Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-08-03
Woodstock, VT, August 8, 1907
Art in Home Industries.


coverlets and rag carpets, whose col
ors are as fresh today as when they
were first woven. The young women
have been learning from the old
ones how these articles were made
because the work sells at such good
prices. At least everything did at
first when the idea was new and
every one caught the craze of buy
ing Handmade" articles. After a
time people found fault with the
ugly colors and poor patterns. Then
several artistic women such as Mrs.
Douglas Volk and Mrs. Helen r
Albee became interested in waken-
ing up these home industries and 1T
was decided that an artist must look
after the designs and the choice OF
colors.
The immediate result has been
quick sales and better prices all over
the country for everything these
women make. There is mass of
fancy work executed all over this
country by women who like to have
their hands employed when the
heavier work is done, and all of us,
as we look at the embroidery, GRO
Chef, knitting, lace making and other
fancy work executed by our friends
will acknowledge we can acquire
skill and that we have abundance of
patience to carry out any art work
we may undertake no matter how
toilsomely we learn it.
The professional designers of wall
paper, hangings, rugs, carpets. fur
niture, pottery, china and thousands
of other objects go through long and
severe courses of training before they
are permitted by manufacturers or
dealers to plan goods that are to be
put upon the market. This shows
that people do not always know in
stinctively how to make beautiful
designs and artistic combinations of
colors, unless, like the Japanese,
they have been trained for genera
tions in the common use of beautiful
things; while there are many women
who instinctively dress well, even
though inexpensively, and who show
the most delicate and refined taste in
fancy work and in the furnishing
and decorating Of their homes.
If we will frankly face our own
and our neighbours homes we will
discover them to be treated with very
little display Of good taste. And
this is as true in the homes of the
rich as in those of the poor. The
former are apt to buy costly things
which TO not bear any relation to
each other in color or design or util-
ity. The poor who must buy cheap
things choose the gayest and most
heavily ornamented for the money.
They fill out the decorations with
handmade scarfs, table covers, tides,
bows, lace covers, etc.
The rich who realize their own
lack of good taste, pay professional
architects, decorators and furnishers
to manage this sort of thing for
them. Others buy costly things for
the sake of revealing in possessions.
The middle class folks do the same
thing and SO do the poor. 1t is be-
cause we like things, and plenty of
them. We want color and we get
lot of different tones together; we
want things to look home-like and
cosy and warm, and we think we get
it through having as much around
as possible.
1t would do us all good, whether
rich or poor, to live with the Japan
ese for time and see how wonder
fully simple home can be arranged
and be beautiful. Only one orna-
ment is put out by them at time
or one beautiful piece of embroidery
displayed. What we need to learn
from this nation is how to appreciate
beautiful lines in our furniture, jew
elry and fancy work and how to see
colors in their true relation to each
other, so as to produce harmonious
effects, even though in a gorgeous
way. Over-decorated cheap things
are made in cheap factories of cheap
materials by cheap designers and
workmen. The simpler the con-
struction the better material one will
get and better workmanship for the
money.
Now all of this brings me back to
the idea with which / started. There
is no doubt we women give much
time and thought to the decorative
work we de. We need, however, to
realize few facts. The most of our
work shown at home and at the fairs
and bazaars of our native place would