The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-06-08
FABRICS OF PAST AGES.
The Rare Collection at The Boston
Art Museum.
TO IMPROVE MODERN INDUSTRIES.
Laces, EmbrodIeries and Tapestries
Second Only to Those at
Berlin.
Q IMPROVE MODERN INDUSTRIES.


silks. satins. brocades, velvets, linens,
laces. embroideries and other textiles sec.
ond only to that of the Berlin museum In
Germany-is that owned by the Boston
Museum of Fine Arts.
Altogether the textile department now
includes nearly COCO specimens, the ma.
joriiy Of which, however, are practically
unknown TO the casual visitor who secs
only the tapestries brocades, laces and
other ornamented fabrics exhibited In the
textile galleries, aud Is usually quite an.
aware Of the existence OF the other speci-
mems. The department IL. In short dlyid.
ca INTO two parts The one is intended to
interest the visitor. by striking examples
/ IN the beauty and historic meaning Of
woven fabrlcs--such, for example, as the
WonuerluIly inquired garments in which the
great masters OF painting loved to robe the
.hndCnna, the splendid tapestries with
| winch the mobiles OF the middle ages hung
! tneir great but draughty castles, or the
eui,roidericG or laces that ornamcnted the
/ daily life OF past ages. The other how
ever, Is Intended primarily for students
nna presents practical working history OF
ooh weaving tapestry weaving, en-
/ lroidery and lace making. This latter diyIg-
ION represents the bulk Of the collection
! aud Ia, AZ has been said already, second
to but one other In the world
Ihe specimens vary In size from small
fragments OF few Inches in dimensions
! 70 complete bed covers, scarfs, curtains
dresses ana other articles, but the greater
number are of small si2c-large enough to
snow snow me texture aud pattern, but smnp
enough TO he conveniently mounted fog
ready reference. The collection began with
a small nucleus not SO large as the mum.
| ber OF duplicates that 1t now holds In re-
particularly rich in Roman and Coptie
! iabrlcs gathered mainly from the toinbs
| Of the period; in the French Italian and
| spanish brocades Of the sixteenth, Seven
teenth and Eighteenth centurlcs in Japa-
hese textiles and In Peruvian fabrics that
many centuries later, suggest almost exact
a -
| Iopts on Egyptians.
1t would seem at first glance unfortunate
that SO large and complete collection can
not be exhibited in the galleries of tue
| museum, but aside from the fact OF lack of
! space, the collection has been got together
rather MS reference library Of textile fab
! res than for exhibition purposes. IL the
| hlst public announcement OF the purposes
OF the museum 1t was given out that oae
nl its aims was to provide opportunities and
instruction In drawing and designing, with
| their Industrial application" One OF lts
earliest purchases 1t is interesting to recall,
was an expenditure at tho Centennin; EI-
hlbitIon for works Of prt Intended hrst of
all 70 encourage the Industrial application
OF art and the textile collection has grown
g; Loring, late director Of tho museum
that study of selected examples of de.
sign and color must tend 10 elevate the
standard OF taste and be of great practical
benefit 10 all who direct the arts OF dyeing,
of paper hauglugs."
ticauy carried out, the collection Is always
at the service OF manufacturers of textiles
as well as of students and schools OF de-
sign and While naturally most used by stu
dents OF the museum school of art and of
the other local institutions, its influence
has been almost equally marked I'm many
other directions, Each specimen is mounted
and catulogued as soon as possible after 1t
, has been received at the museum and may
be referred to at once by the simple process
OF consulting card catalogue. The spec.
linens are loaned also 60 schools OF design
too distant to visit the museum in body,
In which case they are sent away under
glass enclosed in frames that can not be
opened until they are returned to the mt
scum.
The process of mounting IL extremely
simple, Each specimen Is clennsed, mended
aud then fastened with thread to frame
or Hight wood covered with thin SILK not
unlike the stretched canvas upon which ian
artist begins an oil painting For the less
important specimens canvas Is sometimes
used as background, but in most cases
Japanese pongee slk-despitc the cost ~
lmportation-has been found to be the best
% nmte6,n the the pale eeT1 tone OF the sllk
exhibiting the specimens TaceS are
mounted in like fashion on black velvet, a
background which throws the delicate
; tracery or the material into striking relief.
These frames are shclycd in the cupboards
OF the department and may be handled like
the books In n library.
The question of describing and cataloGu-
Ing each specimen is one that presents
more difficulties. The date itself Is often
the nrst obstacle ana as II is IN rule at the
museum TO date given piece, In cases of
doubt, at the latest rather than the earliest
likely period many OF the specimens are
probably older than the catalogue describes
! them. The texture OF the piece has to he be
considered, Its design the possibility, for
a example, that the maker has copied the
|, ality or period--ln short a variety Of techni-
cal and historical side lights that must be
brought to AZ focus SO that the description,
ucts, Is an expression OF expert opinion
With which ether expert opinion is not in
rs ths nSme. Of vPse the other
have been almost wholly lost and 'G the in'
yestigator only knows that given speci-
, been done either by a noblewomnn, kings
The period Of textile, however, like that
OF painting, may be told somewhat by
> the choice OF subject Adam and Eve FOR
cNample. appear not only In woven cloth OF
me Fifteenth eentury-one example of
Italian inscription, Adam and Eve that
, ate the appe"-but even in the piece of
! The date 81 many OF the older pieces has
been settled by the grotesque ana lnaccu-
rate drawing of the animals with which the
trast IN skill, by the way, TO tho French
fabric OF the Eighteenth century which ac.
compllshes the difficult II not particularly
artistic. task OF weaving an almost exact
Imitation of copper plate engraving OF
: Napoleon.
There is another part OF the collection
that has been greatly enriched by this
latest bequcst-the division devoted TO sam.
piers. The additions are difficult PERTAINS
impossible, TO catalogue with absolute GER
talnty; but. whether Italian French,
English or American, they are none the less
interesting illustrations Of work that took
up so many OF the childhood hours OF our
great grRndmothers The sampler II will
be remembered, Is exactly what its name
; signlhcs-a collection OF sample stitches in
embroidery, and for that reason II Il not
! surprising TO find an apple, a pear, a parrot
the letters Of the alphabet and n pastoral
scene with trees, grass lambs, shepherd
esses and n fountain all worked on the
same background.
New Wheat Being Marketed.
Mckinney, Texas, June I.--Severai loads