The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1919-11-01
USE COLORS TO
S00THE NERVES
Sculptor Leads Revolt Against
the House Painter.
TO ABOLISH WHITE Ceiling

TO ABOLISH White CEILING
Movement 10 Result Of Observation Of
Effect Of coIors on Members Of the
American Expeditionary Force In
France-GIare of-White Ceiling and
Spots on Wall Cause Of Nervous.
ness Of American People.
Miss Janet Scudder and Mrs. Will
liam n. Lane, recently returned to
New York from France, where they
served for more than year with the
Red Cross, have started revolt
against the house painter. They want
to suppress the originator Of the putty
colored' room and the mixer Of other
monotonous wall tints. They advo-
cate the painting Of houses, offices,
hotels and public buildings with clear,
strong colors that will stimulate the
mind, or rest the nerves, according to
the purpose Of the interior. And they
hope never to see another white CELL
ing.
AS the first shot in their revolution
the two young women have painted
the walls of an apartment at No. ii
East Forty-fourth street, New York.
Miss Scudder, who is sculptor of in
ternational renOwn, with examples Of
her work in the Metropolitan museum,
does not intend to abandon her sculp-
ture for house painting. She will re-
sumo her modelling, she says, when the
wall color instruction has been
spread all over the country.
Mrs. Lane, who has been an opera
singer, is the color mixer, while Miss
>Scudder decides on its architectural
application. The revolt is the result
Of study of the effect Of color on the
A. e. F. when they entered the huts,
canteens and recreation centers,
which these two war workers painted,
including most Of the Red Cross army
buildings from Brest to Toul. The
painters used the brightest, strongest,
clearest colors they could get, and
most of the time they did the paint
ing themselves.
The splash of color that greeted the
boys returning weary and hungry from
the trenches was like a tonic They
braced up wonderfully under the in
fuence of bright red or clear blue or
golden yellow. This suggested the ap-
plication Of color influence to daily life
and the result is the first apartment
decorated in this style.
coIors and Nerves.
Other orders have been taken and
the two young women, who may join
the painters union, even though they
are striving to change the entire out
look of it's members, will personally
paint either interiors or exteriors.
They also hope to interest other wom-
en- in following this profession.
The walls of their living room at the
Forty-fourth street apartment are
deep, clear blue, the ceiling is bright
green and the woodwork white. The
bedroom has soft dark purple walls,
blue woodwork and yellow ceiling.
The third room is yellow, with blue
doors and trim. The ceiling is a
lighter shade Of yellow. The furni-
ture is blue painted wicker. The hang
ings are beautiful bright-colored
chintzes brought from France. Rolls
of these imported materials, showing
clear bold tints, are on their way over
here to be used in the transformation
Of dull interiors into much brighter
and more wholesome ones, according
to the two artists.
Speaking Of their efforts to destroy
the tradition of the white ceiling and
the use Of characteristic wallpapers,
Miss Scudder said, 1T Is undoubted-
iy true that the nervousness of the
American is due to the glare of his
ceiling and the spots on his walls. Add
to this the constant ringing Of his tele'
phone bell and you have the secret
Of the lack of repose In the average
American setting.
Colors That Soothe.
"Lovely, fiat colors on our walls
colors that soothe and stimulate al
the same time, can be had. Why al
low our most intimate surroundings to
be hideous? It is a curious fact that
the no, ,e painter is in the scale OF
professions inferior to almost any 9th
er. It should be most important be
cause our lives are more closely as
ISOLATED with the results Of that pro
fession than with any other. Colol
should be one of the great factors Of
existence and it has never been con
sidered as such.
I'm one of the most distinguished
and expensive hotels in New York cit!
all the bedrooms are white, the car
penis bright green and the furniture
harsh red. This is absolutely Grim
inal a torture to the visitors tina
should not be allowed, though tn
visitors do not realize their demon
alizing surroundings. Another, in
stance is one Of the smartest clubs
up to date in every way. The dinin,
room is a mess Of garbage surround
y ed by bricks painted sickly green
the walls are Of irritating persistenc
that never, for one single instant, re
lieves the eye. Even when one
reading a book the Kaleidoscope e1
feet penetrates the brain.
Life in New York is necessaril
filed with turmoil. Why add to tn
general excitement walls that twink