The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-12-13
Education in art was

D6lT1IWn6nIS. EIOuCaL1On III art was badly needed.
 The Christmas card had some part in changing the level of public taste for the better. The art dealer who ceeded in the best possible way to make these tokens aid in public edu- cation. From the first the decoIa- tions. if simple, were well done and simplicity. In the spring of 1880, how ever, new inspiration for the devel- opment of the idea came into being when the first competition for the de- signs of Christmas cards was 1nst1- tuted, and the leading artists in ti1e country were invited to enter the lists amount. we'll worth the attention of the most aspiring. Three prizes were offered for the best three efforts In oils or water coIorss aggregating $2,- GOO The names of the men selected as judges were enough to insure fhe standards which would be observed in making the awards. on the noaIo E c. Moore, the head of the silver department of g. famous jewellers es- tablishment, and Samuel Colman an exhibition of the best was held for some time in one of the art gal leries in this city The winners were dier, second and Anna G. Morse. third. The publicity given to thds conn petition helped to increase the pop
 
 be going too far to gay that the Christmas card had done its work of education already. but 1t Is Q fact that the same entry, by Dora. Wheed- CT, was aldJudged winner by both the people and the jury of artists
 Ln 1883 the conditions were different tained. From among the leading ar t1sts in this country twenty-two were chosen to submit deshgns for Christ mas cards, and the prizes were suffi- os1 ,af0 k0 IrA he f. tractive. A competent jury Of judges was named The artists invited were: J. Carroll Beckwfth, E. H. Blashfield, Robert B. Boodgood. I. Fl: Caliga, man, Rosira Emmet. Fred W. Freer. Alfred Fredericks, I. M. Gans'ens1g4 pnrey. Will H Low, Leon Moran Percy Moran, Thomas Moran. IF. Win throp Pierce, A M. Turner. Douglas volk, J. Alden Weir, c. D. Wedon. time went to Weldon, and the second to wiN H. Low. Exhibit ons of the designs submitted were held In sev- eral art galleries in this city, and af- forwards were sent to Boston, Bufraao, and many other cities This ended the competitions. Before 1883. the is- in the hands of the one firm. but now they were taken up very generally by a.ll publishers. The idea had estaD-
 But even then, the designs were most restrained in their conception. At the farthest a card showed noth- ing more than a plain flower panel. or border, in which mOttoe4 appror prfate to the season were intertw1ned The symbolism of the holiday season was limited to the figures Of angels Or lambs and none was pagan enough to show, for instance, jolly English squire brewing a bowl of punch
 Nowadays the symbolism Is invoked from afar. This year. as an example. A TTz@r Ia pf4 yx7A4 popular last year for the first time, are seen again. It fs explained that as far back as four thousands years ago on the banks of the Nile some Rameses sent a scarab to hds friend good luck and health until the river Overf1owed again. You can buy scarab, or the head of Isis embossed on a shield also q talisn1an; but these seem to be heaEhen inteTloper0. Hunt ing scenes are mostly sought for tlads hunters and a, pack of hounds on snowy landscape. Quotations from au- tf1ors in poetry and prose, while al ways to be had, are not chosen 90 of ten Last year was the centenary Of Dickens, Thacl>eray. and Browning, fectly fair to say that some of the sentiments which find their way to being used on the cards are rot and sentimenta drfvel, but one need have no trouble in choosing a simple mes sage simply told. Among other de- signs one bookstore is showing really pretty hand-colored cards at the mod crate price of 25 cents. and even 10 cents. From this the prices rum as low as 10 cents the dozen.
 l One idea which fs restored to favor