Evening star., 1938-06-07

smoothed an awkward line into a
thing of beauty.
At this time there was great in
crease in the prosperity of the country.
Instead of the traditional wealth of
few families, there popped up here,
there and everywhere smart young
business men that none had heard
coal or on Wall Street and spent 1t
lavishly on the fashion of the moment.
Cabinet makers could not furnish the
new pieces fast enough, so some of
them made up elegant suites" in ad-
vance and invited the public to come
to inspect them at the warehouse.
The new, the unusual and the BIZ
zarre attracted most of the attention;
the customers with money and with
out inherited good taste, helped to
perpetuate and make profitable the
manufacture of furniture which has
taken the last so years to overcome
Victoria's influence on fashion and
furniture was almost as powerful as
on foreign policies. She came to the
throne in 1887 young girl who cap
tured the imagination OF the whole
world. AS the years went on her de-
! votion to duty, her love for her hus-
band and her home life changed the
trend of society from the excitement
of war and conquest into the more
peaceful pursuits of home and fire.
side
It became the fashion to be de-
mure and ladylike. If there was i'm
morality, it was not mentioned in So
ciety, and the "age of innocence" held
sway. Clothing and household fur
nishings reflected this feeling, as it
did commercial prosperity. Stays
and crinolines were as harsh and un-
relenting as the stiff "parlor" chairs
and horsehair upholstery; but the best
wood obtainable and the finest work
manship characterized the furniture,
just as lavish use of lace and taffeta
and whole months work was what
it took" to make a ladys dress.
4 \ 4
EATING too much was probably the
only "sin" of this era, but the din
ing tables of the period were built to
sustain ample hospitality without dan
ger of collapse. Chairs and sofas Of
the overstuffed variety, though quite
opulent in appearance, were most dis
appointing in their hard tufted stuff
flng and horsehair covering, and for
bade 'lounging. Now that Victorian
things have come in again we have
kept their comfortable lines, cushioned
them and covered them with satins
as we'll as useful at the present time.
Some Of the monstrous pieces Of
furniture of the era 1900 to 1900 were
dreadful and should have been put
out of their misery at an early date.
Others were excellent and have been
treasured up to the present time along
with Chippendale, Sheraton and Hep
pelwhite. In the last few years, rec
ognizing the beauty of some of these
pieces, decorators have used Federal,
Regency Empire or Directoire furni-
ture to interpret the dignity and
formality Of smart town house With
modern understanding of color, line
and fabric texture, a delightful effect
is assured. A country house furnished
with the well-cushioned comfort of
the "homely" furniture of Victoria,
with flowered wall paper, rufled cur
tains tied back with big bows, and
beds with embroidered petticoats, has
an air of ingenuousness which calls
for garden party dresses, big leg
horn hat full of cherries, and Towering
apple trees. The same furniture in
town is upholstered in bright pink
satin against wall paper Of blue
with wide stripes, and becomes so
elegant that we find ourselves sitting
up like ladies and casting down our
eyes as though We had not been born
a hundred years too late to be de-
mure and frapflei |