The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-10-27
HOME DECORATION.
A Few Points on Hanging Pictures.

Sometimes in the fall it is neces-
sary to re-hang all ones pictures,
and if they are we'll instead of badly
arranged-as is too often the case
the appearance of the room is i'm
mensely improved.
Some people find it an extremely
difficult task to arrange their pictures
SO as to display them to the best ad-
vantage and please the eye of the
spectator. They usually solve the
problem by appealing to friend who
is able and willing to extricate them
from their embarrassing situation.
But what if the friend be not forth
coming? Chaos reigns supreme.
A few common sense principles, how
ever, may be readily mastered, and
due attention to these will insure, at
any rate, an inoffensive distribution
Of the works of art in question. 1t
must be borne in mind that pictures
are decorative, and should, therefore,
be arranged to harmonize, and not to
clash with each other. Paintings
mellowed and modified by age should
not be placed i'll close contact with
works of modern schools. The.
brilliant coloring of the one will kill
the subdued tones of the other. Like
should hang by like. This principle
need not always be adhered to with
answering determination. It is
permissible for pictures painted in
different mediums to hang in the
same room, provided they are care
fully arranged, but the artistic eye is
requisite to effect this with skill.
The size of a room must determine
the size of the pictures which are to
decorate 1t. Large pictures dwarf a
small room, and the spectator is not
able to get far enough away from the
picture to enjoy its charm. Remem-
Der, then, that spacious rooms re-
quire and do justice to pictures of
large proportions. The same remark
applies to halls, staircases and land
ings, which, if small, should be hung
with moderate-sized engravings,
sketches or other examples of art, as
circumstances may determine.
In hanging pictures, not only must
the size and shape Of the room be
considered, but also the style and
dimensions of the pictures. An or
binary and safe course to adopt is to
hang the pictures in line all round
the room. This may be done when
the pictures are all about the same
size. Their lower edges should be
about on a level with the eye of the
spectator. Another system is the
symmetrical one, in which balance"
is preserved by the pictures of large
size forming outstanding points of
observation, so to speak, the smaller
pictures being hung evenly on either
side of them, and leading up to them.
There is yet another method of ar
ranging pictures which is apparently
without method. It is only to be
met with and INDUCED in when the
artistic sense of fitness is possessed
by the disposer of the works of art.
Of course, it is impossible to give
strict directions as to the hanging of
pictures without seeing them and the
space they are to occupy, for so much
depends on the room, its size and its
position. There are, however, GER
tain rules which cannot be trans
gressed with impunity; of these the
first regards the height at which the
pictures should be hung. They
should always be on line with the
eye, at which point they can be easi-
ly and pleasantly seen, and, if posi-
BILE, their bases should be at one level
and perfectly straight. Next, pic
lures and prints should not be hung
too close to each other, for not only
do the colors clash, in the first case,
but the different designs of the
frames product an equally discordant
effect. IF possible, small pictures
should be fastened to the wall, not
hung by cord, nor allowed to tilt
forward at an angle, as this arrange
ment throws the frames out of the
line of the wall. 1t scarcely neces-
sary to say that oil paintings and
water-colors should not be hung side
by side. The former are considered
most suitable for the dining room,
library, or hall the latter for the
drawing-room or sitting-room, while
prints and engravings may be hung
where you please, as long as they are
not hung side by side with oil or
water-colors. A small hall hung
with plain tinted paper is suitable for
engravings and such like; but re-
member that no picture looks its best
if hung against patterned back
ground, unless the pattern be an in
definite one of tints of the same color.