that while it was probably
| the most wonderfully rich and splendid
scene ever witnessed anywhere in the
| world. it was utterly impossible TO re-
| duce it to a picture, mainly for the rea-
| son that one could not possibly take in
| the whole view, or any adequately Illus
| trative part OF ii, ana keep the eyes in
! one direction. From the galleries, look
/ ing straight ahead toward the Presidents
| box, one could neither see the capitals
nor bases Of the nearer columns, and If
! forced into the picture the barren un-
! brokenness of those sixteen perpendicU-
| lar straight lines must destroy all sense
| of reality in the picture. This problem
| is the Waterloo of photographers ami
| while admitting that, beyond a doubt
| it is the most magnificent ana imposing
sight ! ever witnessed, l am just as sure
| that no adequate picture OF ii VIII ever
! be painted.
| IL may De observed that IN an pho'o-
| graphs where the capitals ana bases OF
| the near columns are included the inte-
| rior becomes apparently a half mile long
| and the distant wall so remote as 10 make
| 1t Impossible to distinguish detalis HOW
ever, the pictorial posslDiltleS OF TINS
| temporary inaugural ballroom IS very
| small matter II has served It's purpose
| with wonderful success Its artistic de-
| sign and beautiful color scheme mas been
| remarked ty at critical persons sensi-
| tive to such things and ! have hfard
| nothing but the enthusiastic praise Whlch
! its artistic success has fairly won for
| Chairman Marshall and his able assist
| ants on the committee; while Chairman
| Edison has proved his executive genius
| In the wisdom of his selection of these eX-
| pert architects artists, and decorators
! and in leaving to them the entire prob
| lem of converting a very prosy ana I'M
! wieldy Interior into bower OF iSht ana
| radiant beauty I'm every way artistic and
, entirely appropriate to the occasion.
| At the Treasury, it was generally re
| marked that the fine POmpeiian taste IN
! dicated by the red gable, and red band
| behind the colOnuade, the green strip OF
| cloth back of the iron railing with the
! greens sparingly distributed, the artistic
! grouping Of flags, aud some other touch
| eS on the Treasury building could not
| be the work Of an awning factory. En-
! curry revealed the interesting fact that
two artists who stand high here in the
| local set amateurs who are attached TO
| the Treasury IN "a clerical capacity. de-
| signed these unique and very notable dec
| orations
They are too modest to care for any
| publicity in this CO, uection, but the Sec
| retarics would do well to keep them in
mind on future festival occasions. f'r the