Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-20
As ONE WOMAN SEES IT
The Journalist and the Areheoloaist
Discuss Art and Visit is Made
to the New Hope Colony
Nv SARAH d. LOWRIE

the art of the archeoogist--thc man inter
csted in the history rather than in the fact
Of art.
The journalist. who was attacking the
arrhenlosist. insisted that modern art was
blank book to the conuoisseur of carly
Christian art. or of Della Robbias The
other delightfully."- begged the question by
asserting there was no modern art-nothing
but modern orgies.
That afternoon, as IL happened, was with
one who Is, suppose, world authority on
Della Robbias as we'll as on much else con-
cerning the Italian art, when 1t was pro-
posed We should drive over and sec an exhi.
bition Of the summer work of the New Hope
Colony.
il seemed to mo that he was rather vnguc
as to what the New Hope Colony might be,
aud that he was more than willing that he
should bc represented at that afternoon gath
ering by others The point Of view Of those
Of us who went in his stead was somewhat
slow in focusing because we were really
ignorant-most of us--as to what we went
out for to see,' but in the cnd-by Sunday
supper time-it had focused into something
as compact as an expert opinion" Whether
or not it would have been his opinion had he
gone In person ! do not venture to say.
IN1E WERE told to motor to New Hope
w from Princeton via Pennington and
Washington's Crossing on the Delaware river
and Iambcrtvillc. then to cross to the Penn
sylran;a side and 60 up the river about
mile or 20 till we came TO Gothic house.
The way was a delightful way just in
itself Pennington. like Lawrenceville and
like Princeton. is built along a ridge. and
when we were at loss as to which road to
take to leave 1t we asked boy after boy whom
we met struggling along the country road.
No one could speak English or understand il.
We learned presently from compassionate
lady from whom group of little chaps were
demanding apples by signs Enthusiastically di-
rected toward her trees that they were little
Cuban students who were at the old Pen
ningtou Academy studying i.merican ways.
This was their first Sunday and their home
sickness took the form of desiring apples.
We passed Washington's Crossing and
agreed that in bad or good weather he must
have had noble view. Lambertville-the
little we saw of II before crossing the river
at Bridge street--seemed blessed with a sur
prising number of second floor balconies. 1t
is like New Orleans, even to the ironwork Of
these little overhanging trelliscs. There was
no kind lady to tell us when or how the for
cign element had crept in.
NNCE across the Delaware and following
~ its beautiful shore upstream, we began
our lookout for the Gothic house. It was
then that the first carping archaeological note
crept into our quest.
We had been pleased with the Cubans,
pleased with the New Orleans, but the
Gothic gave us pause.
1t was unmistakable when wo arrived
cheek by jowl with it, The very fact that
across the road, summing itself in the late
autumn sunshine. was an enlarged farm
house Of respectable Colonial comelness
made the ancient somberness of the other
anachronism the more marked.
There was q kind of moat, a kind of pos
tern gate, there was some carving of pom
dcrous stone mbedded in the gatehead. One
was aware from the exterior that the ceilings
l0up in Tho into orin ND hot tbo
flooring must be of stone and the beams and
shelves and sills and doors must have a
hewn out look. So they had
4 youth who had attached himself to us
without warning the moment We stopped,
and who placed his hat and coat in our
motor with the full intention of driving back
with us as though we were public convey
ance--as he evidently believed us to be
swept us backward and forward. in and out
of places with no other open sesame than
that he had once been a student there
] had no idea who or what he was. 7
could not bring myself to ask him questions.
| but | CLEANED somehow that the house was
that Of an artist named Colt, and that the
! exhibition in the studio at the rear of the
| house was only temporarily there Some
| persons issued from the Gate in the Wall
| lust as We arrived, and ono of them hsscd
into my car that Mrs. Colt had been a
Keith of philadclphia-a Boudinot Keith!
| Mrs. Colt was a handsome. kindly hos
| TOSS. Sne received our DeWllUereQ group
| what she remarked soto voce to me had once
been the pigpen, but which was now an uu-
InistGkahle Gothic studio. 1t had even a
| Gothic wire screen door
T HAVE always associated the New Hone
| l. art with palish wintry pictures of houses
going downhill. followed with colorfu ont
| houses in toe middle distance, and with
| touches Of laie autumn merging into early
winter on the horizons. But this studio
| nee rigncn-Was crowded with very cleverly
| done objects Of Italian Renaissance work.
clever as 10 their carpentry and, joining and
as to their decoratiOn--painted tableaux. rem
| inistcut of the Decameron or the Inferno.
They were cassoni chests and like articles
OF furniture no longer usable except as deco
ratonS or for museum pieces AS they were
limitations they would. fancy, ,ot be avail
able for museums, however.
| | concluded they must have had nm
archaeological interest for the maker and were
In sense his potboilers; the things arts
and crafts tea rooms would order by the
carload and sell for double the price with n
history Of the Gothic Studio attached. Only
az they were very exactly done. they could
not be made by the carload but only by the
| piece, after tho fashion of the old craftsmen :
works in the real cinque conto.
MIR. COLTS lifcworks we're. ] judged
4'l some pictures cleaning opalescentIy bc
| hiud the confusion of his wroughtiron work
aud g.ldcd caskcts and decorated chairs.
should nave liked to have seen them to more
advantage, for after all his idca of the pres
| ent would have been moro interesting than
his or any other mans idea of the past. W,
| can all be in a sense archeologists. but very
few Of uS are prophetic enough to Interpret
t%H present, let alone forecast the future.
The youth led us through the rest of tho
house. We painting with bcwildcrmcnt az I,
his rights so to do. 1t Is not so consist
entity Gothic as to forgo later arts. |,
fact, the Colts have in their dining. room
the most beautiful pieces Of Lowcstoft mos
Of us had ever feasted our eyes upon.
! think that was our real reward for th,
visit. the thing about the Colts that place.
them satisfactorily.
We refused to be led further afield by ou
self appointed guide or to visit the house OF
the canal where the art Of weaving is bcipl
! revived The LowcEtoft was u good thing I,
stop at. It, and the little Cuban boys ask
, | ing for apples, had been the real sensation
Of that long, sunny afternoon.
A Good Solution