Evening star., 1934-12-16

Il DIVISION OF textiles, OF which DR..
F. L. Lewton is curator, an ex-
tremely interesting little collection of
toileS de Jouy lent by Miss Elinor Mer-
rill of New York, who is not only an
authority on these charming printed
fabrics, but possesses in her private
collection some of the rarest pieces
known.
The cotton printing industry, it will
be recalled, began in Jouy on large
scale in 1869. Ten years before this
date, however, Christophe- Philippe
Oberkampf, the owner, had taken over
small factory for which in the in
terum he served as draughtSman, en-
graver, printer and dyer. When the
output increased, as it did enormously,
! he employed others of gift to carry on
! the various branches of the work.
Among the best known of Oberkampf's
designers was Jean BaptiSte Huet, who
was a member of his staff from 1888
for 80 years. Vernet was another Of
his designers.
! One Of Huet's most famous designs
was -Four Quarters of the Globe" de-
| signed and printed at Jouy about 1888,
J of which section about five feet long
! Is included in the Merrill loan collec-
ton now on view. 1t is printed in red
and shows scenes from the -Four Con-
tinents or imaginary.
OF particular interest also is a red
toile illustrating the sugar industry
from the time the cane is cut until
the sugar is ready for consumption
The workers in these pictures are all
Negroes, although white owners and
overseers appear in their appropriate
places. Obviously, these scenes might
as well have been in the West Indies
as in this country, but they are GER
tainly very graphic. This piece is
signed "Oursel, inv. Scharr, sculp.,"
meaning designer and engraver.
! Two of the prints shown in this
exhibition have on their borders the
stamps of the factories where they
were made. These are "ChinoiSerie,
an Oriental design with pergola and
people, printed in red and stamped,
m. Oberkampf ct Bon TENT; the
other, red wood block of white flower
sprays inclosed in wavy ribbon trellis,
stamped u. P. Meillier ct Co. de Beau
LlTdn pres BOrQeauX.
The "Chinoiserie" is in the style Of
Pillement and was probably made be-
tween 1785 and 1890, when Oberkampf
had so enlarged his business that with
the aid of the cylindrical press de-
signed by his nephew, he was able to
print more than 5000 yards of cotton
day. The dyes that he used are as
bright today as when the fabrics were
printed, therefore he was, it has truly
been said, justified in printing on every
piece of material that left his factory,
Bon Teint." meaning fast color"
The tone and quality of these colors
are noteworthy. The red in particular
is very similar to that used about the
time for the decoration of china in
the English factories, especially for
some of the rarest examples Of
Lowestoft.
The designs for these furniture COW
erings and hangings were often, we
find, taken from current events, and
these for the American trade were
of American subjects. There are, for
instance, two prints of America
Doing Homage to France" designed
by Huet, one printed before 1890,
the other after the French Revolu-
ton, almost identical in design, with
the exception that in the first the
allegorical figure representing France
wears a crown, of which in the Sec
ond she has been deprived.
There are two George Washington
prints-"America Presenting at the
Altar of Liberty Two Medallions Of
Her Illustrious Sons" and Washington
with Franklin Where Liberty Dwells
There is My Country" There are
two Washington Centennial prints and
two presidential prints. one with
presidential portraits from Washing
ton to Jackson, and the other with
portraits Of the first six Presidents,
and, as symbol, the American Eagle.
This piece of gray printed cotton is
made up in quilt.
An interesting piece is one showing
an Indian and totem pole design, not
PERHAPS archeologically correct, but
evidencing a breadth of knowledge
II Ie surprising A Harrison and
Retu \" print shows log cabin, be-
side .ich stands a barrel marked
Hard Cider" and printed in various
shades of tan and brown is a print
which has been identified as Zachary
Taylor on horseback. Apparently, all
subjects were applicable for these de-
signers' purposes.
However, decorative and charming
as are these historical designs, they
do not compare in beauty with the
fowered cottons printed at Jouy dur
ing the same years, of which eight
charming examples are included in
this loan collection. These have the
French touch. are dainty, tasteful, ef-
fective-an example to our present.
day designers. In some instances a
fragment of landscape is introduced;
in one print with clusters of red roses
a windmill is introduced. Like all art,
including painting and sculpture, it
all depends upon the doing-how, not
what.
But one should not turn from this
exhibition without noting group of
prints made in France between ITS
and the early nineteenth century, rep
resenting balloon ascensions. Evil
IDENTIFY our conquest of the air is less
recent than many suppose. Also there
is a Washington handkerchief, worthy
forerunner of that printed last year
by the National Planning Commission
for the Washington Bicentennial bear
ing the LEnfant map Of our National