Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-11
CHARLES n. WiNSLOW
On Art as Applied to Industry

On ART as AppIeo 10 IhouStry
TVHE practical application of art to in
L dustry has now assumed large proper,
tions in the American industrial trades: ana
the feeling as to its enormous possibilitirs
is growing all the time, says Charles IL.
Winslow, secretary of the Pennsylvania
Museum and School of Industrial Art.
"Thc manufacturer" said Mr.. Winslow.
"is finding that by far the largest proper.
ton Of the profits lies in the embellishment
Of his product. Not only this. but proper
and fitting establishment of almost any
product gives it Il more ready sale. as the
feeling for the artistic Is and has for some
years been steadily growing in the United
States.
"Formerly. and not so many years ago
at that, the aim of the manufacturers was
to turn out Il scrviceabe product, standard
lied as far as possible in order that speed
and n consequent turning out of the great
est number Of finished goods In the shortest
time might be attained. Today this, senti-
ment has largely been superseded by the
preference for goods which have some ar.
tistic touches to them. and the articles which
have not this attribute are falling behind
in competition with the others.
The Beginnings Of Commercial Art
''But our manufacturers have seen the
light and they now realize that art has n
distinct and important place in the making
Of almost all goods. 1t is true that It adds
somewhat to the cost, but the purchasers
appear to be willing to pay this charge for
the pleasure that embellishcd articles give
them. Therefore our manufacturers of such
goods rs may be tittngly cmbelshed must
add this feature to their work If they hope
to compete with the product of other nations
which have in some instances realized this
great commercial truth earlier than we did.
'"rhc principle of art as applied to in
dustry first made its appearance in this
country about 1877. The growth of the idea
was slow at first. as Is the case in nearly
any symptoms of dying out: on the contrary,
it increased with the passing of the years
and after the year 1900 it showed tre-
mendous annual gains, while the increase in
the feeling for art and the demand for its
application to industry in the last five years
have far exceeded any similar period which
went before 1t.
Comes From General Public
"This demand comes from the general
public and not alone from those who have
had the advantages of an artistic education.
The truth of the matter is that the Ameri-
can public has been inoculated with the
desire for artistic things, but the process
has been so gradual that they themselves
were not aware OF 1t.
1.-THE general movement in the direction
which have indicated dates back, as will
be seen from the year, to the time of the
Centennial. After this great exposition the
American people as Il class began to realize
Just what art as applied to industry meant.
All large eypOsitions help every country, no
matter what its artistic nntGcedcnts may
have been, to appreciate this economic prin-
cple 1t may have taken a little stronger
hold on us at first because, OF its novelty,
but 1t has now become as fixed here as in
any nation on earth. 1t Is here to stay, Ms
the increasing interest each year clearly in.
dicates.
proper and beautiful establishment sells
all textiles, and we are rapidly reaching the
point where any goods which may tittingly
be embellshed must have this addition In
order to find a ready sale.
Can Compete With the World
'"rhcre is no longer any question as to
whether England, France, Germany or, for
that matter, any country on earth can pro-
duce finer cloths for clothing than we do.
They cannot do 1t, nor are their products
embellshed any finer or more artistically
than ours We can meet the world in This
field, but the fact that we can do this is
largely due to the progress which we have
made in our art us practically applied.
"We feel with II just pride that our insti-
tuition has played an important part in this
advance. During the last year the New
York State Department Of Education and
the National Society of Vocational Traininp linz
have conducted an industrial art survey, not
only in the State Of New York, bur also in
some of the ,neighboring States. This survey
went into the field of art rs applied to in.
dustry and discovered a tremendous interest
in the whole matter Of applied art.
but the specific things in which they
found the most interest are the very things
which the PENNSYLVANIA Museum and School
of Industrial Art has concentrated on for
years. There are many schools Of Industrial
art In the country, but ours Is unique in
that we hays great diversity Of the forms
s IA .sriS