The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-06-07
AUTHORS Dl)STS
MADE N BUTTER
Latest Fad at the Big Society
LunCheonS
MAKES TASTE ARTISTIC
How Butter Is Worked Into
Proper Shape
MAKES TASTE ARTISTIC

die of the churn, that salty product Of the
farm that may be so delicious, that ar
ticle of food the French disdain, the
English don OF care for, but the Ameri-
can must have pust about right might
be one of the emblems in the notional
coat OF arms. Many persons remember
when Caroline 5. Brooks modelled the
Dreaming Iolathe in butter for the Cen
tennial Exposition and produced so beau
tiful a piece Of work that the fact that
it was made of butter was forgotten.
Butter again is being modelled, shaped
and glorified by the hand Of an artist.
and the models are now served at din
ners where mer and women gather who
may criticise the work and have their
sense Of taste and art appealed to at the
same time.
Not long ago a dinner was given by w.
D. Hovells at which all the butter on the
banquet table was in miniature busts of
noted authors and immortals
The young man who made the busts.
Peter S Biehl, is an artist of no mean
capacity, and argues, if the Dreaming
1olanthe was once made in butter. why
not the head Of a great man?
To cut off one of Mr.. Shakespeare
ears. to snip or shave off bit of his nose
or TO devour d silver Of his forehead on
your bread may seem a bit amusing, or
it may and probably does. appear a bit
ridiculous to the diner. but the philosophy
with which the host explained his in
ieresting experiment was:-"Why not
combine the artistic with the domestic
and culinary art? Why should not the
eye as well as the palate be appealed to-?
The pleasanter the portion of a meal is
70 look at the better it usually tastes.
Why should we not have the great al
ways with US, even in butter?" So the
heads of the immortals were served on
plates covered with dainty rose petals,
shading from white into the deepest yell
low and lavoring the butter deliciously
and delicateiy.
These neads are made separat ely. There
Is no east from which the heads can be
turned out N quantity, but each is mould
cd by the artist who supplies the tables
and then carefully set away on ice. In
the refrigerator with them is placed
bunch If fragrant delicate roses or carna-
tons.
Butter as every good housewife knows,
sometimes to her sorrow. abrorbs odor
more quickly than anything save milk,
frigerator the butter. when served, is
permeated 10y a delicate flavor that pleases
and surprises.
There are many ways Of serving these
unique busts as an ingcnius housekeeper
may contrive There is, for instance. the
laurel leaves Nothing can be more appro-
pirate than g., for the bust of Shake
spcare. A Milton or Dante to rest upon,
and the leaves are pleasing to the sight
but any flower may be used that fancy
dictates The feathery asparagus fur
nishes pretty decoration.
The butter is exceedingly hard to mould.
The heat from the artists hand will melt
It. and il is necessary TO work with
pail Of Zee beside him, and to step into
the studio where these little heads are
made is rather amusing. 1t looks very
little like a place where the butter should
IL found. What with the ice. the butter
and the flowers. il resembles butter
atelier. or a very disorderly and eXtraor-
binary dairy. one that our grandmothers
would have looked upon with high and
mighty disfaVor. and / doubt whether or
not they. the dear old ladies'. even would
have forgiven the disorder for the genius
displayed there. but whatever that state
Of leneucy might be, these heads are
made with exceeding difficulty and not
p little expenditure and exercise of viii
power. for just as you have a nose well
modelled to have II slowly. disappear and
melt away is not at ali conductive TO
good temper.
When such a thing was first suggested
20 Mr.. Biehl he held up his hands in dis
may and looked the upon the butter IN
utter scorn. but remembering Miss
Brooks achievement long before he was
born. he set TO work with good will
and lot of ice and turned out his first
set Of twelve heads. The dinner was given
for twenty-fouT. one head TO two diners
There are sportsmen in any number who
entertain with club dinners for which Mr..
Biehl furnishes models emblematic Of the
diners sports; there are dinners where
warriors are generous and as interesting
as The GEAR OLD Jeoy Bagstock with his
reCiment8ls gather and they must all be
catered TO and new ideas thought out for
them
At a sporting dinner of recent date there
was served on a large platter a dogs
read almost life size. 1t was an English
hvll. and the dog. had il been a real flesh
and blood dog. would have taken prize
without doubt, for a dog that was as
under shot and broad muzzled and as
abundant in other good and telling quail
ties as this dog was could not but appeal
20 any sportsman.
This doE's head was set on a large tray
covered with dogwod blossoms: il was
made I'm relief and the space I'm hack /
where a solid piece Of butter served rs
prop was concealed entirely by the |
flowers
There are musical dinners TO be thought |
Of They could be furnished with com |
posers. but this would be too similar 70 1
the dinner with the literary trend. and so I
the artist as general thing supplies 1
miniature Tyres. mandilins guitars and |
other such instruments that lend them /
selves readily 10 modelling This OF I
course. does not take as much skin. as 4
they are mere objects. and they arc made /
into individual pieces and served on bread 1
and butter plates when once they are 1
removed from the moulding board on 4
which all the work is first made
In summer the butter figures must be 1
served on ice or there IS fear OF their /
losing their shape. and q little cracked |
ice on the plate Is pretty as wei as
pTaclcsL I-hs roSa natsls CLINT -.ad Shirl-