The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-21
when samplers and kindred
atrocities were in vogue.
Fine Things in Leather.

fashionable when samplers and kindred
atrocities were in vogue
Fine Things in Leather.
As for bags, wrist and chatelaine. the
card cases and purses of fine leather in
all the desirable shades of the sea sons
most popular colors. they are certainly
things Of beauty. Pompeian red, dusky
and rich, lighted by oxquisitely wrought
figures in raised gold; graceful female
figures in all the curved grace of "L'Art
Nouveau" disport themselves upon the
cover, spreading their floating tresses in
bewildering masses across the red leather
ground until the last glistening strands
merge into the red of the foundation.
Sapphire blue leather and silk cases and
bags show silver mountings either in fig
ure work or In solid bands of the metal
wrought into geometric designs; brown
leather shows gold designs, while the pale
yellow is set with either metal, picked
out with semi-precious stones, which give
life to the pattern. Writing cases, glove
and handkerchief boxes, receptacles for
wells and other pretty trifies are to be
had in all these colors.
Some of the new writing cabinets and
desks combined for travellers use are of
polished wood lined with leather or satin
and fitted up with everything that the
most fastidious young woman could pos
sibly desire. Everything Is arranged with
such care that all the necessaries for cor
respondsnee are at hand packed into the
most convenient and easily handled form.
These writing cabinets may be simply
fitted out with all the essentials neatly
but not extensively ornamented, or they
may be OF the most elaborate description,
of sterling silver or even of gold with
monogram and crest II the user has a
fad that way. Whatever the taste of the
buyer may be, it may be gratifed with
very little trouble.
The card cases which have tiny watch
in one corner are very timely gifts 1t
is always difficult to keep track of the
heoting moments and one Is not always
| able to catch sight of a clock, 1t is en-
barrassing to ask ones hostess the hour,
since such q course Immediately breaks
up the gathering and interferes with the
general pleasure. In the matter of using
gold and silver artistically in ornament
alton the present modes are far in adj
vance of the methods employed a few
years ago. Then many Of the decorations
were snowy, heavy and intrusive in their
| richness and masiveness; now the artis-
| tic sense is gratfied, the lavish use of
| metal is avoided and the article becomes
| real gem.
Good Taste in Jewelry.
The same fact is noticeable in the lace
pins, barrettes and brooches of all kinds.
and less to show. The simplest stick and
| lace pins have an individuality and daint-
mess, delicate prettineSs which appeals
| TO the buyer much more strongly than did
the more gariSh specimens which used to
| be considered in good style. 1t does not
| follow from this that there never were
any desirable things until the present
fashions set in. On the contrary many
beautiful examples of the silver and gold
smiths art belong to years gone by, but
| in most instances the newer forms are
lighter, more the output Of individual
skill and taste; each separate piece seems
| to represent the painstaking care and
skill Of a genuine artist In metals, and
| such variety of design gives one chance
| to select some practically unique gift.
There are so many things which one
flxn 70 httTr hot t,, ,rfo
lies the difficulty Of choice. One sets a
certain sum which one is willing, or rath-
| er which one feels able. to expend and
starts in search of some fascinating trifie
which will be procurable for that amount.
Say, for example. that the amount set
aside is IS. Surely one should be able
| to ind many attractive things which
| would come Within that figure, yet in
| reality the task 10 a difficult one. It Is
| necessary to remember what the sur
rounding OF the gift will be. what the
taste OF the recipient Is, what the con-
ditions are under which the gift is made.
When all these things are taken into
consideration the real difficulty begins for
| the choice becomes limited. There are
| many beautiful things which may be pur-
| chased for S., but many of them would
| be inappropriate under the circumstanc noes.
| One does not wish to give an inexpensive
| piece of bric-a-brac. pretty, but without
| intrinsic value, to fill a vacant place in
| a cabinet which contains the choicest and
does not care to send a linen sofa pillow
when the only place where 1t can be used
is a room hung with satin and filled with
| French furniture.
Question of Expectancy.
The question of expediency arises as
well as the question of appropriateness.
| In giving remembrance one does not
wish to put the recipient under an obi
| cation. One does not wish to cultivate
the 'Dooley philosophy" The matter is
| none the less fraught with responsibility
| of a minor kind. Perhaps, after all, 1t is
not we'll TO enter too deeply into the
| question of suita bility-"that way mad
ness lies'-if ones time and cash are
| alike limited.
Take sofa pillows, for example, there
embroidered with some of the impossible
daisies or violets or peoples and dYs-
| peptic roses, with inane notices embroid-
cred in struggling letters; there are the
| grotesQue ballet dancers with spangled
skirts and uplifted toes; there are the
den" pillows, with pipes and mugs, play
ing cards and TASKS, supposed to repre-
| sent bachelors joys; there are the love-
by pillows or white or green linen with
| great clusters Of cretonne roses appliQued;
| there are the ohamois skin covers with
| fringed edges, which are decorated with
| realistic Indian heads, etched by the hot
| needle or painted in bold washes: there
are the pillows which are apparently
painted in oil.
These last are something of a novelty
since they are made up little differently
| from the general run. The subject chos-
en- is usually a Mncy head of a fascinat-
ing young woman with picture hat or
with the traditional rose in her hair. The
picture is apparently painted in oil on a
| canvas, so perfectly Is the effort produced
| In the original state the colors and the
coloring are a trihe pronounced, but in
the making these faults are obliterated.