The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-01
WOMEN HAND
CRAFTSMEN
Revival of Work Which Means
Much to Nation.
LITTLE CHINA PAINTING
Field for Feminine Enterprise
Yet Undeveloped.
LITTLE CHINA PAINTING

4
| over this country, as well as throughout
Europe, the movement has spread, and
| women, even more than men. are dis
duction of beautiful and useful articles
| in potteries. metal work. kand-weavings,
emhxo4deries, carvings. basketries and
feathers. This kind of hand-work among
women has taken the place, to great
extent. of the china painting and other
| home arts OF decade ago.
1t has been alleged that women lack
| the creative faculty. 1t cannot be denied
! that the women who have done striking
| ~ original work in painting and sculp-
ture are very few. They have had the
artistic impulse. they have displayed
taste and discretion. yet they have not
often created. But in the various arts
which pertain to the loom, the needle.
and in all that relates to the domestic
side of life women exhibit a lively or
iginality So this recent movement of
artistically trained women in favor of
handcrafts may be regarded as a healthy
impulse. and one which will have wide
influence in excluding from American
markets the inartistic objects which have
.
In many of the large cities. associa-
ton of hand workers have been formed
under the title of Arts and Crafts. "
There are two or three such organiza-
lions in New York, one of the most sue
cessful of which was established in 1870
by four young women, a bookbinder. a
designer, at the time employed IN brass
factory. worker in pottery and fourth
who made artistic copper and brass ar
ticles. Their association prospered, and
from one small room came to occupy sew
eral studios. There are thirty-four mem
bers of the guild at present, and al
though men are not excluded. it remains
largely a feminine enterprise.
1t is essential to membership that the
artists shall be both designers and crafts
men and their work. whatever form it
takes, must be based on their individual
Interpretation of nature. This does not
mean that the arts of other countries.
especially primitive forms of art. are
not studies and freely adapted. Among
the interesting things seen at the GUILD
of Arts and Crafts are some dyed cot
tons known as batiks. These are colored
with vegetable dyes in soft tones OF
brown. blue. green. and red. and the
pattern is made by a process of print
ing by reserve. The process was certainly
followed by the Greeks and II is quite
possible that they borrowed it from older
nations. The Japanese use il still. as
DO the Javanese and the South Sea ISL
anders.
The undyed fabric is first cut into the
desired shape and size. and an ornament
al design planned. The design Is made
BY tying small stones into the cloth with
winnings of the thread by twisting the
cloth tightly to keep the dye away from
it. and sometimes by painting pattern
over with wax. The idea is 10 allow the
I've to touch the body OF the cloth. leav-
ing the design uncolored. The results
are o,ten beautiful. and are always orig
inal and graceful. The Javanese do mar
vellous things in this way. printing in
tricate designs of chrysanthemums and
other flowers The process leaves an
uneven surface. which adds to the at
Effectiveness OF the batiks
The artist introduced vegetable-dyed
cloth and made the designs herself for
the rugs which she put upon the market.
The village women met on certain after
moons % the week and worked under her
direction. continuing the work in their
own homes They frankly disapproved
of the subdued tones and the conven-
tional patterns Some OF them declared
that the work made them melancholy.
But the results to the artistic eve were
highly satisfactory There are lumber
of city women now who have studied
-ra.l ffrr-
which are contrived of woollen pieces
pulled through the meshes OF common
burlapse There is market for them
which Is not likely 10 fail and hiSn
prices are paid for really good designs
A class has been formed in one OF the
Settlements in the hope that few girls.
who would otherwise become factory
workers. may be helped TO profitable
livelihood The weavin gof rag carpets.
from new rags carefully selected as 10
coIcr. has become an art. The work
room for unskilled women maintained By
the charity organization society produces
some surprisingly good carpets. and the
..OnteoTa rug 50 popular for summer
homes is nothing more than an sdspts-
ton Of the old-fsshioned rsg-csfpet idea
There is now a great demand for good
metal work. brass and copper bowls. can
diesticks. sconces and lamp shades. Ssv
eral women in New York have devoted
themselves 10 this work. and have pro-
duced excellent results After one has
SEEN the hand made shade OF copper. sil-
yer. and brass. wrought n the lace-llks
designs over stained glass or coiored
sTks. one loses all desire for the eiab-
oraie heaps % millinery that were used
~ one time for draWing-roorn lamps and
candles
IN fact. after these nsS ideas have
become familiar. the popular taste viii
probably undergo a radical change. In
the matter % uorcsiaius and pottery the
craftsmen and crsftSvoDen are doirg
educational Eerk. There are no< some
thing Ike a dozen potteT3es n the United
States which sre practically Individual
enterprises OF artists Much Of the Ucrs
,heT turn out r as original and az racial
as the bc~t of European zpd Oriental
pottery. The success % women Ia arts
tic book binding = well known
IN metals texeis- stamped and wrought
leather ard bzskstry serious artistic
e1e-t - Being ezpense-i by l-ssrsstss
craftzxo-zsr- TIE bes; and most i'm
por,an; result % all this & she promise
of ths development of a sztsaaal AT
an expression q rars IN this c0vntry--
Sex YORK. Ev.nfrg Post
Every animal - sasa TO have iss o~s
kkd Of H~a. sometimes several al~ersnt
ki>ds- Many tho1szn1 specimens cf sse~~
,e>s have beer gathered IN IRE u-sGBe
museum Of Charles Rosh.rslst sne gsxct
Of this strange eoiJ~ctson seing = mole
Tea q nfth 81 an inch sczx.