,other ,works by ,walter ,crane         
,crown #hvo1 #fs4 net each      ,,the   
,,bases ,,of ,,design      ,,with #bjj  
,,illustrations        ,,line ,,and     
,,form      ,,with #aeg ,,illustrations 
,,the ,,decorative ,,illustration       
,,of ,,books ,,old ,,and ,,new          
,,with #afe ,,illustrations             
,medium #hvo4 #ajs4 #f;d4 net           
,,ideals ,,in ,,art      ,,papers       
,,theoretical1 ,,practical1             
,,critical      ,,with ,,title-,,page1  
,,end-,,papers1 ,,and ,,cover           
,,designed ,,by ,,the ,,author1 ,,and   
,,numerous ,,illustrations              
,,london3 ,g4 ,,bell ,,and ,,sons1      
,,ltd4            ,,william ,,morris    
,,to ,,whistler          ,illustration3 
,,william ,,morris    ,,to ,,whistler   
,,papers ,,and ,,addresses ,,on    ,,art
 ,,and ,,craft ,,and ,,the              
,,commonweal      ,,by ,,walter ,,crane 
,,with ,,illustrations    ,,from        
,,drawings ,,by ,,the    ,,author       
,,other ,,sources        ,,london3 ,g   

,,bell  ,,sons ,,ltd    ,,york ,,house  
,,portugal ,s,t ,w4,c4    #aiaa         
,,chiswick ,,press3 ,,charles           
,,whittingham ,,and ,,co4    ,,tooks    
,,court1 ,,chancery ,,lane1 ,,london4   
,,preface      ,of the collected papers 
and addresses which form this book1 the 
opening one upon ,william ,morris was   
composed of an address to the ,art      
,workers' ,guild1 an article which      
appeared in ,the ,progressive ,review1  
at the instance of ,mr4 ,j4 ,a4 ,hobson1
 and a longer illustrated article       
written for ,the ,century ,magazine1 and
 now reprinted with the  illustrations  
by permission of ,messrs4 ,charles      
,scribner's ,sons1 to  whom my thanks   
are due4    ,the ,socialist ,ideal as a 
,new ,inspiration in ,art was written   
for ,the  ,international ,review1 when  
it appeared under the editorship of ,dr4
  ,rudolph ,broda1 as the ,english      
edition of ,documents du ,progrs4       
,the ,english ,revival in ,decorative   
,art appeared in the ,fortnightly       

,review1 and ,i have to thank ,mr4 ,w4  
,l4 ,courtney for allowing me to        
reprint it4 ,it has some additions4     
,notes on ,early ,italian ,gesso ,work1 
was written for ,messrs4 ,george        
,newnes's ,magazine of the ,fine ,arts  
with the illustrations1 and ,i am       
obliged to them for leave to use both   
again4    ,notes on ,colour ,embroidery 
and its ,treatment was written at ,mrs4 
,christie's request for ,embroidery1    
which she edited1 and ,i have  ,messrs4 
,pearsall's authority to include it     
here4    ,the ,apotheosis of ',the      
,butterfly' was a review written for    
,the  ,evening ,news1 and ,i thank the  
editor for letting me print it again4   
,it appears now1 however1 with a        
different title1 and considerable       
additions4    ,a ,short ,survey of the  
,art of the ,century appeared in a      
journal1 the  name of which has escaped 
me1 but it has been largely rewritten   
and  added to since4    ,for the rest1  
,modern ,aspects of ,life and the ,sense

 of ,beauty was  originally addressed as
 the opening of a debate at the ,pioneer
 ,club1  in which my late friend ,lewis 
,f4 ,day was my opponent1 and my chief  
supporter was ,mr4 ,j4 ,ramsay          
,macdonald1 ,m4,p4    ,art and the      
,commonweal was an address to the       
,students of ,art at  ,armstrong        
,college1 ,newcastle-on-,tyne1 and the  
paper ,on ,some of  the ,arts allied to 
,architecture was given before the      
,architectural  ,association4 ,that ,on 
the ,study and ,practice of ,art was    
delivered in  ,manchester before the    
,art ,school ,committee and ,city       
authorities1 and  the ,notes on ,animals
 in ,art to the ,art ,workers' ,guild in
 ,london4      ,,walter ,,crane4        
,,kensington1    ,september #aiaa4      
,,contents        ,,page      ,,william 
,,morris ,,and ,,his ,,work             
#c      ,,the ,,english ,,revival ,,in  
,,decorative ,,art                      
#dg      ,,the ,,socialist ,,ideal ,,as 
,a ,,new ,,inspiration ,,in ,,art       

#hc      ,,on ,,the ,,study ,,and       
,,practice ,,of ,,art                   
#aje      ,,on ,,some ,,of ,,the ,,arts 
,,and ,,crafts ,,allied ,,to            
,,architecture           #abe           
,,notes ,,on ,,colour ,,embroidery ,,and
 ,,its ,,treatment                      
#adi      ,,notes ,,on ,,early ,,italian
 ,,gesso ,,work                         
#afc      ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,treatment
 ,,of ,,animals ,,in ,,art              
#ahe      ,,modern ,,aspects ,,of ,,life
 ,,and ,,the ,,sense ,,of ,,beauty      
#bjg      ,a ,,short ,,survey ,,of ,,the
 ,,art ,,of ,,the ,,nineteenth          
,,century1    ,,chiefly ,,in ,,england1 
,,with ,,some ,,notes ,,on ,,recent     
,,developments      #bbc      ,,art     
,,and ,,the ,,commonweal                
#bda      ,,the ,,apotheosis ,,of ,,the 
,,butterfly                             
#bei          ,,list ,,of               
,,illustrations        ,,page           
,portrait of ,william ,morris4 ,from a  
photograph by ,emery ,walker      #b    

,pen-,sketch of ,morris ,speaking from a
 ,wagon in ,hyde ,park4    ,by ,walter  
,crane                                  
#ae      ,design for ,wall-paper4 ,the  
,daisy                                  
#ah      ,design for ,wall-paper4 ,rose 
,trellis                             #ai
      ,woollen ,hanging4 ,the ,peacock  
#bb      ,design for ,silk ,hanging     
#bc      ,cotton ,print4 ,evenlode      
#be      ,kelmscott ,house4 ,meeting    
,room of the ,hammersmith    ,socialist 
,society                                
#bg      ,pages from ,morris's ,,ms4 of 
,omar ,khayym               #cj1 #ca1   
#cb1 #cc      ,pen ,design by ,walter   
,crane                                  
#dg1 #hc      ,progressive blackboard   
practice in ,bi-,manual ,training       
from ,new ,methods in ,education by     
,liberty ,tadd                  #aji    
,patterns of ,roman ,mosaic ,pavement1  
from the ,baths of    ,caracalla        
#abi1 #acj1 #aca      ,patterns in      
,plain ,leading1 from ,the ,glazier's   

,booke            #adc      ,russian    
,peasant ,embroidery3 ,blouse in ,cross 
,stitch               #aea      ,cretan 
,embroidery                             
#aec      ,embroidered ,cover from      
,bokhara                                
#aee      ,original ,design for         
,embroidered ,hanging1 by ,walter ,crane
         #aeg      ,examples of ,early  
,italian ,gesso ,work    7,victoria and 
,albert ,museum7                        
#afg-aha      ,egyptian ,treatment of   
,birds4 ,eighteenth dynasty1            
,hieroglyphics4    ,thebes              
#ahf      ,assyrian ,lion               
#ahg      ,persian ,lion                
#ahh      ,egyptian ,lion               
#ahh      ,graeco-,buddhist ,lions from 
,sarnath                                
#ahi      ,animal ,forms from ,early    
,greek ,pottery                         
#aia      ,english ,heraldic ,lions4    
,thirteenth ,century                    
#aic      ,birds and ,animals in        
,sicilian ,textiles4 ,thirteenth        

,century4    7,from ,fishbach7          
#aie1 #aif1 #aig      ,japanese ,birds4 
,from the ,hundred ,birds of ,bari      
#aii      ,stone ,carvings at ,gwalior  
#bjj1 #bja1 #bjb1 #bjc      ,lion by    
,alfred ,stevens                        
#bjd      ,pen ,designs by ,walter      
,crane                            #bjg1 
#bbc1 #bda      ,butterfly ,device      
#bei      ,portrait of ,whistler4 ,after
 ,charcoal ,drawing by ,himself         
#bfa      ,the ,thames in ,ice          
#bfg      ,panels from the ,peacock     
,room                                   
#bfi          ,,errata 7,,tn3 ,these    
corrections have been applied47         
,page #ej1 line #d from foot1 for       
,burgess read ,burges4    ,page #ib1    
line #b1 for ,le ,thangue read ,la      
,thangue4    ,page #acd1 line #ad1 for  
give read gives4    ,page #aij1 line #g 
from foot1 for ,fringe read ,frieze4    
,page #aih1 line #b from foot1 for      
,central ,provinces read ,central       
,india4          ,,william ,,morris     

,,and ,,his ,,work      ,illustration3  
,,portrait ,,of ,,william ,,morris4     
,,from ,a ,,photograph    ,,by ,,emery  
,,walker4          ,,william ,,morris   
,,and ,,his ,,work      ,if it is agreed
 that art1 after all1 may be summed up  
as the  expression of character1 it     
follows that the more we realize an     
artist's personality the clearer        
understanding we shall get of his  work4
 ,so remarkable a personality as that of
 ,william ,morris must have  left many  
distinct1 and at the same time          
different1 impressions upon  the minds  
of those who knew him1 or enjoyed his   
friendship in life4    ,it is difficult 
to realize that fifteen years have      
passed away since  he left us2 but from 
the dark and blurred background of      
changing  years his character and work  
define themselves1 and his position and 
influence take their true place1 while  
his memory1 like some masterly          
portrait1 remains clear and vivid in our
 minds--re-presented as it  were in the 

severe but refined draughtsmanship of   
time4    ,with so distinct and massive  
an individuality it was strange to hear 
him say1 as ,i once did1 that of the six
 different personalities he  recognized 
within himself at different times he    
often wondered which  was the real      
,william ,morris6 ,those who knew him1  
however1 were aware  of many different  
sides1 and we know that the idle dreamer
 of an  empty day was also the          
enthusiastic artist and craftsman1 and  
could  become the man of passionate     
action on occasion1 or the shrewd man of
  business1 or the keen politician also1
 as well as the quiet observer  of      
nature and life4 ,even the somewhat     
,johnsonian absoluteness and  emphasis  
of expression which characterized him   
generally1 would  occasionally give way 
to an open-to-conviction manner1 when   
tackled by  a sincere and               
straightforward questioner4    ,but     
,morris was above and before all else a 
poet--a practical poet1  if one may use 

such a term--and this explains the whole
 of his work4  ,not that personally he  
at all answered to the popular          
conventional  idea of a poet1 rather the
 reverse1 and he was anything but a     
sentimentalist4 ,he hated both the      
introspective and the rhetorical        
school1 and he never posed4 ,he loved   
romance and was steeped in  mediaeval   
lore1 but it was a real living world to 
him1 and the  glimpses he gives us are  
those of an actual spectator4 ,it is not
  archaeology1 it is life1 quite as     
vivid to him1 perhaps more so than  that
 of the present day4 ,he loved nature1  
he loved beautiful detail1  he loved    
pattern1 he loved colour--red and blue  
he used to say  in his full-blooded way4
 ,his patterns are decorative poems in  
terms  of form and colour4 ,his poems   
and romances are decorative patterns  in
 forms of speech and rhyme4 ,his dream  
world and his ideal world  were like one
 of his own tapestries--a green field   
starred with  vivid flowers upon which  

moved the noble and beautiful figures of
  his romantic imagination1 as distinct 
in type and colour as heraldic  charges4
 ,textile design interested him         
profoundly and occupied him  greatly1   
and one may trace its influence1 ,i     
think1 throughout his  work--even in his
 ,kelmscott ,press borders4 ,one might  
almost say that  he had a textile       
imagination1 his poems and romances seem
 to be woven  in the loom of his mind1  
and to enfold the reader like a magic   
web4    ,but though he cast his         
conceptions in the forms and dress of a 
past  age1 he took his inspiration      
straight from nature and life4 ,his     
poems  are full of ,english landscapes1 
and through the woods of his romances   
one might come upon a reach of the      
silvery ,thames at any moment4 ,the     
river he loved winds through the whole  
of his delightful ,socialistic  ,utopia 
in ,news from ,nowhere4    ,as a        
craftsman and an artist working with    
assistants and in the course  of his    

business he was brought face to face    
with the modern conditions  of labour   
and manufacture1 and was forced to think
 about the political  economy of art4   
,accepting the economic teaching of     
,john ,ruskin1 he  went much further and
 gave his allegiance to the banner of   
,socialism1  under which1 however1 he   
founded his own school and had his own  
following1 and conducted his own        
newspaper4 ,from the dream world of     
romance1 and from the sequestered garden
 of design1 he plunged into  the thick  
of the fight for human freedom1 in      
which1 he held1 was  involved the very  
existence of art4    ,ever and anon he  
returned to his sanctuary--his          
workshop--to fashion  some new thing of 
beauty1 in verse or craftsmanship1 in   
which we see  the results of his labour 
in so many directions4    ,he certainly 
seemed to have possessed a larger and   
fuller measure of  vitality and energy  
than most men--perhaps such extra       
vitality is  the distinction of         

genius--but the very strenuousness of   
his nature  probably shortened the      
duration of his life4 ,there were never 
any  half-measures with him1 but        
everything he took up1 he went into     
seriously1 nay1 passionately1 with the  
whole force of his being4 ,his  power of
 concentration 7the secret of great     
workers7 was enormous1 and  was spent   
from time to time in a multitude of     
ways1 but whether in the  eager search  
for decorative beauty1 his care for the 
preservation of  ancient buildings1 in  
the delight of ancient saga1 story1 or  
romance1  or in the battle for the      
welfare of mankind1 like one of his own 
chieftains and heroes1 he always made   
his presence felt1 and as the  practical
 pioneer and the master-craftsman in the
 revival of ,english  design and        
handicraft his memory will always be    
held in honour4    ,his death marked an 
epoch both in art and in social and     
economic  thought4 ,the press notices   
and appreciations that have appeared    

from  time to time for the most part    
have dwelt upon his work as a poet  and 
an artist and craftsman1 and have but   
lightly passed over his  connection with
 ,socialism and advanced thought4       
,but1 even apart from prejudice1 a      
hundred will note the beauty and        
splendour of the flower to one who will 
notice the leaf and the stem1  or the   
roots and the soil from which the tree  
springs4    ,yet the greatness of a man 
must be measured by the number of       
spheres  in which he is                 
distinguished--the width of his range   
and appeal to his  fellows4    ,in the  
different branches of his work ,william 
,morris commanded the  admiration1 or1  
what is equally a tribute to his force1 
excited the  opposition--of as many     
different sections of specialists4      
,as a poet he appealed to poets by      
reason of many distinct qualities4  ,he 
united pre-,raphaelite vividness 7as in 
,the ,haystack in the  ,floods71 with a 
dream-like1 wistful sweetness and charm 

of flowing  narrative1 woven in a kind  
of rich mediaeval tapestry of verse1 and
  steeped with the very essence of      
legendary romance as in ,the ,earthly   
,paradise2 or with the heroic spirit of 
earlier time1 as in ,sigurd  the        
,volsung1 while all these qualities are 
combined in his later  prose romances4  
,his architectural and archaeological   
knowledge again was complete  enough for
 the architect and the antiquary4       
,his classical and historical lore won  
him the respect of scholars4    ,his    
equipment as a designer and craftsman1  
based upon his  architectural knowledge 
and training enabled him to exercise an 
extraordinary influence over all the    
arts of design1 and gave him his  place 
as leader of our latter-day ,english    
revival of handicraft--a  position      
perhaps in which he is widest known4    
,in all these capacities the strength   
and beauty of ,william ,morris's  work  
has been freely acknowledged by his     
brother craftsmen1 as well as  by a very

 large public4    ,there was1 however1  
still another direction in which his    
vigour and  personal weight were thrown 
with all the ardour of an exceptionally 
ardent nature1 wherein the importance   
and significance of his work  is as yet 
but partially apprehended--,i mean his  
work in the cause of  ,socialism1 in    
which he might severally be regarded as 
an economist1 a  public lecturer1 a     
propagandist1 a controversialist4    ,no
 doubt many even of the most emphatic   
admirers of ,william ,morris's  work as 
an artist1 a poet1 and a decorator have 
been unable to follow  him in this      
direction1 while others have deplored1  
or even denounced1  his self-sacrificing
 enthusiasm4 ,there seems to have been  
insuperable  difficulty to some minds in
 realizing that the man who wrote ,the  
,earthly ,paradise should have lent a   
hand to try to bring it about1  when    
once the new hope had dawned upon him4  
,there is no greater mistake than to    
think of ,william ,morris as a          

sentimentalist1 who1 having built       
himself a dream-house of art and        
poetry1 sighs over the turmoil of the   
world1 and calls himself a  ,socialist  
because factory chimneys obtrude        
themselves upon his view4    ,it seems  
to have escaped those who have inclined 
to such an opinion  that a man1 in      
,emerson's phrase1 can only obey his own
 polarity4 ,his  life must gravitate    
necessarily towards its centre4 ,the    
accident that  he should have reached   
economics and politics through poetry   
and art1  so far from disqualifying a   
man to be heard1 only establishes his   
claim to bring a cultivated mind and    
imaginative force to bear upon  the hard
 facts of nature and science4    ,the   
practice of his art1 his position as an 
employer of labour1 his  intensely      
practical knowledge of certain          
handicrafts1 all these things  brought  
him face to face with the great ,labour 
question2 and the fact  that he was an  
artist and a poet1 a man of imagination 

and feeling as  well as intellect1 gave 
him exceptional advantages in solving   
it--at  least theoretically4 ,his       
practical nature and sincerity moved him
 to  join hands with men who offered a  
practical programme1 or at least who    
opened up possibilities of action       
towards bringing about a new social     
system4    ,his own personal view of a  
society based upon an entire change of  
economic system is most attractively and
 picturesquely described in  ,news from 
,nowhere1 some ,chapters of a ,utopian  
,romance4 ,he called  it ,utopian1 but1 
in his view1 and granting the           
conditions1 it was a  perfectly         
practical ,utopia4 ,he even gave an     
account 7through the mouth  of a        
survivor of the old order7 of the       
probable course of events which  might  
lead up to such a change4 ,the book was 
written as a sort of  counterblast to   
,edward ,bellamy's ,looking ,backward1  
which on its  appearance was very widely
 read on both sides of the water1 and   

there seemed at the time some danger of 
the picture there given of a  socialized
 state being accepted as the only       
possible one4 ,it may be  partly        
answerable for an impression in some    
quarters that a ,socialist  system must 
necessarily be mechanical4 ,but the     
society described in  ,looking ,backward
 is1 after all1 only a little more      
developed along  the present lines of   
,american social life--a sublimation of 
the  universal supply of average citizen
 wants by mechanical means1 with  the   
mainspring of the machine altered from  
individual profit to  collective        
interest4 ,this book1 most ingeniously  
thought out as it  was1 did its work1 no
 doubt1 and appealed with remarkable    
force to  minds of a certain            
construction and bias1 and it is only   
just to  ,bellamy to say that he claimed
 no finality for it4    ,but ,news from 
,nowhere may be considered--apart from  
the underlying  principle1 common to    
both1 of the collective welfare as the  

determining constructive factor of the  
social system--as its complete          
antithesis4    ,according to ,bellamy1  
it is apparently the city life that is  
the  only one likely to be worth        
anything1 and it is to the organization 
of production and distribution of things
 contributing to the supposed           
necessities and comforts of inhabitants 
of cities that the reader's  thoughts   
are directed4    ,with ,morris the      
country life is obviously the most      
important1 the  ideal life4 ,groups of  
houses1 not too large to be neighbourly1
 each  with a common guest-hall1 with   
large proportions of gardens and        
woodland1 take the place of crowded     
towns4 ,thus ,london1 as we know it1    
disappears4    ,what is this but        
building upon the ascertained scientific
 facts of  our day1 that the inhabitants
 of large cities tend to deteriorate in 
physique1 and would die out were it not 
for the constant infusion of  new blood 
from the country districts8    ,work is 

still a hard necessity in ,looking      
,backward1 a thing to  be got rid of as 
soon as possible1 so citizens1 after    
serving  the community as clerks1       
waiters1 or what not1 until the age of  
forty-five1 are exempt4    ,with        
,morris1 work gives the zest to life1   
and all labour has its own  touch of    
art--even the dustman can indulge in it 
in the form of rich  embroidery upon his
 coat4 ,the bogey of labour is thus     
routed by its  own pleasurable exercise1
 with ample leisure1 and delight in     
external  beauty in both art and nature4
    ,as regards the woman's question1 it
 never1 in his ,utopia1 appears to  be  
asked4 ,he evidently himself thought    
that with the disappearance of  the     
commercial competitive struggle for     
existence and what he termed  artificial
 famine caused by monopoly of the means 
of existence1 the  claim of women to    
compete with men in the scramble for a  
living would  not exist4 ,there would be
 no necessity for either men or women to

 sell  themselves1 since in a truly     
co-operative commonwealth each one would
  find some congenial sphere of work4   
,in fact1 as ,morris once said1 settle  
the economic question and you  settle   
all other questions4 ,it is the ,aaron's
 rod which swallows up  the rest4    ,i 
gather that while he thought both men   
and women should be  economically free1 
and therefore socially and politically  
free1 and  free to choose their         
occupation1 he by no means wished to    
ignore or  obliterate sex distinctions1 
and all those subtle and fine feelings  
which arise from it1 which really form  
the warp and weft of the  courtesies and
 relationships of life4    ,now1        
whatever criticisms might be offered1 or
 whatever objections  might be raised1  
such a conception of a possible social  
order1 such  a view of life upon a new  
economic basis as is painted in this    
delightful book1 is surely1 before all  
things1 remarkably wholesome1  human1   
and sane1 and pleasurable4 ,if          

wholesome1 human1 sane1 and  pleasurable
 lives are not possible to the greater  
part of humanity  under existing        
institutions1 so much the worse for     
those institutions4  ,humanity has      
generally proved itself better than its 
institutions1  and man is chiefly       
distinguished above other animals by his
 power to  modify his conditions4 ,life1
 at least1 means growth and change1 and 
human evolution shows us a gradual      
progression--a gradual triumph  of      
higher organization and intelligence    
over lower1 checked by  the inexorable  
action of natural laws1 which demand    
reparation  for breaches of moral and   
social law1 and continually probe the   
foundations of society4 ,man has become 
what he is through his capacity  for    
co-operative social action4 ,the        
particular forms of social  organization
 are the crystallization of this        
capacity4 ,they are but  shells to be   
cast away when they retard growth or    
progress1 and it is  then that the      

living organism1 collective or          
individual1 seeks out or  slowly forms a
 new home4    ,as to the construction   
and colour of such a new house for      
reorganized  society and regenerated    
life1 ,william ,morris has left us in no
 doubt  as to his own ideas and ideals4 
,it may seem strange that a man who     
might be said to have been steeped in   
mediaeval lore1#a and whose  delight    
seemed to be in a beautifully imagined  
world of romance  peopled with heroic   
figures1 should yet be able to turn from
 that  dream world with a clear and     
penetrating gaze upon the movements of  
his own time1 and to have thrown himself
 with all the strength of  his nature   
into the seething social and industrial 
battle of modern  ,england4 ,that the   
idle singer of an empty day should voice
 the  claims and hopes of ,labour1 stand
 up for the rights of free speech  in   
,trafalgar ,square1 and speak from a    
wagon in ,hyde ,park1 may have          
surprised those who only knew him upon  

one side1 but to those who  fully       
apprehended the reality1 ardour1 and    
sincerity of his nature1  such action   
was but its logical outcome and         
complement1 and assuredly  it redounds  
to the honour of the artist1 the        
scholar1 and the poet  whose loss we    
still feel1 that he was also a man4     
,few men seemed to drink so full a      
measure of life as ,william ,morris1    
and1 indeed1 he frankly admitted in his 
last days that he had  enjoyed his life4
 ,i have heard him say that he only knew
 what it was  to be alive4 ,he could not
 conceive of death1 and the thought of  
it did  not trouble him4                
,illustration3 ,william ,morris speaking
 from a wagon in ,hyde ,park1    ,may #a
 #ahid    ,i first met ,william ,morris 
in #ahgj1 at a dinner at the house of   
the late ,earl of ,carlisle1 a man of   
keen artistic sympathies and            
considerable artistic ability1 notably  
in water-colour landscapes4 ,he  was an 
enthusiast for the work of ,morris and  

,burne-,jones1 and had just  built his  
house at ,palace ,green from the designs
 of ,mr4 ,philip ,webb1  and ,morris and
 ,company had decorated it4 ,morris1 ,i 
remember1 had just  returned from a     
visit to ,iceland1 and could hardly talk
 of anything  else4 ,it seemed to have  
laid so strong a hold upon his          
imagination2  and no doubt its literary 
fruits were the translations of the     
,icelandic sagas he produced with       
,professor ,magnsson1 and also the      
heroic poem of ,sigurd the ,volsung4 ,he
 never1 indeed1 seemed to lose  the     
impressions of that ,icelandic visit1   
and was ever ready to talk of  his      
experiences there--the primitive life of
 the people1 the long pony  rides1 the  
strange1 stony deserts1 the remote      
mountains1 the  geysers and the         
suggestions of volcanic force           
everywhere1 and the  romance-haunted    
coasts4    ,i well remember1 too1 the   
impression produced by the first volume 
of  ,the ,earthly ,paradise1 which had  

appeared1 ,i think1 shortly before  the 
time of which ,i speak3 the rich and    
fluent verse1 with its simple1  direct1 
,old ,world diction2 the distinct       
vision1 the romantic charm1  the sense  
of external beauty everywhere1 with a   
touch of wistfulness4  ,the voice was   
the voice of a poet1 but the eye was the
 eye of an  artist and a craftsman4     
,it was not so long before that the fame
 began to spread of the little          
brotherhood of artists who gathered     
together at the ,red ,house1 ,bexley    
,heath1 built by ,mr4 ,philip ,webb1 it 
was said1 in an orchard without  cutting
 down a single tree4 ,dante ,gabriel    
,rossetti was the centre of  the group1 
the leading spirit1 and he had absorbed 
the spirit of the  pre-,raphaelite      
movement and centralized it both in     
painting and verse4  ,but others        
co-operated at first1 such as his       
master1 ,ford ,madox ,brown1  and ,mr4  
,arthur ,hughes1 until the committee of 
artists narrowed down1  and became a    

firm1 establishing workshops in one of  
the old-fashioned  houses on the east   
side of ,queen ,square1 ,bloomsbury1 a  
retired place1  closed by a garden to   
through traffic at the northern end4    
,here  ,messrs4 ,morris1 ,marshall1     
,faulkner and ,co4 7which included a    
very  notable man1 ,mr4 ,philip ,webb1  
the architect7 began their practical    
protest against prevailing modes and    
methods of domestic decoration  and     
furniture1 which had fallen since the   
great exhibition of #ahea  chiefly under
 the influence of the ,second ,empire   
taste in upholstery1  which was the     
antithesis of the new ,english movement4
 ,this latter  represented in the main a
 revival of the mediaeval spirit 7not   
the  letter7 in design2 a return to     
simplicity1 to sincerity2 to good       
materials and sound workmanship2 to rich
 and suggestive surface  decoration1 and
 simple constructive forms4             
,illustration3 ,,design ,,for           
,,wall-,,paper4 ,,the ,,daisy4    ,the  

simple1 black-framed1 old ,english      
,buckinghamshire elbow-chair1  with its 
rush-bottomed seat1 was substituted for 
the wavy-backed and  curly-legged       
stuffed chair of the period1 with its   
,french polish and  concealed1 and often
 very unreliable1 construction4         
,bordered ,eastern  rugs1 and fringed   
,axminster carpets1 on plain or stained 
boards1 or  ,india matting1 took the    
place of the stuffy planned carpet2     
rich1  or simple1 flat patterns         
acknowledged the wall1 and expressed the
  proportions of the room1 instead of   
trying to hide both under bunches  of   
sketchy roses and vertical stripes2     
while1 instead of the big  plate-glass  
mirror1 with ormolu frame1 which had    
long reigned over the  cold white marble
 mantel-piece1 small bevelled glasses   
were inserted  in the panelling of the  
high wood mantel-shelf1 or hung over it 
in  convex circular form4 ,slender black
 wood or light brass curtain rods1  and 
curtains to match the coverings1 or     

carry out the colour of the  room1      
displaced the heavy mahogany and ormolu 
battering-rams1  with their fringed and 
festooned upholstery1 which had hitherto
  overshadowed the window of the        
so-called comfortable classes4 ,plain   
white or green paint for interior       
wood-work drove graining and  marbling  
to the public-house2 blue and white     
,nankin1 ,delft1 or ,grs  de ,flandres  
routed ,dresden and ,svres from the     
cabinet2 plain  oaken boards and        
trestles were preferred before the heavy
 mahogany  telescopic ,british          
dining-table of the mid-nineteenth      
century2 and  the deep1 high-backed1    
canopied settle with loose cushions     
ousted the  castored and padded couch   
from the fireside4      ,illustration3  
,,design ,,for ,,wall-,,paper4 ,,rose   
,,trellis4    ,such were the principal  
ways1 as to outward form1 in which the  
new  artistic movement made itself felt 
in domestic decoration4 ,beginning  with
 the houses of a comparatively limited  

circle1 mostly artists1  the taste      
rapidly spread1 and in a few years      
,morrisian patterns and  furniture      
became the vogue4 ,cheap imitation on   
all sides set in1 and  commercial and   
fantastic persons1 perceiving the set of
 the current1  floated themselves upon  
it1 tricked themselves out like jackdaws
 with  peacocks' feathers1 and called it
 the aesthetic movement4 ,the usual     
excesses were indulged in by excitable  
persons1 and the inner meaning  of the  
movement was temporarily lost sight of  
under a cloud of  travesty and ridicule1
 until1 like a shuttlecock1 the idea had
 been  sufficiently played with and     
tossed about by society and the big     
public1 it was thrown aside1 like a     
child's toy1 for some new  catch-word4  
,these things were1 however1 but the    
ripples or falling  leaves upon the     
surface of the stream1 and had but      
little to do with  its sources or its   
depth1 though they might serve as       
indications of  the strength of the     

current4    ,the art of ,morris and     
those associated with him was really but
 the  outward and visible sign of a     
great movement of protest and reaction  
against the commercial and conventional 
conceptions and standards of  life and  
art which had obtained so strong a hold 
in the industrial  nineteenth century4  
,essentially ,gothic and romantic and   
free in spirit as opposed to the        
authoritative and classical1 its leader 
was emphatically and even  passionately 
,gothic in his conception of art and    
ideals of life4    ,the inspiration of  
his poetry was no less mediaeval than   
the spirit  of his designs1 and it was  
united with a strong love of nature and 
an  ardent love of beauty4              
,illustration3 ,,woollen ,,hanging4     
,,the ,,peacock4    ,one knows but      
little of ,william ,morris's            
progenitors4 ,his name  suggests ,welsh 
origin1 though his birthplace was       
,walthamstow4 ,born  #bdth ,march #ahcd1
 one of a well-to-do family1 it was a   

fortunate  circumstance that he was     
never cramped by poverty in the         
development  of his aims4 ,escaping the 
ecclesiastical influence of ,oxford and 
a ,church career1 his prophets being    
rather ,john ,ruskin and ,thomas        
,carlyle1 he approached the study and   
practice of art from the  architectural 
side under one of our principal ,english
 ,gothic  revivalists1 ,george ,edmund  
,street1 although he at one time        
entertained  the idea of becoming a     
painter1 and the very interesting       
picture of  ,guinevere which was shown  
at one of the ,arts and ,crafts         
,exhibitions  makes one regret he did   
not do more in this way4 ,few men had a 
better  understanding of the nature of  
,gothic architecture1 and a wider       
knowledge of the historic buildings of  
his own country1 than ,william  ,morris1
 and there can be no doubt that this    
grasp of the true root  and stem of the 
art was of enormous advantage when he   
came to turn his  attention to the      

various subsidiary arts and handicrafts 
comprehended  under decorative design4  
,the thoroughness of his methods of work
 and  workmanlike practicality were no  
less remarkable than his amazing  energy
 and capacity for work4                 
,illustration3 ,,design ,,for ,,silk    
,,hanging4    ,in one of his earlier    
papers he said that it appeared to be   
the object  with most people to get rid 
of1 or out of1 the necessity of work1   
but for his part he only wanted to find 
time for more work1 or 7as it  might be 
put7 to live in order to work1 rather   
than to work in order  to live4         
,while as a decorative designer he was1 
of course1 interested in all  methods1  
materials1 and artistic expression1 he  
concentrated himself  generally upon one
 particular kind at a time1 as in the   
course of  his study and practice he    
mastered the difficulties and technical 
conditions of each4    ,at one time it  
was dyeing1 upon which he held strong   
views as to the  superiority1           

permanency1 and beauty of vegetable dyes
 over the mineral  and aniline dyes1 so 
much used in ordinary commerce1 and his 
practice  in this craft1 and the charm  
of his tints1 did much to check the     
taste  for the vivid but fugitive       
colours of coal-tar4    ,his way was to 
tackle the thing with his own hands1 and
 so he worked  at the vat1 like the     
practical man that he was in these      
matters4 ,an  old friend tells the story
 of his calling at the works one day    
and1 on  inquiring for the master1      
hearing a strong1 cheery voice call out 
from some inner den1 ,i'm dyeing1 ,i'm  
dyeing1 ,i'm dyeing6 and the  well-known
 robust figure of the craftsman         
presently appeared in his  blue         
shirt-sleeves1 his hands stained blue   
from the vat where he had  been at work4
      ,illustration3 ,,cotton ,,print4  
,,evenlode4    ,at another time it was  
weaving that absorbed him1 and the study
  of dyeing naturally led him to        
textiles1 and1 indeed1 was probably     

undertaken with the view of reviving    
their manufacture in new forms1  and    
from rugs and carpets he conceived the  
idea of reviving ,arras  tapestry4 ,i   
remember the man who claimed to have    
taught ,morris to  work on the high-warp
 loom4 ,his name was ,wentworth ,buller4
 ,he was an  enthusiast for ,persian    
art1 and he had travelled in that       
country  and found out the secret of the
 weaving of the fine ,persian carpets1  
discovering1 ,i believe1 that they were 
made of goats' hair4 ,he made  some     
attempt to revive this method in        
,england1 but from one cause or  another
 was not successful4 ,william ,morris1  
when he had learned the  craft of       
tapestry weaving himself1 set about     
teaching others1 and  trained two       
youths1 one of whom 7,mr4 ,dearle7 is   
now chief at the  ,merton ,abbey ,works1
 who became exceedingly skilful at the  
work1  executing the large and elaborate
 design of ,sir ,edward ,burne-,jones   
7,the ,adoration of the ,magi71 which   

was first worked for the chapel  of his 
own and ,morris's college 7,exeter      
,college7 at ,oxford4    ,in this       
tapestry1 as was his wont1 ,morris      
enriched the design with  a foreground  
of flowers1 through which the ,magi     
approach with their  gifts the group of 
the ,virgin and ,child1 with ,st4       
,joseph4    ,in fact1 the designs of    
,william ,morris are so associated with 
and  so often form part of the work of  
others or only appear in some           
conditioned material form1 that little  
or no idea of his individual  work1 or  
of his wide influence1 could be gathered
 from any existing  autograph work of   
his4 ,that he was a facile designer of  
floral  ornament his numerous beautiful 
wall-papers and textile hangings  prove1
 but he always considered that the      
finished and final form of a  particular
 design1 complete in the material for   
which it was intended1  was the only one
 to be looked at1 and always objected to
 showing  preliminary sketches and      

working drawings4 ,he was a keen judge  
and  examiner of work1 and fastidious1  
and as he did not mind taking  trouble  
himself he expected it from those who   
worked for him4 ,his  artistic influence
 was really due to the way he supervised
 work under  his control1 carried out by
 many different craftsmen under his eye1
  and not so much by his own actual     
handiwork4    ,in any estimate of       
,william ,morris's power and influence  
as an artist1  this should always be    
borne in mind4 ,he always described     
himself as  an artist working with      
assistants1 which is distinct from the  
manufacturer who simply directs a       
business from the business point  of    
view4 ,nothing went out of the works at 
,queen ,square1 or1 later1 at  ,merton  
,abbey1 without his sanction from the   
artistic point of view4                 
,illustration3 ,,kelmscott ,,house4     
,,meeting ,,room ,,of ,,the             
,,hammersmith    ,,socialist ,,society4 
,the wave of taste which he had done so 

much to create certainly  brought       
prosperity to the firm1 and larger      
premises had to be taken2  so ,morris   
and ,company emerged from the seclusion 
of ,queen ,square and  opened a large   
shop in ,oxford ,street1 and set up     
extensive works at  ,merton ,abbey--a   
most charming and picturesque group of  
workshops1  surrounded by trees and     
kitchen gardens1 on the banks of the    
river  ,wandle in ,surrey1 not far from 
,wimbledon4 ,the tapestry and carpet    
looms which were first set up at        
,kelmscott ,house1 on the ,upper ,mall  
at ,hammersmith1#b were moved to        
,merton1 where also the dyeing and      
painted glass-work were carried on4     
,this latter art had long been an       
important part of the work of the  firm4
 ,in early days designs were supplied by
 ,ford ,madox ,brown and ,d4  ,g4       
,rossetti1 but later they were entirely 
from the hands of ,morris's  closest    
friend1 ,edward ,burne-,jones2 that is  
to say1 the figure-work4  ,floral and   

subsidiary design were frequently added 
by ,william  ,morris1 as was also the   
leading of the cartoons4 ,the results of
 their  co-operation in this way have   
been the many fine windows scattered    
over the land1 chiefly at ,oxford and   
,cambridge1 where the ,christ  ,church  
window and those at ,jesus ,college may 
be named1 while the  churches of        
,birmingham have been enriched by many  
splendid examples1  more particularly at
 ,st4 ,philip's4 ,their glass has also  
found place in  the ,united ,states1 in 
,richardson's famous church at ,boston1 
and at the  late ,miss ,catherine       
,wolfe's house1 ,vinland1 ,newport4     
,an exquisite autograph work of ,william
 ,morris's is the copy of ,the          
,rubaiyat of ,omar ,khayym1 which he    
wrote out and illuminated with  his own 
hand1 though even to this work          
,burne-,jones contributed a  miniature1 
and ,mr4 ,fairfax ,murray worked out    
other designs in some of  the borders4  
,this beautiful work was exhibited at   

the first ,arts  and ,crafts ,exhibition
 in #ahhh4 ,it is in the possession of  
,lady  ,burne-,jones1 and by her special
 permission ,i am enabled to give some  
reproductions of four of the pages here4
    ,it is so beautiful that one wonders
 the artist was not induced to do  more 
work of the kind2 but there is only     
known to be one or two  other           
manuscripts partially completed by him4 
,certainly his love for  mediaeval      
illuminated ,,mss4 was intense and his  
knowledge great1 and  his collection of 
choice and rare works of this kind      
probably unique4  ,the same might be    
said of his collection of early printed 
books1 which  was wonderfully rich with 
wood-cuts of the best time and from the 
most  notable presses of ,germany1      
,flanders1 ,italy1 and ,france4         
,illustration3      #h ,,omar ,,khayyam 
,alike for those who for today prepare  
,and those that after a tomorrow stare  
,a muezzin from the ,tower of ,darkness 
cries    ,fools1 your reward is neither 

here nor there      #be      ,why1 all  
the saints and sages who discussed      
,of the ,two ,worlds so learnedly1 are  
thrust    ,like foolish prophets forth1 
their words to scorn    ,are scattered1 
and their mouths are stopt with dust    
#bf      ,o come with old ,khayyam1 and 
leave the wise    ,to talk2 one thing is
 certain1 that ,life flies2    ,one     
thing is certain1 and the rest is lies  
,the flower that once has blown for ever
 dies      #bg      ,myself when young  
did eagerly frequent    ,doctor and     
saint1 and heard great argument         
,,from ,,morris',s ,,ms4 ,,of ,,omar    
,,khayy,m4        ,illustration3        
,about it and about1 and evermore       
,came out by the same door as in ,i     
went4      #bh      ,with them the seed 
of ,wisdom did ,i sow1    ,and with my  
own hand laboured it to grow3    ,and   
this was all the harvest that ,i        
reaped--    ,i came like water1 and like
 wind ,i go4      #bi      ,into this   
,universe1 and why not knowing    ,nor  

whence1 like water willy-nilly flowing  
,and out of it as wind along the waste  
,i know not whither1 willy-nilly blowing
      #cj      ,what without asking     
hither hurried whence    ,and without   
asking whither hurried hence            
,another1 and another cup to drown      
,the memory of this impertinence6       
,,from ,,morris',s ,,ms4 ,,of ,,omar    
,,khayy,m4        ,illustration3        
,my thread-bare penitence apieces tore4 
#ga      ,and much as wine has played   
the infidel1    ,and robbed me of my    
robe of honour--well1    ,i often wonder
 what the vintners buy    ,one half so  
precious as the goods they sell4        
#gb      ,alas1 that ,spring should     
vanish with the rose1    ,that ,youth's 
sweet-scented manuscript should close   
,the ,nightingale that in the branches  
sang1    ,ah whence1 and whither flown  
again1 who knows6      #gc      ,ah1    
,love6 could thou and ,i with ,fate     
conspire    ,to grasp this sorry scheme 
of things entire1    ,would we not      

shatter it to bits1 and then    ,remould
 it nearer to the heart's desire8       
,,from ,,morris',s ,,ms4 ,,of ,,omar    
,,khayy,m4        ,illustration3        
,ah ,moon of my delight who knowest no  
wane1    ,the ,moon of ,heaven is rising
 once again2    ,how oft hereafter      
rising shall she look    ,through this  
same garden after me--in vain4      #ge 
,and when ,thyself with shining foot    
shall pass    ,among the guests         
star-scattered on the grass1    ,and in 
thy joyous errand reach the spot        
,where ,i made one--turn down an empty  
glass6      ,,tamam ,,shud      ,,from  
,,morris',s ,,ms4 ,,of ,,omar ,,khayy,m4
      ,this brings us to ,william       
,morris's next and1 as it proved1 last  
development in art--the revival of the  
craft of the printer1 and its  pursuit  
as an art4    ,i recall the time when   
the project was first discussed4 ,it was
 in  the autumn of #ahhi4 ,it was the   
year of an ,art ,congress at ,edinburgh1
  following the initial one at          

,liverpool the preceding year1 held     
under  the auspices of the ,national    
,association for the ,advancement of    
,art4  ,some of us afterwards went over 
to ,glasgow to lecture2 and a small     
group1 of which ,morris was one1 found  
themselves at the ,central  ,station    
,hotel together4 ,it was here that      
,william ,morris spoke of his  new      
scheme1 his mind being evidently centred
 upon it4 ,mr4 ,emery  ,walker 7who has 
supplied me with the photographs which  
illustrate this  article7 was there1 and
 he became his constant and faithful    
helper in  all the technicalities of the
 printer's craft2 ,mr4                  
,cobden-,sanderson  also was of the     
party2 he may be said to have introduced
 a new epoch  in book-binding1 and his  
name was often associated with ,morris  
as  binder of some of his books4        
,morris took up the craft of printing   
with characteristic thoroughness4  ,he  
began at the beginning and went into the
 paper question1 informing  himself as  

to the best materials and methods1 and  
learning to make a  sheet of paper      
himself4 ,the ,kelmscott ,press paper is
 made by hand1 of  fine white linen rags
 only1 and is not touched with          
chemicals4 ,it has  the toughness and   
something of the quality of fine        
,whatman or ,o4,w4  drawing-paper4      
,when he set to work to design his types
 he obtained enlarged  photographs of   
some of the finest specimens of both    
,gothic and ,roman  type from the books 
of the early printers1 chiefly of ,bale 
and ,venice4  ,he studied and compared  
these1 and as the result of his analysis
  designed two or three different kinds 
of type for his press1 beginning  with  
the ,golden type1 which might be        
described as ,roman type under  ,gothic 
influence1 and developing the more      
frankly ,gothic forms known  as the     
,troy and the ,chaucer types4 ,he also  
used ,roman capitals  founded upon the  
best forms of the early ,italian        
printers4    ,morris was wont to say    

that he considered the glory of the     
,roman  alphabet was in its capitals1   
but the glory of the ,gothic alphabet   
was  in its lower-case letters4    ,he  
was asked why he did not use types after
 the style of the lettering  in some of 
his title-pages1 but he said this would 
not be reasonable1  as the lettering of 
the titles was specially designed to fit
 into the  given spaces1 and could not  
be used as movable type4    ,the initial
 letters are ,gothic in feeling1 and    
form agreeably bold  quantities in black
 and white in relation to the close and 
rich matter  of the type1 which is still
 further relieved occasionally by floral
  sprays in bold open line upon the     
inner margins1 while when woodcut       
pictures are used they were led up to by
 rich borderings4    ,the margins of the
 title and opening chapter which faced  
it are  occupied by richly designed     
broad borders of floral arabesques upon 
black grounds1 the lettering of the     
title forming an essential part of  the 

ornamental effect1 and often placed upon
 a mat or net of lighter1  more open    
arabesque1 in contrast to the heavy     
quantities of the solid  border4    ,the
 ,kelmscott ,chaucer is the monumental  
work of ,morris's ,press1  and the      
border designs1 made specially for this 
volume1 surpass  in richness and        
sumptuousness all his others1 and fitly 
frame the  woodcuts after the designs of
 ,sir ,edward ,burne-,jones4    ,the    
arabesque borders and initial letters of
 the ,kelmscott books were  all drawn by
 ,morris himself1 the engraving on wood 
was mostly done  by ,mr4 ,w4 ,h4        
,hooper--almost the only first-rate     
facsimile engraver  on wood left--and a 
good artist and craftsman besides4 ,mr4 
,arthur  ,leverett engraved the designs 
to the ,the ,glittering ,plain1 which   
were my contribution to the ,kelmscott  
,press1 but ,i believe ,mr4 ,hooper  did
 all the other work1 while ,mr4 ,fairfax
 ,murray and ,mr4 ,catteson  ,smith     
drafted the ,burne-,jones designs upon  

the wood4    ,it was not1 perhaps1      
generally known1 at least before the    
appearance  of ,miss ,may ,morris's fine
 edition of her father's works1         
published  by ,messrs4 ,longman1 that   
many years before the ,kelmscott ,press 
was  thought of an illustrated edition  
of ,the ,earthly ,paradise was in       
contemplation1 and not only were many   
designs made by ,burne-,jones1 but  a   
set of them was actually engraved by    
,morris himself upon wood for  the      
,cupid and ,psyche1 though they were    
never issued to the public4    ,i have  
spoken of the movement in art           
represented by ,william ,morris  and his
 colleagues as really part of a great   
movement of protest--a  crusade against 
the purely commercial1 industrial1 and  
material  tendencies of the day4        
,this protest culminated with ,william  
,morris when he espoused the cause  of  
,socialism4    ,now some have tried to  
minimize the ,socialism of ,william     
,morris1 but  it was1 in the            

circumstances of his time1 the logical  
and natural  outcome of his ideas and   
opinions1 and is in direct relation with
 his  artistic theories and practice4   
,for a thorough understanding of the    
conditions of modern manufacture  and   
industrial production1 of the ordinary  
influences which govern the  producers  
of marketable commodities1 of wares     
offered in the name of  art1 of the     
condition of worker1 and the pressure of
 competition1 he  was in a particularly 
advantageous position4    ,so far from  
being a sentimentalist who was content  
melodiously and  pensively to regret    
that things were not otherwise1 he was  
driven by  contact with the life around 
him to his economic conclusions4 ,as he 
said himself1 it was art led him to     
,socialism1 not economics1 though  he   
confirmed his convictions by economic   
study4    ,as an artist1 no doubt at    
first he saw the uglification of the    
world  going on1 and the vast industrial
 and commercial machine grinding the    

joy and the leisure out of human life as
 regarded the great mass of  humanity4  
,but as an employer he was brought into 
direct relation with  the worker as well
 as the market and the public1 and he   
became fully  convinced that the modern 
system of production for profit and the 
world-market1 however inevitable as a   
stage in economic and social  evolution1
 was not only most detrimental to a     
healthy and spontaneous  development of 
art and to conditions of labour1 but    
that it would be  bound1 ultimately1 by 
the natural working of economic laws1 to
 devour  itself4    ,never cramped by   
poverty in his experiments and in his   
endeavours  to realize his ideals1      
singularly favoured by fortune in all   
his  undertakings1 he could have had no 
personal reasons on these scores  for   
protesting against the economic and     
social tendencies and  characteristics  
of his own time4 ,he hated what is      
called modern  civilization and all its 
works from the first1 with a whole      

heart1 and  made no secret of it4 ,for  
all that1 he was a shrewd and keen man  
in  his dealings with the world4 ,if he 
set its fashions and habits at          
defiance1 and persisted in producing his
 work to please himself1 it  was not his
 fault that his countrymen eagerly      
sought them and paid  lavishly for their
 possession4 ,a common reproach hurled  
at ,morris has  been that he produced   
costly works for the rich while he      
professed  ,socialism4 ,this kind of    
thing1 however1 it may be remarked1 is  
not  said by those friendly to          
,socialism1 or anxious for the          
consistency of  its advocates--quite the
 contrary4 ,such objectors appear to    
ignore1  or to be ignorant of1 the fact 
that according to the quality of the    
production must be its cost2 and that   
the cheapness of the cheapest  things of
 modern manufacture is generally at the 
cost of the  cheapening of human labour 
and life1 which is a costly kind of     
cheapness after all4    ,if anyone cares

 for good work1 a good price must be    
paid4 ,under  existing conditions       
possession of such work is only possible
 to those  who can pay the price1 but   
this seems to work out rather as part of
 an  indictment against the present     
system of production1 which ,socialists 
wish to alter4    ,if a wealthy man were
 to divest himself of his property and  
distribute  it1 he would not bring      
,socialism any nearer1 and his          
self-sacrifice  would hardly benefit the
 poor at large 7except1 perhaps1 a few  
individuals71 but under the working of  
the present system his wealth  would    
ultimately enrich the rich--would       
gravitate to those who had1  and not to 
those who had not4 ,the object of       
,socialism is to win  justice1 not      
charity4    ,a true commonwealth can    
only be established by a change of      
feeling1  and by the will of the people1
 deliberately1 in the common interest1  
declaring for common and collective     
possession of the means of life  and of 

wealth1 as against individual property  
and monopoly4 ,since the  wealth of a   
country is only produced by common and  
collective effort1  and even the most   
individual of individualists is         
dependent for every  necessary1 comfort1
 or luxury of life upon the labour of   
untold crowds  of workers1 there is no  
inherent unreasonableness in such a     
view1  or in the advocacy of such a     
system1 which might be proved to be as  
beneficial1 in the higher sense1 for the
 rich as for the poor1 as of  course it 
would abolish both4 ,it is quite        
possible to cling to the  contrary      
opinion1 but it should be fully         
understood that ,socialism  does not    
mean dividing up1 and that a man is not 
necessarily not a  ,socialist who does  
not sell all that he has to give to the 
poor4 ,a  poor widow is gathering       
nettles to stew for her dinner4 ,a      
perfumed  seigneur lounging in the oeil 
de boeuf hath an alchemy whereby  he can
 extract from her every third nettle and

 call it rent4 ,thus  wrote ,carlyle4   
,men like ,william ,morris would make   
such alchemy  impracticable2 but no man 
can change a social 7or unsocial7 system
 by  himself1 however willing2 nor can  
anyone1 however gifted or farseeing1    
get beyond the conditions of his time1  
or afford to ignore them in  the daily  
conduct of life1 although at the same   
time his life and  expressed opinions   
may all the while count as factors in   
the evolution  by which a new form of   
society comes about4    ,thus much seems
 due to the memory of a man like        
,william ,morris1 who  was frequently   
taunted with not doing1 as a ,socialist1
 things that1 as  a ,socialist1 he did  
not at all believe in2 things1 for      
which1 too1  one knows perfectly well1  
his censors1 if he had done them1 would 
have  been the first to denounce him for
 a fool4    ,at all events1 it is       
certain that ,william ,morris spent some
 of the  best years of his life1 he gave
 his time1 his voice1 his thought1 his  

pen1 and much money to put ,socialism   
before his countrymen4 ,this can  never 
be gainsaid4 ,those who have been       
accustomed to regard him from  this     
point of view as a dangerous            
revolutionary might be referred to  the 
writings of ,john ,ball1 and ,sir       
,thomas ,more1 his predecessors in      
,england's history1 who upheld the      
claims of labour and simple life1       
against waste1 want1 and luxury4        
,indeed1 it might be contended that it  
was a conservative clinging to the      
really solid foundations of a  happy    
human life which made ,morris a         
,socialist as much as artistic          
conviction and study of modern          
economics4 ,the enormous light which    
has been recently thrown by historic    
research upon mediaeval life and        
conditions of labour1 upon the craft    
guilds1 and the position of the         
craftsman in the ,middle ,ages--light to
 which ,morris himself in no  small     
degree contributed--must also be counted

 as a factor in the  formation of his   
opinions4    ,but whether accounted     
conservative or revolutionary in social 
economics and political opinion1 there  
can be no doubt of ,william  ,morris's  
conservatism in another field1 important
 enough in its  bearings upon modern    
life1 national and historic sentiment1  
and  education--,i mean the protection  
of ,ancient ,buildings4 ,he was one of  
the founders of the society having that 
object1 and remained to the  last one of
 the most energetic members of the      
committee1 and in  such important work  
his architectural knowledge was of      
course of the  greatest value4 ,at a    
time when1 owing to the action of a     
multitude of  causes1 the historic      
buildings of the past are in constant   
danger1  not only from the ravages of   
time1 weather1 and neglect1 but also1   
and even to a greater extent1 from the  
zeal of the restorer1 the  importance of
 the work which ,morris did with his    
society--the work  which that society   

carries on--can hardly be overestimated4
    ,the pressure of commercial         
competition and the struggle for life in
  our cities--the mere necessity for    
more room for traffic--the dead  weight 
of vested interest1 the market value of 
a site1 the claims of  convenience1     
fashion1 ecclesiastical or otherwise1 or
 sometimes sheer  utilitarianism1       
entirely oblivious of the social value  
of historic  associations of            
architectural beauty--all are apt to be 
arrayed at  one time or another1 or     
even1 perhaps1 all combined1 against the
  preservation of an ancient building if
 it happens to stand in their  way4     
,the variety1 too1 of the cases in which
 the difference of the artistic         
conditions which govern the art and     
craft of building in the past and  in   
the present is another element which    
often prevents the defenders  and       
destroyers from meeting on the same     
plane4 ,it is the old tragic  conflict  
between old and new1 but enormously     

complicated1 and with the  forces of    
destruction and innovation tremendously 
increased4    ,william ,morris was a    
singularly sane and what is called a    
level-headed man4 ,he had the vehemence1
 on occasion1 of a strong  nature and   
powerful physique4 ,he cared greatly for
 his convictions4  ,art and life were   
real to him1 and his love of beauty was 
a passion4  ,his artistic and poetic    
vision was clear and intense--all the   
more  so1 perhaps1 for being exclusive  
on some points4 ,the directness of  his 
nature1 as of his speech1 might have    
seemed singularly unmodern  to some who 
prefer to wrap their meaning with many  
envelopes4 ,he might  occasionally have 
seemed brusque1 and even rough2 but so  
does the  north wind when it encounters 
obstacles4 ,men are judged by the       
touchstones of personal sympathy or     
antipathy2 but whether attracted  or    
repelled in such a presence1 no one     
could come away without an  impression  
that he had met a man of strong         

character and personal  force1 whether  
he realized any individual preconception
 of the poet1  the artist1 and the      
craftsman1 or not4    ,he was certainly 
all these1 yet those who only knew him  
through his  works would have but a     
partial and incomplete idea of his      
many-sided  nature1 his practicality1   
personal force1 sense of humour1#c and  
all those side-lights which personal    
acquaintance throws upon the  character 
of a man like ,william ,morris4         
,footnote #a3 ,at the same time1 it must
 be remembered1 his      knowledge of   
mediaeval life1 the craft guilds1 and   
the      condition of the labourer in   
,england in the fifteenth      century1 
helped him in his economic studies and  
his ,socialist      propaganda4         
,footnote #b3 ,here ,morris lived when  
in ,london and his press      was set up
 close by at ,sussex ,house1 opposite to
 which is the      ,doves ,bindery of   
,mr4 ,cobden-,sanderson4 ,much of       
,morris's time      was spent at        

,kelmscott1 near ,lechlade1             
,gloucestershire1 a      delightful old 
manor house close to the ,thames stream4
 ,this      house was formerly held by  
,d4 ,g4 ,rossetti conjointly with       
,morris4 ,at ,hammersmith the room      
outside the house1 after the      carpet
 looms went to ,merton1 was used as the 
meeting room of      the ,hammersmith   
,socialist ,society4        ,footnote   
#c3 ,it is noteworthy that one who      
excluded humour      from his own work1 
whether literary1 or artistic1 had a    
keen      appreciation of it in the work
 of others4 ,few who only knew          
,morris through his poems1 romances1 and
 designs would imagine      that among  
his most favourite books were           
,huckleberry ,finn1      by ,mark       
,twain1 and ,uncle ,remus4 ,i have often
 heard him      recall passages of the  
first-named book with immense enjoyment 
of the fun4 ,he was1 besides1 always an 
admirer of ,dickens4          ,,the     
,,english ,,revival ,,in ,,decorative   

,,art            ,illustration          
,,the ,,english ,,revival ,,in          
,,decorative ,,art      ,the sense of   
beauty1 like the enchanted princess in  
the wood1 seems  liable1 both in        
communities and individuals1 to periods 
of hypnotism4  ,these periods of slumber
 or suspended animation1 are not1       
however1  free from distorted dreams1   
having a certain tyrannical compulsion  
which causes those under their influence
 blindly to accept arbitrary  ideas and 
cast-iron customs as if they were parts 
of the irreversible  order of           
nature--until the hour of the awakening 
comes and the  household gods of wood   
and stone1 so ignorantly worshipped1 are
 cast  from their pedestals4    ,such a 
period of apathetic slumber and of      
awakening in the arts we  have been     
passing through in ,england during the  
last quarter of the  nineteenth century1
 and since1 side by side with analogous 
movements  in the political and social  
world4    ,as regards domestic          

architecture1 the streets of ,london    
will  illustrate the successive waves of
 taste or fashion which the past and    
present century have seen1 from the     
quasi-classical1 represented in  the    
,peloponnesus of ,regent's ,park1 to the
 eclectic ,queen ,anne-ism  of the      
aesthetic village at ,turnham ,green2 or
 the more recent  developments which    
have followed newer ideas of            
town-planning1 the  modern hotel such as
 the ,savoy or the ,piccadilly1 or the  
,new ,aero ,club  in ,pall ,mall1 the   
modern store1 such as ,selfridge's4     
,contrast such  examples of what one    
might call our new ,imperial ,renascence
 style  with the types of simple cottage
 dwellings in the ,garden ,city at      
,letchworth1 or in the ,hampstead garden
 suburb1 and elsewhere2 or these  again 
with the larger country mansions some of
 our best architects  are raising in the
 land4 ,these extremes1 with all the    
various  modifications of the outward   
aspect of the ,english home--degrees    

indicating the arc of architectural     
fashion1 as it were--imply a  series of 
corresponding transformations of        
interiors with all their  modern        
complexities of furniture and           
decorations4    ,but the wheat of       
artistic thought and invention is a good
 deal  encumbered with chaff--the chaff 
of commerce and of fashion--and it      
needs some pains to find the real vital 
germs4 ,to trace the genesis of  our    
,english revival we must go back to the 
days of the pre-,raphaelite             
,brotherhood1 and although none of that 
famous group were decorative  designers 
in the strict sense--unless we except   
,d4 ,g4 ,rossetti--yet by  their        
resolute and enthusiastic return to the 
direct symbolism1 frank  naturalism1 and
 poetic or romantic sentiment of        
mediaeval art1  with the power of modern
 analysis superadded1 and the more      
profound  intellectual study of both    
nature and art1 which the severity of   
their  practice demanded1 and last1 but 

not least1 their intense love  of       
detail1 turned the attention to other   
branches of design than  painting4 ,the 
very marked character of their pictures1
 standing  out with almost startling    
effect from among the works of the older
  ,academic ,school1 demanded at least a
 special architecture in the  frames of 
their pictures1 and this led to the     
practice of painters  designing their   
own frames1 at least those who were     
concerned for  unity and decorative     
effect4 ,mr4 ,holman ,hunt1 for         
instance1 ,i believe  always designed   
his own frames1 as well as some of the  
ornamental  accessories of his          
pictures--such as the pot for the basil 
in his  ,isabella4 ,d4 ,g4 ,rossetti the
 poet-painter1 and perhaps the central  
and inspiring luminary of the remarkable
 group1 evidently cared  greatly for    
decorative effect1 and bestowed the     
utmost pains upon  tributary detail1    
designing the frames to his pictures1   
the cover  and lining for his own poems1

 and various title-pages4 ,many of  his 
pictures1 too1 are remarkable for their 
beauty and richness of  accessory       
details which give a distinct decorative
 charm to his work1  closely associated 
as they are with its motive and poetic  
purpose4    ,the researches of ,henry   
,shaw1 and his fine works upon art of   
the  middle ages1 first published in the
 ,forties by ,pickering1 and  printed by
 the ,chiswick ,press1 no doubt had     
their share in directing  the attention 
of artists to the beauty and intention  
bestowed upon  every accessory of daily 
life in mediaeval times4    ,above all  
influences from the literary side1      
however1 must be placed  the work of    
,john ,ruskin1 an enormously vitalizing 
and still living  force1 powerful to    
awaken thought1 and by its kindling     
enthusiasm  to stir the dormant sense of
 beauty in the minds that come under the
  spell of his eloquence1 which always  
turns the eyes to some new or           
unregarded or forgotten beauty in nature

 or in art4 ,the secret of his  powers  
as a writer on art lies no doubt in the 
fact that he approached  the whole      
question from the fundamental           
architectural side1 and saw  clearly the
 close connection of artistic           
development with social  life4 ,the     
whole drift of his teaching is towards  
sincerity and  ,gothic freedom in the   
arts1 and is a strong protest against   
,academic  convention and classical     
coldness4    ,among architects1 men like
 ,pugin and ,william ,burges1           
enthusiasts  in the ,gothic revival1    
gave a great deal of care and thought to
  decorative detail and the design of   
furniture and accessories4 ,the  latter1
 in the quaint house which he built for 
himself in ,melbury  ,road1 showed a    
true ,gothic spirit of inventiveness and
 whimsicality  applied to things of     
everyday use as well as the mural       
decorator's  instinct for symbolism4    
,since their day ,mr4 ,norman ,shaw may 
almost be  said to have carried all     

before him1 and has quite created a type
 of  later ,victorian architecture1 and 
his advice is still sought in the       
design of various buildings and street  
improvements of modern ,london4  ,his   
work1 beautiful1 well proportioned1 and 
decorative as it often is1  however1 has
 not the peculiar character and reserve 
of the work of ,mr4  ,philip ,webb1 and 
the latter is a decorative designer1    
especially of  animals1 of remarkable   
originality and power4 ,his work in     
architecture  and other designs is      
generally seen in association with that 
of  ,william ,morris in decoration4     
,the impulse towards ,greek and ,roman  
forms in furniture and decoration1      
which had held sway with designers since
 the ,french ,revolution1  appeared to  
be dead4 ,the elegant lines and limbs of
 quasi-classical  couches and chairs on 
which our grandfathers and grandmothers 
reclined--the former in high            
coat-collars and the latter in short    
waists--had grown gouty and clumsy1 in  

the hands of ,victorian  upholsterers4  
,the carved scrolls and garlands had    
lost even the  attenuated grace they    
once possessed and a certain feeling for
  naturalism creeping in made matters   
worse1 and utterly deranged the         
ornamental design of the period4 ,an    
illustrated catalogue of the  exhibition
 of #ahea will sufficiently indicate the
 monstrosities in  furniture and        
decoration which were supposed to be    
artistic4 ,the last  stage of           
decomposition had been reached1 and a   
period of1 perhaps1  unexampled         
hideousness in furniture1 dress1 and    
decoration set in  which lasted the life
 of the second empire1 and fitly        
perished with  it4 ,relics of this      
period ,i believe are still to be       
discovered in the  cold shade of remote 
drawing-rooms1 and apartments to let1   
which  take the form of big             
looking-glasses1 and machine-lace       
curtains1 and  where the furniture is   
afflicted with curvature of the spine1  

and  dreary lumps of bronze and ormolu  
repose on marble slabs at every         
opportunity1 where monstrosities of     
every kind are encouraged under  glass  
shades1 while every species of          
design-debauchery is indulged  in upon  
carpets1 curtains1 chintzes and         
wall-papers1 and where the  antimacassar
 is made to cover a multitude of sins4  
,when such ideas of  decoration         
prevailed1 having their origin or       
prototypes1 in the vapid  splendours of 
imperial saloons1 and had to be reduced 
to the scale of  the ordinary citizen's 
house and pocket1 the thing became      
absurd as  well as hideous4 ,besides1   
the cheap curly legs of the uneasy      
chairs  and couches came off1 and the   
stuffed seats1 with a specious show of  
padded comfort1 were delusions and      
snares4 ,long ago the old ,english      
house-place with its big chimney-corner 
had given way to the bourgeois          
arrangement of dining and               
drawing-room--even down to the smallest 

slated hut with a ,doric portico4 ,the  
parlour had become a kind of  sanctuary 
veiled in machine-lace1 where the       
lightness of the curtains  was          
compensated for by the massiveness of   
their poles1 and where  ,berlin         
wool-work and bead mats flourished      
exceedingly4    ,enter to such an       
interior a plain unvarnished            
rush-bottomed chair from                
,buckinghamshire1 sound in wind and     
limb--,c'est impossible6 ,and yet  the  
rush-bottomed chair and the printed     
cotton of frank design and  colour from 
an unpretending and somewhat            
inaccessible house in ,queen  ,square   
may be said to have routed the false    
ideals1 vulgar smartness  and stuffiness
 in domestic furniture and              
decoration--at least wherever           
refinement and feeling have been        
exercised at all4    ,lost in the       
contemplation of palaces we have        
forgotten to look about  us for a chair1
 wrote ,mr4 ,charles ,l4 ,eastlake in an

 article which  appeared in ,the        
,cornhill ,magazine some time in the    
sixties1 or  early seventies4 ,the same 
writer 7afterwards ,keeper of the       
,national  ,gallery7 brought out ,hints 
on ,household ,taste shortly afterwards1
  and he1 too1 was on the side of the   
angels of sense and fitness in  these   
things4 ,the chair at any rate was now  
discovered1 if only a  rush-bottomed    
one4    ,nowadays it might perhaps be   
said that the chair gets more           
contemplation and attention than the    
palace1 as since then the  influence of 
our old ,english eighteenth-century     
furniture designers  has been restored1 
and ,chippendale1 ,sheraton1 and        
,hepplewhite  are again held in honour  
in our interiors1 and to judge from the 
innumerable specimens offered in their  
name by our furniture dealers  the      
industry of these famous designers must 
have been prodigious6    ,the first     
practical steps towards actually        
producing things combining  use and     

beauty and thus enabling people so      
minded to deck their homes  after the   
older and simpler ,english manner was   
taken by ,william  ,morris and his      
associates1 who founded the house in    
,queen ,square  afore-mentioned4        
,appealing at first only to a limited   
circle of  friends mostly engaged in the
 arts1 the new ideas began to get       
abroad1  the new designs were eagerly   
seized upon4 ,morris and ,company had to
  extend their operations1 and soon no  
home with any claim to decorative  charm
 was felt to be complete without its    
vine and fig-tree so to  speak--from    
,queen ,square2 and before long a       
typical ,morris room was  given to the  
,british ,public to dine in at the      
,south ,kensington 7now  the ,victoria  
and ,albert7 ,museum4    ,the great     
advantage and charm of the ,morrisian   
method is that it lends  itself to      
either simplicity or to splendour4 ,you 
might be almost  plain enough to please 
,thoreau1 with a rush-bottomed chair1   

piece of  matting1 and oaken            
trestle-table2 or you might have gold   
and lustre  7the choice ware of ,william
 de ,morgan7 gleaming from the          
sideboard1  and jewelled light in your  
windows1 and walls hung with rich arras 
tapestry4    ,of course1 a host of      
imitators appeared1 and manufacturers   
and  upholsterers were quick to adapt   
the more superficial characteristics1   
watering down the character a good deal 
for the average taste--that  is1 the    
timid taste of the person who has not   
made up his mind1 which  may be         
described as the                        
wonder-what-so-and-so-will-think-of-it  
state--but its effects upon the older   
ideas of house decoration were          
definite4 ,plain painting displaced     
graining and marbling1 frankly  but     
freely conventionalized patterns routed 
the imitative and nosegay  kinds4       
,leaded and stained glass filled the    
places which were wont to  be filled    
with the blank despair of ground glass4 

,the white  marble mantelpiece turned   
pale before rich hangings and deep-toned
  wall-papers1 and was dismantled and   
sent to the churchyard4    ,these were  
some of the most marked effects of the  
adoption of the new1  or a return to    
older and sounder ideas in domestic     
decoration4    ,the quiet influence of  
the superb collections at the ,victoria 
and  ,albert ,museum1 and the           
opportunities of study1 open to all1 of 
the  most beautiful specimens of        
mediaeval1 renascence1 and oriental     
design  and craftsmanship of all kinds  
must not be forgotten--an influence     
which cannot be rated as of too much    
importance and value1 and which  has    
been probably of more far-reaching      
influence in its effect on  designers   
and craftsman than the more direct      
efforts of the ,art  ,department to     
reach them through its school system4   
,by means of this1  as is well known1 it
 was sought to improve the taste and    
culture of  artisans by putting within  

their reach courses of study and        
exercises  in drawing and design1 the   
results of which1 it was hoped1 carried 
back into the practice of their various 
trades and handicrafts1 would  make them
 better craftsmen because better        
draughtsmen4 ,now1 if we were  to ask   
why on the whole the system has not been
 so fruitful of result  in this         
direction we should find ourselves      
plunged at once into the  deep waters of
 economic conditions1 of the relations  
of employer and  employed1 of hours1 of 
wages1 of commercial competition1 trade 
unions1  and1 in fact1 should bring the 
whole ,labour question about our ears4  
,of course the whole scheme of the      
schools of design was based upon the    
idea of improvement downwards1 and like 
many modern improvements1  or reforms1  
its contrivers sought to make the tree  
of art flourish and  put forth new      
leaves without attending to the         
nourishment of the roots  or touching   
the soil4 ,but the drawing-board and the

 workshop-bench  are after all two very 
different things1 and it is by no means 
certain  that proficiency at one would  
necessarily produce a corresponding     
improvement at the other1 except indeed1
 it be on the principle that  if a man  
acquires one language it will be easier 
for him to learn  others4 ,but at this  
point another consideration comes in4   
,you get your  student seated at his    
drawing-board1 you set him to represent 
at the  point of his pencil or chalk    
certain objects1 casts1 for instance1   
and  encourage him to portray their     
appearance with all relief of light  and
 shade1 dwelling solely on the necessity
 of his attaining a certain  degree of  
purely pictorial skill1 which in itself 
is really of no  practical use to a     
designer of ornament intended to be     
worked out in  some other material such 
as a textile1 wood1 or metal4 ,in fact1 
the  development of pictorial skill has 
a strong tendency to lead the  student  
to devote himself entirely to pictorial 

work1 and hitherto  there have been     
plenty of other inducements1 such as the
 chance of  larger monetary reward and  
social position4 ,if he is not          
ultimately  drawn into the already      
overcrowded ranks of the picture        
producers1 he  is too likely to carry   
back into his own particular craft a    
certain  love of pictorial treatment and
 effect which may really be injurious   
to his sense of fitness in adapting     
design and material4 ,this indeed  is   
what evidently has happened as the      
result of much so-called  art-education1
 and we are only now slowly awakening to
 the conception  that art is not        
necessarily the painting of pictures1   
but that the  most refined artistic     
feeling may be put into every work of   
man's  hand1 and that each after its    
kind gives more delight and becomes more
  and more beautiful in proportion as it
 follows the laws of its own            
existence--when a design is in perfect  
harmony with its material1 and  one does

 not feel one would want it reproduced  
in any other way4    ,it is next to     
impossible to get this unity of design  
and material  unless the craftsman      
fashions the thing he designs1 or unless
 the  designer thoroughly understands   
the conditions and allows them to       
determine the character of his design1  
which he can hardly do  unless he is in 
close and constant touch with the       
craftsman4 ,now  the industrial         
conditions under which the great mass of
 things are  produced1 which have       
gradually been developed in the         
interests of  trade rather than of art  
have tended to separate the designer    
and craftsman more and more and to      
subdivide their functions4 ,our         
enterprising manufacturers are quick    
enough to adopt or adapt an idea1  and  
some will pay liberally for it1 but they
 do not always realize  that it does not
 follow because one good thing is       
produced in a  limited quantity that    
therefore it must be much better if a   

cheap  imitation of it can be produced  
by the thousand--but then we no longer  
produce for use but for profit4 ,demand 
and supply--thou shalt  have no other   
gods but these1 says the trader in      
effect2 although the  demand in these   
days may be as artificial as the supply4
    ,the ,nemesis of trade pursues the  
invention of the artist1 as the         
steamers on the river on boat-race day  
pursue1 almost as if they would  run    
down1 the slender craft of the oarsmen  
straining every nerve for  victory4 ,it 
is a suggestive spectacle4 ,someone's   
brain and hand must  set to work--must  
give the initiative before the          
steam-engine can be  set going4 ,but how
 many brains and hands1 nay lives1 has  
it devoured  since our industrial epoch 
began8    ,up to about #ahhj artists    
working independently in decoration were
  few and far between1 mostly isolated  
units1 and their work was often         
absorbed by various manufacturing firms4
 ,about that time1 in response  to a    

feeling for more fellowship and         
opportunity for interchange of  ideas on
 the various branches of their own      
craft1 a few workers in  decorative     
design were gathered together under the 
roof of the late  ,mr4 ,lewis ,f4 ,day  
on a certain ,january evening known as  
hurricane  ,tuesday and a small society 
was formed for the discussion of various
  problems in decorative design and     
kindred topics2 meeting in rotation  at 
the houses or studios of the members4   
,the society had a happy if  obscure    
life for several years1 and was         
ultimately absorbed into a  larger      
society of designers1 architects1 and   
craftsmen called ,the  ,art ,workers'   
,guild1 which met once a month with much
 the same  objects--fellowship and      
interchange of ideas and papers and     
demonstrations in various arts and      
crafts4 ,in fact1 since artists more  or
 less concerned with decoration had     
increased1 owing to the revived         
activity and demand arising for design  

of all kinds1 the feeling grew  stronger
 among men of very different            
proclivities for some common  ground of 
meeting4 ,a desire among artists of     
different crafts to know  something of  
the technicalities of other crafts made 
itself felt1 and  the result has been   
the rapid and continual growth of the   
,guild which  now includes1 beside the  
principal designers in decoration1      
painters1  architects1 sculptors1       
wood-carvers1 metal-workers1 engravers1 
and  representatives of various other   
crafts4    ,a junior ,art ,workers'     
,guild has also been established in     
connection  with the older body1 and    
there are besides two ,societies of     
,designers  in ,london1 while in the    
provinces there is the ,northern ,art   
,workers'  ,guild at ,manchester and    
various local ,arts and ,crafts         
societies all  over the country4    ,we 
have1 of course1 our ,royal ,academy1 or
 as it ought to be called1  ,royal      
,guild of ,painters in ,oil1 always with

 us2 but its use of the  term ,arts     
applies only 7and almost exclusively so7
 to painting1  sculpture1 architecture1 
and engraving1 and while absorbing      
gifted  artists from time to time1 often
 after they have done their best work1  
it has never1 as a body1 shown any wide 
or comprehensive conception  of art1    
although it has done a certain amount of
 educational work1  chiefly through its 
valuable exhibitions of old masters and 
its  lectures and teaching in the       
schools1 which are free1 and where      
famous  artists act as visitors4 ,its   
influence in the main it is to be feared
  has been to encourage an enormous     
overproduction of pictures every  year1 
and to foster in the popular mind the   
impression that there  was no art in    
,england before ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds1 
and none of any  consequence since1     
outside the easel picture4    ,the      
magnificently arranged and deeply       
interesting ,town-planning  ,exhibition1
 held last year in connection with the  

,international  ,congress on that       
subject1 however1 was a new departure   
and most  welcome as an example of what 
might be done by the ,royal ,academy    
under  the influence of wider           
conceptions of art4    ,nevertheless1   
the work of such fine decorative artists
 as ,albert  ,moore1 ,alfred ,gilbert1  
,harry ,bates has been introduced to the
 public  through the ,royal ,academy1   
these two last-named being members2 and 
once upon a time even a picture by ,sir 
,e4 ,burne-,jones appeared there4       
,many gifted artists have strengthened  
the institution since these  passed     
away4 ,the names of ,watts and ,leighton
 will always shed lustre  and           
distinction upon it1 but of course the  
,academy necessarily  depends for its   
continued vitality upon new blood4 ,the 
advantages of  membership are generally 
too strong a temptation to our rising   
artists  to encourage the formation of  
anything like an ,english secession1    
though according to our ,british ideas  

of the wholesomeness of  competition or1
 let us say emulation1 a strong body of 
independent  artists might have a good  
effect all round4    ,i have often      
wondered that no attempt has been made  
by the ,royal  ,academy to give a lead  
in the arrangement and hanging of an    
exhibition4 ,with the fine rooms at     
their disposal it would be possible  to 
make their great annual show of pictures
 far more striking and  attractive by   
some kind of classification or          
sympathetic grouping4  ,the best system1
 of course1 would be to group the works 
of each artist  together4 ,this1        
however1 would take up more wall space  
and lead to  more exclusions than at    
present2 but1 still the plan might be   
tried  of placing all the portraits     
together1 and1 say1 the subject pictures
  according to scale1 and the           
landscapes1 arranging them in separate  
rooms4 ,sculpture and architecture1 and 
water colours and engravings  are       
already given separate rooms1 so that it

 would only be extending a  principle   
already adopted4 ,the effect of the     
whole exhibition would  be much finer1  
,i venture to think1 and also less      
fatiguing1 and there  would probably be 
less chance of pictures being falsified 
or injured  by juxtaposition with       
unsympathetic neighbours4 ,surely some  
advance  is possible on                 
eighteenth-century ideas of hanging1 or 
the old days of  ,somerset ,house8 ,i   
respectfully commend the above          
suggestion to their  consideration4     
,while mentioning names we must not     
forget 7although ,i have hitherto  dwelt
 rather on the ,gothic side of the      
,english revival7 such  distinguished   
designers as the late ,alfred ,stevens  
and his able  followers ,godfrey ,sykes 
and ,moody4 ,these artists drew their   
inspiration largely from the work of the
 ,italian ,renascence1 and it  is a     
testimony to their remarkable           
powers--especially of the               
first-named--that they should have      

achieved such distinction on the  lines 
of so marked a style1 and one which1 as 
it appears to me1 had  already reached  
its maturity in the country of its      
birth1 unlike  ,gothic design1 which    
might almost be said to have been       
arrested in its  development by the     
advent of the ,renascence4    ,another  
influence upon modern decorative art    
cannot be left out  of account1 and that
 is the ,japanese influence4 ,the       
extraordinary  decorative daring1 and   
intimate naturalism2 the frank or       
delicate  colouration1 the freshness1 as
 of newly gathered flowers of many of   
their inventions and combinations3 the  
wonderful vivacity and truth of  the    
designs of such a master as ,hokusai1   
for instance--these and the  whole      
disclosure of the history of their art  
7which1 however1 was  entirely derived  
from and inspired by the still finer art
 of the  ,chinese71 from the early1     
highly wrought1 religious and symbolic  
designs1 up to the vigorous freedom and 

naturalism of the later time1  together 
with their extraordinary precision of   
technique1 inevitably  took the artistic
 world by storm4 ,its immediate effects1
 much as we  may be indebted to such a  
source1 cannot be set down altogether to
  the good so far as we can trace them  
in contemporary ,european art2  but     
perhaps on the whole there is no more   
definitely marked streak of  influence  
than this of the ,japanese4 ,in ,french 
art it was at one time  more palpable   
still4 ,in fact it might almost be said 
to have taken  entire possession of     
,french decorative art1 or a large part 
of it2 or  rather1 it is ,japanese      
translated into ,french with that ease  
and chic  for which our lively          
neighbours are remarkable4    ,whistler1
 by the way1 who must be numbered with  
the decorators1 showed  unmistakably in 
his work the results of a close study of
 ,japanese  art4 ,his methods of        
composition1 his arrangements of tones  
of colour  declare how he had absorbed  

it1 and applied it to different methods 
and subjects1 in fact1 his work shows   
most of the qualities of much  ,japanese
 art1 except precision of drawing1      
although his earlier  etchings have this
 quality4    ,in modern decoration1 the 
most obvious and superficial qualities  
of  ,japanese art have generally been   
seized upon1 and its general effect  has
 been to loosen the restraining and     
architectonic sense of balance  and     
fitness1 and a definite ordered plan of 
construction1 which are  essential in   
the finest types of design4 ,on the     
whole1 the effects  of the discovery of 
,japanese art on the modern artistic    
mind1 may  be likened to a sudden and   
unexpected access of fortune to an      
impoverished man4 ,it is certain to     
disorganize if not demoralize him4  ,the
 sudden contact with a fresh and        
vigorous art1 alive with potent         
tradition1 yet intimate with the subtler
 forms and changes of nature1  and in   
the full possession and mastery of its  

own technique--the  sudden contact of   
such an art with the highly artificial  
and eclectic  art of a complex and      
effete civilization must be more or less
 of the  nature of a shock4 ,shocks are 
said to be good for sound constitutions1
  but their effect on the unsound are as
 likely as not to be fatal4    ,while   
fully acknowledging the brilliancy of   
,japanese art1 however1 one  feels how  
enormously they were indebted to the art
 of ,china1 and the  greater dignity and
 impressiveness of the latter becomes   
more and more  apparent on comparison4  
,both in graphic characterization of    
birds  and animals and flowers and      
splendour of ornament1 the ,chinese both
  preceded and excelled the ,japanese4  
,there were recently some striking      
demonstrations of this at the ,british  
,museum1 when ,mr4 ,laurence ,binyon    
arranged a series of most remarkable    
ancient ,chinese paintings on silk  side
 by side with ,japanese work4    ,the   
opening of the ,grosvenor ,gallery in   

#ahgg1 owing to the enterprise  of ,sir 
,coutts ,lindsay1 was the means of      
bringing the decorative school  in      
,english painting to the front1 and did 
much towards directing  public attention
 in that direction4    ,what was known  
as aestheticism has1 of course1 been    
freely satirized  both by press and     
stage1 which latter1 however1 was not   
slow to  avail itself of some of its    
results in the increased variety and    
picturesqueness of its interior scenes1 
and the charm of delicate  harmonies of 
colour in draperies and costume4 ,the   
movement was seized  upon by the        
commercial instinct1 which always       
hastens to make hay  while the sun      
shines1 and the aesthetic sun shone very
 gaily for  a time1 in the society      
sense4 ,it was somewhat amusing to see  
the  travesties of ideas which had been 
current in artistic circles for  long   
before1 now proclaimed as the new gospel
 of aesthetic salvation4  ,but in spite 
of all the clamour1 fashionable         

extravagance1 and  ridicule1 which      
obscured the real meaning of the        
movement1 so far as  it was a sincere   
search after more beauty in daily life1 
its influence  is just as strong as     
ever1 and is likely to increase with the
 growth  and spread of greater          
refinement1 and the desire for more     
harmonious  social conditions4          
,organizations continued to increase and
 multiply1 having for their  object1 in 
one way or another1 the encouragement of
 the arts and  crafts of design1 and    
whether for good or for evil1 it cannot 
be  denied that their number and        
activity were1 and are1 remarkable signs
  of the times--of an awakening interest
 in decorative art and a general        
impulse towards ornamental expression4  
,it is true in some instances  this     
impulse runs rather wild1 and to some of
 its ruder results we  might even apply 
the words of the poet ,cowper describing
 the gambols  of the kine at high noon3 
,though wild their strange vagaries1 and

 uncouth    ,their efforts1 yet resolved
 with one consent1    ,to give act and  
utt'rance as they may    ,to ecstasy1   
too big to be suppress'd4    ,it would  
be difficult to enumerate all the       
different associations  having for their
 object the teaching1 or the spread of a
 knowledge  or love of decorative art   
and handicraft1 outside the big trade   
organizations and decorating firms1 but 
among those who contributed  from       
various sides to the main stream mention
 may be made of ,the  ,century ,guild1  
identified chiefly with the publication 
of its ,hobby  ,horse1 with its careful 
attention to the printer's art under the
 fine  taste in type and book ornaments 
of ,mr4 ,herbert ,p4 ,horne4 ,the ,home 
,arts and ,industries ,association1     
which has started village classes in    
various handicrafts all over the        
kingdom1 has held annual exhibitions  at
 the ,albert ,hall1 ,the ,royal ,school 
of ,art ,needlework1 now in noble       
premises in ,imperial ,institute ,road1 

,the ,school of ,art ,woodcarving in    
,pelham ,place2 while design on the     
strictly industrial and technical  side 
is cared for by the ,city and ,guilds of
 ,london ,institute under ,sir  ,philip 
,magnus4    ,since these and the ,arts  
and ,crafts ,exhibition ,society were   
established1 the ,london ,county        
,council came into being and founded    
its schools of ,art and ,craft all over 
,london with the assistance of  members 
of that ,society2 it has now become the 
central authority in  technical         
education1 and extends a helping hand   
7with a grant in aid7  to some of the   
schools above named4    ,all these      
institutions1 and many more1 invoke the 
name of art1 and  desire to unite good  
design and workmanship1 and also to find
 a market  for it4 7,some of our large  
decorating firms would claim to have the
  same objects perhaps47 ,their great   
difficulty is how to produce good       
designing ability out of nothing1 as it 
were4 ,all the crafts which  they       

specially address themselves to teach   
and cultivate are1 after  all1 entirely 
dependent for their interest and value  
upon vigour of  design and vital        
expression1 and this cannot suddenly be 
forced into  existence by artificial    
heat4 ,it is a power of slow development
 and  is nourished from all sorts of    
sources1 and is as many sided as life   
itself1 being in fact only another form 
of life4 ,you can lead a horse  to the  
water but you cannot make him drink4    
,you can provide any number  of words   
but you cannot make people think1 and   
the possession  of rhyming dictionaries 
will never make a poet1 neither will the
  possession of tools and a method make 
artists4 ,this is1 of course1  obvious  
enough4 ,at the same time it may fairly 
be urged on the other  side that no one 
can learn to swim without entering the  
water1 and it  is only by repeated      
experiments and years of patient labour 
that we  arrive at good results4        
,genius is always rare1 but efficiency  

is what keeps the world going1  and it  
must be said that admirable work in     
various crafts has been  produced in the
 ,london ,county ,council ,technical    
,schools4 ,their system  of scholarships
 gives opportunities to young people of 
promise to  carry on their studies1 and 
pupils and apprentices in various trades
  are enabled to gain a more complete   
knowledge of their craft and its        
various branches than is possible in any
 ordinary workshop1 as well as  tasteful
 ideas in design generally4    ,in the  
summer of #ahhf the smouldering         
discontent which always exists  among   
artists in regard to the ,royal         
,academy1 although very often  only the 
result of personal disappointment1      
threatened to burst into  something like
 a flame4 ,a letter appeared in the     
leading dailies  proposing the          
establishment of a really ,national     
,exhibition of  the ,arts1 which should 
include not only painting1 sculpture1   
and  architecture1 but also the arts of 

design generally4 ,this letter was      
signed by ,george ,clausen1 ,w4 ,holman 
,hunt1 and the present writer4 ,the     
stronghold of the movement at first was 
among the group of painters1            
distinguished as the ,anglo-,french     
school1 whose headquarters were at      
,chelsea1 and who were the founders of  
the ,new ,english ,art ,club4 ,the  idea
 of such a comprehensive exhibition was 
an exciting one1 and  large and         
enthusiastic meetings of artists were   
held4 ,it was however  discovered before
 long that the mass of the painters     
attracted by the  movement intended no  
more than to press a measure of reform  
on the  ,royal ,academy--to induce them 
to take1 in fact1 a leaf out of the book
  of the ,french ,salon as regards the  
mode of election of the hanging         
committees of each year4    ,the        
decorative designers1 however1          
perceiving their vision of a really     
representative exhibition of            
contemporary works in all the arts      

fading  away1 and the whole force of the
 movement being wasted in the forlorn   
hope of forcing reforms upon the        
,academy1 left the agitators in a  body1
 and proceeded to take counsel together 
as to the best means of  furthering     
their aims1 and the immediate result was
 the founding of  the ,arts and ,crafts 
,exhibition ,society which1 after many  
difficulties  opened its first          
exhibition at the ,new ,gallery in the  
autumn of #ahhh4    ,the members of the 
,society1 who were also most of them    
members of the  ,art ,workers' ,guild   
aforementioned1 were well aware of the  
difficulties  they would have to face in
 the endeavour to realize their aims1   
and carry out their principles4 ,their  
main object1 however1 was to            
demonstrate by means of a representative
 public exhibition the actual  state of 
decorative art in all its kinds as far  
as possible4 ,they  desired to assert   
the claims of the decorative designer   
and craftsman  to the position of       

artist1 and give every one responsible  
in any way  for the artistic character  
of a work full individual credit1 by    
giving  his name in the catalogue1      
whether the work was exhibited by a firm
 or  not4    ,in spite of all drawbacks 
the richness and artistic interest of   
the  ,exhibition was generally          
acknowledged1 and the novelty of the    
idea  attracted the public4    ,an      
exhibition of designs and cartoons for  
decoration had been held by  the        
directors of the ,grosvenor ,gallery in 
#ahha1 but it was limited  to that class
 of work1 so that this ,arts and ,crafts
 ,exhibition may  be said to have been  
really the first which attempted        
anything like a  representative and     
comprehensive display of not only       
designs for work  but the actual work   
itself1 for its artistic and decorative 
quality  alone4 ,it comprised designs   
and cartoons1 modelled work1            
woodcarving1  furniture1 tapestry and   
embroidery and printed cottons1 pottery1

  tiles1 and glass-metal work1          
jewellery1 printed books1 binding1      
calligraphy and illuminations1 and      
undoubtedly included some of the  best  
contemporary work which had been        
produced in ,england up to that  time4  
,the ,exhibition was repeated at the    
same place the following  year1 at the  
same time1 and also the year after4     
,since then1 however1  the exhibitions  
of the ,society have been held          
triennially1 the latest  in ,january    
#aiaj being the ninth4    ,it is obvious
 that exhibitions of this kind involve  
many more  difficulties of organization 
and management than ordinary picture    
shows4 ,the very fact of having to deal 
with such a variety of work as  was     
submitted1 and the conditions under     
which work in decoration  is generally  
done 7making it difficult for the artist
 to retain  possession of his work for  
exhibition purposes7 make the formation 
of  such an exhibition at all no easy   
matter4 ,then there were two open and   

palpable dangers to be encountered4 ,the
 danger of being swamped by a  great    
influx of amateur work1 as it is        
generally understood1 on the  one hand1 
and the danger of merely commercial work
 getting the upper  hand on the other4  
,to keep      ,along the narrow strip of
 herbage strown    ,that just divides   
the desert from the sown    was a       
delicate matter1 and it was easy to     
wander off into the regions  on either  
hand4 ,for in spite of the immense      
activity and industry1  the independent 
artists in design and handicraft were   
but few1 and  although many inventive   
brains and skilled hands might be       
disguised  as ---- and ,company1 they   
had to be discovered2 the bushel had to 
be taken away and the light put upon the
 candlestick of publicity1  and this    
appeared to be a trial to some4 ,it     
might be thought to be  of small        
importance1 this matter of assigning    
artistic authorship or  credit for any  
part of the work1 where it was due2 and 

it may be quite  true that when men have
 reached the point when artistic        
tradition and  social condition both    
favour a fraternal co-operation in      
production1  they can afford to sink the
 individual claim to distinction in the 
collective pride of saying1 ,this is our
 work4 ,but we have  not reached that   
stage yet1 and it seems only common     
fairness1 if  individual and artistic   
responsibility is attached to a work1   
the  credit should go with these1 and be
 assigned in the proper quarter4 ,in    
these days of commercial competition1   
and sculptor's ghosts1 it is  perhaps   
hardly surprising that the assertion of 
such a principle  might produce a little
 consternation1 and also in cases of a  
great  multiplicity of cooks it might   
easily be understood to be embarrassing 
to distribute properly the individual   
responsibility for spoiling the  broth1 
and therefore not wonderful that it     
should in some instances  have been     
shirked altogether4    ,as another      

indication of the way the wind was      
blowing1 an ,association  was formed    
this same year 7#ahhh7 for the          
,advancement of ,art in  ,association   
with ,industry--a somewhat large order4 
,almost everything  and everybody had   
had their congresses and why not ,art8  
,so an ,art  ,congress was arranged to  
take place at ,liverpool in ,december of
  that year4 ,it was properly divided   
into sections for the separate          
discussion of painting1 architecture1   
sculpture1 and decorative or  applied   
art1 as the phrase goes4 ,it may be     
mentioned here that the  ,society of    
,arts had before this formed a special  
committee to arrange  for lectures and  
discussions on ,the ,applied ,arts1 and 
had also  offered prizes to art-workmen 
for excellence in various departments   
of handicraft1 and had held a small     
exhibition of such works in their  rooms
 in the ,adelphi4 ,well1 the ,congress  
at ,liverpool duly met1 and  every one  
having a particular axe to grind brought

 it to the common  grindstone of public 
discussion4 ,it was a fairly            
representative  parliament4 ,the royal  
academician sat down with the socialist2
 the  scientific colour theorist fed    
with the practical decorator2 the       
industrial villager faced the           
manufacturer2 the art critic and the    
painter mingled their tears1 and all    
were led to the pasture by a  gentle    
,fine ,art professor4 ,some home truths 
were spoken and there were  many        
interesting papers and discussions1 but 
whether we were really  nearer solving  
the problem how to bring about the      
marriage of ,art and  ,industry is      
doubtful1 though the ,association had   
another campaign at  ,edinburgh the     
following year and one since at         
,birmingham4 ,association  and          
discussion among people of common       
interests is of course good1 but  ,art  
is a subject by its very nature         
difficult to deal with in words1        
although perhaps more is said about it  

in these days than almost any  other    
subject--and here am ,i still adding to 
the sum6      ,a hair perhaps divides   
the false and true4    ,we have no      
word-symbols for defining those delicate
 shades of  difference so important to  
the artist1 and to be perpetually       
qualifying is fatiguing4 ,it is useful  
to consider art in its relation  to     
life2 to consider how it is affected by 
economic conditions1 to  study its      
history and influence1 and the lives of 
its workers4 ,one can  even proceed a   
certain distance with general           
principles1 but finally  we must get    
down to the solid ground of practice to 
solve its real  problems4    ,all these 
movements may be but fluttering leaves  
in the wind1 but  at least they serve to
 show its direction4 ,the colours of    
spring  sometimes resemble those of     
autumn2 but the former are distinguished
  by a certain daintiness and delicacy3 
a soft bloom of silver and  russet comes
 over the woods before the cloud-like   

green drapes them  for the coming       
summer4 ,when we see delicate and       
harmonious dyes and  patterns in the    
fabrics of the windows of commerce1 when
 we see dainty  gowns in the street1    
expressing the fair forms of their      
wearers with  the grace of flowers2 when
 we see a certain sense of relation and 
harmony of tint in the most ordinary    
arrangements of paint and paper  in the 
interiors of our houses3 when our chairs
 and couches not  unfrequently show     
lines of good breeding2 when we find    
books on the  table which have been     
considered by their printers and        
designers  as works of art as well as of
 literature1 and thus give a double     
pleasure1 since they satisfy more than  
one of the senses--well1 we  begin to   
think that something has happened to us2
 some new spirit has  breathed upon the 
land1 that such refinements should be   
possible to  the moderate citizen1      
remembering that such things but a few  
years ago  could not be had for love or 

money4 ,we might still be happy were it 
not for the whirlwind of trade1 and the 
whirligig of fashion which  occasionally
 seem to coquette with art1 as a child  
plays with a toy1  but soon turn away to
 continue their mad chase after a       
supposititious  novelty4 ,happily they  
leave some quiet corners unswept1 as    
they  have always done1 or we could     
never have known what the homes of our  
ancestors were like4 ,but how many still
 does ,england hold of those  delightful
 places full of the pathos of old time1 
where each dumb  thing of wood or iron1 
or copper1 each fragment of faded       
tapestry  seems to have the speech of   
romance4      ,full of sweet dreams1 and
 health1 and quiet breathing4    ,when  
the utilitarian would destroy such      
relics for the sake of modern           
improvements we do not realize what     
priceless things we lose4 ,we can  only 
realize it when we live for a time in   
country or city without  antiquity of   
any sort4 ,here in ,england there are   

still many places  where one might have 
the suggestion that we moderns were like
 children  playing with new toys in     
front of a rich tapestried background   
full of  great deeds and romances4 ,in  
,america the idea could not occur1 and  
the  absence of such suggestion is no   
doubt much felt by the more cultured    
and thoughtful1 especially after        
visiting ,europe4 ,it may partly        
account1 too1 for the more fantastic    
character in the architecture of  some  
of their recent country dwellings1 which
 are full of nooks and  corners and odd 
gables and stairways1 as if their       
designer wished to  make up by his      
invention for the absence of old time   
sentiment4    ,some of us appear to be  
trying to turn ,england into another    
,america--for ever scheming railways    
where they are not wanted1 cutting  down
 trees1 and clearing away old dwelling  
places1 and insulting even  the green   
fields with advertisements4 ,anything   
that interferes with  extra percentages 

is as dust in the balance to such4      
,in the destruction of beauty of any    
kind1 however1 is involved the          
destruction of the faculty of its       
perception and appreciation4 ,the       
artistic capacity and sense of beauty   
must be fed by the contemplation  of    
beauty or both will in time perish4 ,we 
cannot really satisfy one  of the senses
 unless we satisfy them all4 ,it is     
often said1 you must  sacrifice this or 
that to comfort and convenience2 but it 
is quite  possible to have every        
so-called comfort and convenience1 and  
yet to  be anything but happy or        
comfortable--especially if the comfort  
of the  eye is forgotten4 ,unless the   
utilitarian succeeds in eliminating the 
sense of beauty and art altogether1 the 
natural man will still revolt  against  
the tyranny of mechanical and artificial
 conditions4 ,such  revolts make epochs1
 and when the human mind is deeply      
stirred it is  sure sooner or later to  
find expression in some revival1 or new 

form  of art4    ,a great intellectual  
revolution has taken place in the last  
half  century3 a great social and       
industrial revolution is preparing1 or  
even now progressing4 ,whether art will 
again be able to sum up  and express    
adequately in monumental form the new   
life and its  aspirations1 as it        
expressed the heart of ancient life in  
,greece and  mediaeval ,europe1 must    
depend upon its power of appeal1 and    
this again  must depend upon the        
sensitiveness to form and colour on the 
part  of the people4 ,in ,england the   
domestic sentiment is so strong that    
enthusiasm for large public works is    
rare1 and opportunities for  sculptor or
 painter to express anything like the   
generic thought  of their time1 or to   
touch the pride or hopes of the nation  
rarer  still4#d ,the art that is capable
 of illustrating this spirit is what  is
 called decorative art3 but the art     
which can cover large mural  spaces with
 a peoples' history and legend in noble 

and typical forms1  the art which can   
lift our souls with large thoughts1 or  
enchant them  with a sense of mystery   
and romance1 can also be a familiar     
friend  at our firesides1 and touch each
 common thing of every day use with     
beauty1 weaving its golden threads into 
the joys and sorrows of common  life1   
and making happy both young and old4    
,footnote #d3 ,it is true we have our   
frescoes of ,english      history at the
 ,houses of ,parliament1 but they cannot
 be said1      with the exception of the
 work of ,mr4 ,g4 ,f4 ,watts1 to have   
been conceived in an epic spirit1 but   
are rather anecdotic or      incidental4
 ,though the new pictures for the ,house
 of ,lords      by some of our ablest   
men of the younger school1 such as      
,mr4 ,payne and ,mr4 ,cadogan ,cowper1  
show much finer mural and               
decorative feeling4          ,,the      
,,socialist ,,ideal ,,as ,a ,,new       
,,inspiration ,,in ,,art                
,illustration          ,,the ,,socialist

 ,,ideal ,,as ,a ,,new ,,inspiration    
,,in ,,art      ,art as the commentator 
or the recorder of human life1          
reflecting not  only its physical       
aspects but its mental attitude1 must   
necessarily be  influenced by every     
change which modifies the course and    
character of  that life4 ,it is the     
sensitive plate in the camera of the    
mind of the  age which receives every   
image1 every shadow which passes before 
the  lens of its vision1 and1 over and  
above the fleeting shows of the  hour1  
registers the prevailing sentiment of   
its period4    ,in proof of this we have
 only to look around us and see how     
intimately  the life and spirit of our  
own times are represented in the art of 
the  day1 more especially pictorial art4
    ,in any of our large annual popular 
mixed picture shows we may see the      
effects of the modern commercial        
principle of individual competition4    
,pictures of the utmost diversity of    
subject and treatment are crowded       

together1 clamorous for attention1 often
 injured by the juxtaposition  of       
unsympathetic neighbours1 the principal 
quality telling in such  a conflict     
being force4 ,certain dominant1 or      
privileged1 individuals  hold front     
places1 but even the marked individual  
style of some  leading painters is apt  
to be discounted by numerous more or    
less  successful imitations4            
,painters are said to be extreme        
individualists as a rule1 and while1  no
 doubt1 the economic conditions of the  
day tend to encourage this1  and to make
 painting more and more a matter of     
personal expression or  impression1 yet1
 ,i think1 the individuality of modern  
artists is more  apparent than real1 and
 that it would not be difficult to      
classify  them in types1 or to trace the
 main influences in their work to some  
well-known artistic source either in the
 present or the past1 or both4  ,this1  
however1 would be in no way to their    
discredit1 but it shows how  art1 even  

in its most individualistic forms1 is   
essentially a social  product1 and that 
each artist benefits enormously by the  
work of his  contemporaries and his     
predecessors4    ,our mixed picture     
exhibition also discloses another       
prominent  characteristic of our        
time--the domination of money1 and the  
influence  of the possessing classes and
 material wealth4 ,this appears in the  
preponderance of portraits and the      
comparative absence of imaginative      
works4    ,we may see the monarch and   
the political1 financial1 or commercial 
magnate in all their glory2 generals and
 admirals1 slayers and  destroyers1 in  
scarlet and blue and gold2 the          
fashionable dame in  purple and fine    
linen2 the motorist in his career2      
national pride  or imperialism is       
appealed to by pictures of battle and   
triumph over  inferior races2 and sports
 and pastimes1 especially those         
involving  the pursuit and death of     
birds and animals4    ,nor is the       

reverse of the medal unrepresented1 for 
we may see side by  side with brilliant 
ballroom scenes and banquets in marble  
halls1 as  a picturesque contrast or    
foil perhaps1 various aspects of poverty
  and rags1 sometimes sincere1 sometimes
 sentimental1 and occasionally  flashes 
of insight reveal the pathos of the     
toiler's lot in the field1  the factory1
 or on the treacherous ocean4    ,the   
genuine modern love of wild nature and  
landscape1 and the roaming  spirit of   
travel is generally catered for by our  
painters2 in  these directions1 perhaps1
 may be detected the suppressed sigh of 
super-civilized man for primitive       
freedom and natural conditions of  life1
 or1      ,the devotion to something    
afar    ,from the sphere of our sorrow4 
,with such mixed elements we may find   
some false sentiment1 and  also         
sensationalism1 not infrequently        
connected with ,christian               
sentimentality1 and amid a fair         
allowance of military exploits1 and     

flag-waving imperialism1 there may be a 
few well-staged masquerades  of past    
history1 some grim and stark realism1   
perhaps1 or gloomy  pictorial pessimism1
 and for the rest1 decorative or amatory
 posings1  painted anecdotes and        
domesticities1 flowers1 babies1 and     
bric--brac4    ,thus1 in pictorial form1
 with more or less completeness1 the    
mixed  drama of our age is presented1   
its very discords even1 and the absence 
of any prevailing idea or unity of      
sentiment 7except bourgeois7 and        
artistic aim is characteristic1 as the  
pictures jostle one another in  a       
competitive crowd1 each struggling for a
 share of attention4    ,painters of the
 ,latin and the ,teutonic races are more
 dramatic1 and  also more daring in     
their conceptions1 and often appear to  
strip the  mask 7or the fig-leaf7 from  
objects and subjects which the more     
timid  or prudish ,anglo-,saxon would   
discreetly veil4 ,grim pictures of the  
industrial war not unfrequently appear  

in ,italian and ,french salons1  and in 
that of the ,socit ,nationale des       
,beaux-,arts ,i have seen large  and    
lurid canvases depicting strikers on the
 march with a background  of factory    
chimneys looming through the smoke4     
,apart from their  economic and         
historical significance1 however1 such  
subjects may  fall in with a certain    
mood of gloom and pessimism which1 in   
violent  reaction from superficial grace
 and beauty1 and classical tradition1   
manifests itself in some quarters4 ,now 
and again a new sensation is  made by   
some eccentric genius1 as it were1      
dragging a weird aesthetic  red herring 
across the fashionable artistic scent1  
and diverting  attention to side tracks 
in artistic development1 often mixed    
with  morbidity1 or1 as a change from   
the pursuit of superficial and          
ephemeral types of beauty1 debased and  
revolting types and loathly  subjects   
are drawn under the pictorial limelight 
and analysed4    ,so1 in the pictorial  

world1 the economic system under which  
we live  makes itself felt by           
encouraging each artist to fight for his
 own  hand1 and to become a specialist  
of one sort or another1 unless he can   
live by exploiting some other artist's  
discovery and method4    ,few1 probably1
 among artists are fully conscious of   
this compulsion1  or1 at least1 of its  
cause1 and but few trouble themselves   
about the  economic system1 but mostly1 
though not without social sympathies1   
take the risks1 as individuals1 of      
swimming or sinking1 with the off       
chance of fortune and fame1 as in the   
necessary order 7or disorder7 of        
things4    ,yet the economic position of
 the modern artist can hardly be        
considered as at all satisfactory1      
dependent as he is mainly upon  the     
caprice of the rich1 or the control of  
the dealer1 and upon  the surplus value 
and unearned increment it may be in the 
power of  individuals to spend upon art4
    ,painting1 however1 though the most 

individual1 popular1 vivid1 and         
intimate of the arts1 is not the only   
art1 and the arts1 like  humanity1 do   
not flourish under ,imperial rule4 ,they
 are a brotherhood  or a sisterhood     
7they are traditionally represented as  
the latter7  though1 in neither case are
 they necessarily celibate2 on the      
contrary1 for it is by the union of art 
with a human character and  personality 
that living offspring are produced4     
,from the point of view of the          
necessities of the community 7and       
amongst these necessities ,i would      
certainly count beauty of  environment7 
the constructive arts come first in     
order4    ,man needs shelter and        
security1 and therefore architecture and
 the  craft of building take the first  
place1 since without roof and walls  it 
would be difficult to enjoy the other   
arts which minister to our  comfort1    
refinement1 and pleasure 7nor would it  
be hardly possible  for many of them to 
exist7 unless we could satisfy our      

aesthetic  predilections by textiles and
 a tent1 or by painting or chiselling   
the  walls of a cave4    ,now           
architecture or the art of building is  
essentially a co-operative  art4 ,the   
planning and general scheme of the      
design of a building may  indeed emanate
 from one mind1 but its realization     
needs an army of  skilled artificers and
 artists--stonemasons1 carvers1         
carpenters1  smiths1 tilers and         
plasterers1 and a host of labourers     
working  harmoniously together4 ,and    
yet1 in order to make the building      
really  expressive--a work of art1 in   
short--something more than training  and
 manual skill1 something above learned  
tradition1 and beyond even  organized   
co-operative labour is wanted4    ,what1
 then1 is this something--this unknown  
quantity or quality8    ,what makes the 
great difference between ancient and    
modern  architecture1 we might ask1 for 
it is in the answer to this question    
that we find the answer to our first8   

,unity of sentiment--the inspiration of 
a great ideal1 this it was  which       
enabled the artists and craftsmen of    
past great periods in art  to work in   
harmony on great public monuments1 but  
without losing their  character or      
individuality1 as the different parts of
 the work might  be full of invention   
and variety1 and yet conduce to a       
harmonious  whole1 as in a ,gothic      
cathedral4    ,mr4 ,halsey ,ricardo1 in 
an interesting address recently given to
 the  ,architectural ,association of    
,london1 aptly described the            
architecture  of ,ancient ,egypt as     
priest's architecture2 that of ,ancient 
,assyria  as the architecture of kings2 
the architecture of ,greece he          
considered as sculptor's architecture1  
and that of the revived  classicism of  
the ,renascence as the architecture of  
scholars4 ,well1  these have all had    
their day4 ,the turn of the people must 
come1 and  in the architecture of the   
future1 under the inspiration of the    

great ,socialist ,ideal we may realize  
what may be described as the            
architecture of humanity4    ,and1      
looking to the probable requirements of 
a co-operative  commonwealth1 this hope 
seems to be well founded in view of the 
likelihood of the construction of       
collective dwellings 7already  projected
 in the garden city7 of noble public    
halls and schools4    ,the unifying     
effect of a great ,ideal1 a ,hope1 a    
,faith1 is obviously  wanting generally 
in modern architecture1 wherein the     
influence most  paramount is too often  
the limits of the builders' contract4   
,the golden image 7which yet is never1  
like ,nebuchadnezzar's1 actually  set   
up7 is the real god bowed down to1      
whosesoever the image and               
superscription over the porchway1 and so
 modern art is everywhere tied  to the  
purse strings4    ,but the money-bag    
makes a poor device for an escutcheon1  
and is still  less effective as an      
inspirer in art4 ,the standard of the   

man in  possession is market value1 and 
art under capitalism has become  mostly 
a kind of personal and often portable   
property1 and as much a  matter for     
speculative investment as stocks and    
shares4    ,as money cannot write       
history or ancestry1 every portable bit 
of  antiquity is now in danger of being 
bought up by dealers for the use  of    
millionaires1 and we shall soon have no 
visible history but in our  museums4    
,but1 above the din of the market and   
the confusion of political  tongues1 a  
clarion call is heard1 and through the  
darkness breaks a  new dawn4    ,the    
,socialist ,ideal comes1 scattering the 
clouds of pessimism and  decadence which
 have lain heavily on the spirit of     
modern art4    ,artists have already    
been touched by the stress and stir of  
the  struggle of ,labour and the pathos 
of the life of the toiler1 who1 as  a   
patient ,atlas1 sustains the earthy     
heaven of wealth and luxury4 ,in        
contact with the earth again1 and in    

sympathy with the life of the  people1  
many painters have found inspiration4   
,one of the greatest of modern          
sculptors--,meunier1 the ,belgian 7alas6
  now no more7 was himself a ,socialist1
 and devoted himself to the study  and  
realization of types of heroic          
labour--the labour that takes its  life 
in its hand in every ordinary day's     
work--at the furnace mouth  or in the   
coal mine4 ,a group of his figures and  
reliefs forms a noble  epic in bronze of
 the modern toiler4    ,franois ,millet 
may be said to have painted the epic of 
the ,french  agricultural labourer1     
though not1 apparently1 from any        
conscious  or revolutionary point of    
view1 but rather as a sympathetic       
observer  recording its pathos4    ,much
 in the same spirit ,joseph ,israels in 
,holland1 and ,liebermann in  ,germany1 
have painted aspects of the worker's    
life4    ,many of our island painters   
from a similar standpoint have painted  
the ,english workers--such as ,george   

,clausen1 ,h4 ,h4 ,la ,thangue1 ,frank  
,brangwyn1 ,stanhope ,forbes1 ,h4 ,s4   
,tuke1 ,prof4 ,frederick ,brown1 the    
late  ,charles ,furse1 and the late ,f4 
,madox ,brown--and shown us the toilers 
of the sea and land1 and the nameless   
heroes of the life-boat1 and the        
tragedies of the fishing village4       
,the aspects of labour under modern     
conditions1 indeed1 have a  deep        
significance1 more1 perhaps1 than the   
artist or the labourer1  unconscious of 
,socialism1 is probably aware of4    ,to
 the artist it is always invigorating to
 get down to the roots of  life1 and    
draw fresh inspiration from the simple  
life of simple people  meeting nature   
face to face every day of their lives4  
,the representation of types and aspects
 of modern labour1 however1  may or may 
not always be an indication of the      
effect of ,socialist  sympathies or the 
inspiration of the ,socialist ,ideal1   
and in any case  it only exhibits one   
phase of such sympathy4 ,but the        

,socialist ideal  has undoubtedly had a 
great influence in another direction1   
namely1  in what are generally known as 
the ,arts and ,crafts2 and it is not a  
little remarkable that the modern       
revival in ,design and ,handicraft may  
claim manufacturing and individualistic 
,england as its birthplace4    ,this    
fact has been freely and generously     
acknowledged by our  ,continental       
brethren4    ,the perception of the     
essentially social character of the arts
 that  minister to daily life1 and the  
dependence of ,design and ,handicraft   
upon effective and sympathetic          
co-operation among groups of workers    
have drawn craftsmen together1 and has  
led in some sort to a revival  of       
guilds4 ,some of these guilds1 like the 
,art ,workers' ,guild 7founded  as long 
ago as #ahhd7 are for discussion of a   
demonstration in the  various artistic  
handicrafts1 and for mutual information 
and help4    ,the influence of such     
guilds in the revival of many beautiful 

crafts  on sound lines1 and1 above all1 
in imbuing artists of different crafts  
with a sense of the unity of art can    
hardly be overestimated4    ,other      
guilds1 groups of workers1 and          
industrial associations have  been      
formed in many parts of the country for 
the practice of the  handicrafts1       
influenced by the teaching of ,john     
,ruskin and ,william  ,morris4 ,others1 
again1 are hardly more than commercial  
enterprises1  but all endeavour to meet 
in one way or another the increasing    
public  interest in hand-work4    ,this 
,english movement of the last           
twenty-five or thirty years or so is    
usually traced to the workshop of       
,william ,morris1 who1 with a group of  
distinguished artists1 represented the  
advanced school in ,english art  at that
 time1 founded the firm which still     
bears his name some time in  the        
sixties1 mainly1 at first1 to supply    
artists and people of refined  taste    
with simple furniture and domestic      

decoration that they could  live with4  
,morris1 who became so conspicuous an   
instance later1 of the influence  of the
 ,socialist ,ideal1 was not then a      
conscious ,socialist1 though  he was    
from the first in constant protest      
against the false taste and             
pretentiousness of modern decorative    
art1 which had sunk to a very           
commercial and common-place level under 
mid-nineteenth century  industrial      
conditions1 controlled by division of   
labour and the  machine4    ,the fact   
that he was a poet and a man of letters 
as well as an  artist gave additional   
force to his revolution in ,english     
taste1  and increased his influence very
 much1 while his own position as  an    
employer1 and man of business brought   
him face to face with the  conditions of
 labour and modern industry4 ,although  
in his own work and  the work he        
controlled he was highly successful1 and
 by the vigour and  beauty of his       
designs1 under mediaeval influence1     

especially in woven  stuffs and wall    
coverings1 he quite turned the tide of  
taste1 he  abandoned hope that there    
could be any real or lasting improvement
 in  the arts under the existing        
economic and social conditions1 and he  
did  not seem to share in the belief    
which has animated some of his friends  
and followers1 that the ,arts and       
,crafts movement itself would prove  a  
means of revolutionizing methods of     
production and carrying on an  effective
 propaganda for ,socialism4    ,the next
 step forward was made by the ,arts and 
,crafts ,exhibition  ,society which was 
founded in #ahhh by a group of artists  
which included  architects1 painters1   
sculptors1 as well as designers and     
craftsmen of  different kinds4    ,the  
society arose from the ruins of a sort  
of secessionist movement  of painters   
against the ,royal ,academy and its     
narrow views of art and  exclusiveness4 
,among its members were men of very     
different ideas1  but with these were   

several fully convinced and conscious   
,socialists1  strongly imbued with      
,morris's ideals1 though ,morris himself
 did not at  first join us1 the present 
writer being elected as first president 
and serving in that office for the first
 three years of the society's           
existence1 when ,morris was elected to  
the chair and served till his  death in 
#ahif4    ,our main and ostensible      
purpose was to advance the state of the 
decorative arts by uniting design and   
handicraft1 and by acknowledging  the   
share and artistic responsibility of the
 individual workmen  who co-operated in 
the production of a work of art1 also to
 give  opportunities to designers and   
craftsmen to exhibit their work and     
appeal directly to the public1 and by   
holding selected exhibitions  of design 
and handicraft from time to time to     
maintain a standard of  taste and       
workmanship which hitherto there had    
been no means of doing4    ,courses of  
lectures on the arts by members of the  

society accompanied  our earlier        
exhibitions1 and these have since been  
published1 and by  such means our       
propaganda was greatly extended4    ,if 
we cannot claim to have solved the      
,labour question1 which1 of  course1    
nothing short of a ,socialist system can
 do1 we have asserted  the claims of    
decorative and industrial art and of the
 craftsman1 and  we have enabled a body 
of artistic craftsmen to appeal direct  
to the  public1 while many of our       
members through teaching bodies1 such as
  the ,board of ,education and the      
,county ,councils have been the means   
of inculcating sound traditions of      
workmanship among large numbers of      
young students and apprentices from     
various trades who go to study in  the  
evening schools1 and so carry back into 
their ordinary work fresh  ideas and    
enhanced skill and taste4    ,the       
influence of the ,arts and ,crafts      
movement has certainly been  socialistic
 in increasing the respect for          

workmanship1 and in  awakening the sense
 of the public to the need of humane and
 healthful  conditions for the workers1 
over and above the inculcation of the   
desire for beauty in common things1 and 
harmonious surroundings of a  refined if
 simple life4    ,its quiet methods     
still serve indirectly the propaganda of
 the  ,socialist ,ideal4    ,only       
recently1 for instance1 an exhibition   
was organized in ,london of  the work of
 various ,guilds of ,handicraft1 by a   
lady on the staff of  a well-known      
,socialist weekly journal1 which        
demonstrated on the one  hand the joy in
 art and handicraft under happy and fair
 conditions for  the worker1 and on the 
other showed the conditions of sweated  
labour  by living examples working at   
their miserably paid trades4    ,a river
 gathers volume by the contributions of 
the small streams which  flow into it1  
and so with the great movement of       
,socialism1 which1  comprehending as it 
does1 the whole range of human effort   

and  aspiration1 is continually widening
 and increasing in depth and force1  not
 only by the direct action of its       
leaders1 and the support of its         
conscious followers1 but in many        
indirect ways4 ,the sum of which it     
would be difficult to estimate though   
every influence counts1 and even  the   
very opposition of enemies often has the
 contrary effect to  that intended by   
them1 and not only so1 but as we may    
observe in the  political arena these   
are sometimes driven to defend their    
position  by borrowing palliative       
weapons from the armoury of those they  
profess  bitterly to oppose4    ,the    
forms which art will take when          
,socialism is actually established  will
 probably be very different from those  
which herald its advent4  ,the          
consideration of such a large subject   
involves much speculation1  but from the
 analogy of the inspiring influence of  
the ancient  religions which have held  
sway over mankind1 and which1           

controlling  the whole of human life1   
focussed the most beautiful art upon its
  mysteries and beatitudes1 and drew    
both the senses and the intellect  of   
man into their service1 we cannot but   
believe that the feeling  of the        
solidarity of humanity1 and all that it 
implies1 which would  dominate all      
social thought and conduct in a         
collective socialized  community1 would 
become a religion1 when its full        
significance and its  bearing on every  
department of life was fully realized2  
but a religion  free from the shadow of 
degrading superstitions1 and from the   
taint of  asceticism1 and under which   
there would be no shirking of either the
  work or the enjoyment of the earth--a 
religion whose highest sanction  would  
be human happiness1 and in which its    
votaries would discover  not only a     
sound rule of conduct for every-day     
life1 but an inspiring  ideal to lead   
the spirit ever onwards4    ,human      
history would acquire a new significance

 in the mind of the poet  and the       
artist1 as they beheld1 in the long     
course of evolution1 the  race in a vast
 procession emerging from the mists of  
primaeval time2  from its early         
struggles with wild nature2 from the    
gens and the  tribal state1 finding     
safety in primitive communism1 and in   
that state  beholding the invention of  
the essential fundamental necessities   
and  appliances1 such as the spade1 the 
plough1 and the wheel1 the spinning  and
 weaving of cloth1 pottery1 and the     
birth of song and art4    ,from the     
tragic vicissitudes of history1 of      
race-conflict1 of conquest  and         
domination of warlike tribes and the    
institution of slavery1 the  foundation 
and influence of the great ancient      
states and empires1  and their          
inevitable decay and fall1 and the new  
order springing from  their ruins2 the  
tragic tale of wars and pestilence and  
famine1 of  flood and of fire and of    
earthquake1 and yet onward still through

 all  these perils and disasters we may 
see humanity marching beneath the       
banner of social justice to fulfil its  
destiny2 the hero spirits still  passing
 the torch of enlightenment and freedom 
from hand to hand1 and  as one sinks    
into the silence another advances       
towards the full flush  of the new      
morning4    ,transfigured in that new   
light may we not see a recreated earth1 
and  her children set free from the     
bondage of gold whether of spirit or  of
 body--the race of man entering into its
 inheritance at last1 having  triumphed 
over the worst and most insidious of all
 the despotisms that  have ever         
dominated the earth--,capitalism4       
,then under the collective control of   
the means of existence1 when  none shall
 be crippled or stunted by want1 or     
degraded by forced or  unhealthy labour1
 what a different thing life will mean  
to the people4  ,the cloud of care and  
anxiety to secure a bare subsistence    
which  now darkens the spirit of        

millions shall be lifted1 as well as its
  inverted reflection in the            
parsimonious spirit of some who have    
never  known want1 and all the sordid   
ingenuity1 toil1 scheming1 craft1 and   
trouble to win a lucky throw in the     
commercial speculative gamble will  pass
 away1 and we may begin to live4    ,the
 whole noxious and squalid brood of     
vices and crimes connected with  the    
individual possession of riches1 or the 
desire for them1 or  the want of them1  
being swept away1 we may begin to       
understand the  possibilities of life   
upon this earth1 in so far as they may  
be in the  collective power of man4     
,with all the resources of science1 and 
the  potential glories of art in our    
hands1 with unprecedented control  over 
the forces of nature1 and in full       
knowledge of the essentials  of health1 
these being all dedicated to the service
 of the whole  community1 who would thus
 be in possession of the elements and   
materials for a full and happy human    

life1 surely we shall find new  and     
abundant inspiration for art1 and       
constant social use and demand  for its 
powers4    ,in depicting the story of   
man1 and the drama of life2 in great    
public  monuments2 in commemoration of  
the past1 in the education of the       
present2 in the adorning of domestic and
 public buildings and  places2 in the   
accompaniments of great festivals1      
processions1 and  celebrations--in such 
directions1 surely1 we shall find the   
widest possible field for the exercise  
of all the capacities of                
art--architecture1 painting1 sculpture  
and the arts of design and  handicraft1 
with music and poesy1 as in the fullness
 of communal  life we shall possess the 
materials for building and maintaining  
fair  cities1 and dwelling places       
surpassing in beauty anything that the  
history of the world has yet recorded1  
since their foundations will  rest upon 
the welfare of the whole people4        
,,on ,,the ,,study ,,and ,,practice ,,of

 ,,art          ,,on ,,the ,,study ,,and
 ,,practice ,,of ,,art      ,various    
views of an artist's life1 and motives  
for following art are  apt to present   
themselves to those on the threshold of 
the vast field  of its study1 but these 
after all may mostly be summed up in one
 of  the two governing reasons1 which   
may be expressed as follows3      #a4   
,the pure love of art4      #b4 ,the    
sake of a livelihood4    7,a third1 for 
pastime1 sometimes comes in1 but may be 
dismissed as  art cannot be studied to  
any purpose except in a serious spirit47
    ,in practice it generally comes     
about that these first two have to be   
reconciled in some way1 and it becomes a
 pressing question sooner or  later as  
to how to do so1 though it is always    
well to remember that  there is no      
natural connection between love and     
money in the arts  and1 indeed1 it would
 be better if all work could be inspired
 by and  done for love4 ,at the same    
time1 under present economic            

arrangements1  the labourer is at least 
worthy of his hire2 and it might also be
  said that when poverty comes in at the
 door art--if not love--is  apt 7though 
not always7 to fly out of the window4   
,the same sequence  sometimes happens   
also with the sudden advent of riches1  
which also  has a way of throwing       
domestic arrangements out of harmony1 so
 that  here1 as in other cases1 extremes
 meet1 and too much may be as bad  as   
not enough in its effects upon art4     
,to paint great masterpieces and make   
fame and fortune is an ambition  given  
to few to realize4 ,the masterpiece at  
all events must be a  labour of love1   
whether fame or fortune follow or not1  
and in the  history of art it has       
happened over and over again that       
masterpieces  have not been instantly   
recognized1 and the master usually has  
had to  wait for recognition and        
reward--if that can be said in any real 
sense  to lie outside the accomplishment
 of his work4 ,good art1 like virtue1   

is its own reward4 ,yet1 as a financial 
character remarks1 in a play of  ,mr4   
,george ,moore's1 ,man cannot live by   
virtue alone4 ,virtue itself  indeed    
requires appropriate conditions for its 
development and  sustenance1 just as the
 artist requires support and sympathy4  
,the warm breath of appreciation will   
draw up the sap of creative  impulse and
 it will put forth bud and leaf1 blossom
 and fruit4    ,this potentiality for   
art1 exists in a rudimentary way though 
in very  varying degrees in perhaps all 
individuals1 but as a general rule      
skill and facility are only acquired at 
the price of constant  devotion1 a      
devotion spontaneous and sincere4 ,even 
great gifts and  natural or inherited   
adaptability require to be strengthened 
and made  supple by study and constant  
practice and observation4 ,i have       
alluded  to the importance of a         
sympathetic atmosphere1 and it sometimes
  happens that the germ of artistic     
impulse has to struggle with adverse    

circumstances1 and it becomes a question
 of its strength and endurance  whether 
it will survive till more favourable    
opportunities for its  development      
arrive4    ,where from the earliest the 
student has been surrounded by the tools
  and implements of art1 when he has    
seen it progressing before his  eyes1   
the gain is enormous over those who take
 up their studies late1  and to whom the
 world of art is comparatively          
mysterious and strange4  ,the mere      
imitative impulse1 which appears to be  
possessed in common  by all mankind in a
 certain degree1 will in the first      
instance gain a  certain ease and       
facility of hand in dealing with        
tools--say pencil1  brush and colour1   
which itself is a very great advantage  
to begin  with4 ,in fact1 the first     
consideration in studying art is        
facility  of hand4 ,without it1 really  
nothing can be done since the power of  
expression is so much dependent upon it4
    ,in this connection ,i was much     

struck1 while in ,america1 with a method
  adopted by a teacher 7,mr4 ,liberty   
,tadd7#e in ,philadelphia1 a city in    
which very great attention was being    
paid to all forms of technical          
instruction4 ,well1 this teacher did not
 profess to train artists at  all4 ,his 
object was to give facility of hand4 ,he
 took children of  various ages--quite  
young to begin with--from the ordinary  
primary  schools1 and set them to draw  
on the black board with a piece of      
chalk in each hand certain figures4     
,circles to begin with1 and certain     
symmetric forms of ornament as shown in 
the diagram4 ,the facility  they        
acquired was extraordinary4 ,he then set
 them to what he called  memorize these 
forms and combine them in design as they
 best could1  and to model such designs 
in clay1 and to carve them in wood4     
,well1 it struck me this might be       
capable of development4 ,at any rate1   
clearly1 facility of hand could be      
developed by exercise1 just as  muscular

 strength can be4      ,illustration3   
,,progressive ,,blackboard ,,practice   
,,in ,,bi-,,manual ,,training4          
7,from ,new ,methods in ,education1 by  
,liberty ,tadd74    ,from such simple   
exercises a student might advance1 and  
those who  developed more faculty or    
taste in certain directions rather than 
others--say in modelling rather than    
drawing1 or in carving--might  pursue   
further those particular branches1      
making them main studies to  which other
 side studies would contribute4 ,the use
 of colour1 and  the habit of working   
directly on the paper with the brush1   
like the  ,japanese1 would again give   
enormous facility and precision of      
touch1  of great value both to the      
designer of patterns and also to the    
pictorial artist4 ,the direct brush     
method has been1 since this was  first  
written1 practised in our schools1 often
 with surprising results  indicating    
considerable design faculty in young    
children4 ,method is  so much a question

 of habit1 and in so many departments of
  design precision of touch and         
directness of execution are of such     
importance--in the preparation of       
working designs for cotton printing  for
 instance4 ,the india-rubber1 ,i am     
inclined to think1 sometimes is  the    
root 7or the sap7 of all evil4    ,it is
 for this quality of precision and      
technical adaptability to  the          
conditions of manufacture which has1 ,i 
believe1 induced many  manufacturers to 
seek their designs and working drawings 
on the  continent4 ,from the specimens  
,i have seen however1 ,i cannot say ,i  
am  impressed with the originality or   
fertility of the designs1 and when1     
too--though ,i am by no means of the    
,jingo persuasion--it came to  getting  
your ,british lion designed abroad1     
unicorn and all the rest of  the        
national heraldry1 it seemed rather a   
reductio ad absurdum4 ,yet  after all1  
of course1 we must concede morally our  
,french or ,german  brother has as much 

right to life as we4 ,competitive       
commerce  certainly is no respecter of  
nationality4 ,we must all take our      
chance  in the world market nowadays4   
,we are all chained to the conqueror's  
car4 ,we want a new ,petrarch to write  
the triumph of commercialism1 and  a new
 designer to picture it1 as the old     
triumphs are depicted with  every       
splendour of inventive accessory1 and   
magnificence of decorative  effect in   
those ,burgundian tapestries at ,hampton
 ,court and ,south  ,kensington4 ,well1 
,i am afraid the modern triumph1 such as
 it is1 is  pictured for us in the      
rampant poster1 which pursues us in and 
out of  stations1 up and down streets1  
and even along the railway lines1 which 
last vantage ground hitherto has been   
the prerogative of our ,american        
cousins4 ,i do not say the poster has no
 place in art1 and many very  able      
artists have designed posters1 and1 on  
the whole1 our free  popular exhibitions
 on the hoardings have gained both in   

interest  and printing skill1 and       
decorative effect of late years4 ,under 
considerable restraint and chastening it
 might be possible to make  the         
announcement of useful wares and        
theatrical events at least  inoffensive1
 perhaps1 and it may be that the mere   
working of  competition will produce a  
demand for more refined productions1    
since  when all shout together no one   
voice is likely to be heard1 and the    
accepted theory of a poster is that it  
must shout--but let us keep  it out of  
our scenery4 ,any way the subject is    
important since our  hoardings are      
evidently the most obviously public     
education in  pictorial and             
typographical design4 ,it is1 after all1
 what meets our  eyes every day that    
influences us4 ,it is the               
surrounding--the set  scene of every-day
 life that affects our artistic sense   
more than  anything4 ,while a visit to a
 museum or art gallery is only an       
occasional matter1 except for students1 

the mass of mankind must take  their    
impressions of colour and form from what
 they see around them4    ,it is1 we    
know1 the persistence and aggregation of
 small causes that  have played the     
chief part in the modelling of the earth
 as we see  it1 and which are           
continually changing its aspect4 ,in    
like manner the  general sense or       
sensitiveness to beauty is acted upon   
unconsciously1  ,i have no doubt1 by the
 aspects of every-day life1 by the      
colours  and forms of the street and the
 market as well as by the pictures and  
furniture of our domestic interiors4 ,if
 this theory is correct1 it  follows    
that anything which impairs that        
sensitiveness must injure the  faculty  
of its appreciation and production4     
,we have been too careless in this      
matter1 and constant toleration  and    
familiarity with hideous surroundings   
brutalizes and blunts  the perceptions1 
and seeing how largely ugliness of form 
and colour  prevails in at least the    

externals of modern life1 especially of 
our  manufacturing centres1 it is       
perhaps not surprising that a certain   
cult1 a certain worship of the ugly     
should have obtained a footing  even in 
art4    ,i do not deny there are certain
 tragic aspects of industrialism1 a     
certain weird fascination in drifting   
clouds of smoke1 and beauty in  the     
forms of escaping steam1 and that       
graphic representations of the  various 
restless aspects of modern life1 have1  
in proportion to their  sincerity1      
historic value4 ,it is at all events our
 life and must  be recorded1 though it  
leads to the art of the newspaper--but a
 great  deal of clever art can be put   
into a newspaper4 ,our newspapers are   
perhaps getting the better of us2 like  
,chronos the press devours its  own     
children1 and no one knows how many     
geniuses are yearly swallowed  up1 or   
how many lives and talents consumed in  
order that the  comfortable world shall 
have its dish of news and views at the  

breakfast table1 as well as in          
successive relays1 served up like       
muffins1 from the rising of the sun to  
the going down of the electric  light4  
,well1 ,art1 like literature1 may be    
said to be divided into  prose1 poetry1 
and penny-a-lining1 or1 to find         
equivalents we might  say1 the creative1
 the pictorial1 and the pot-boiling     
kinds4 ,the first  two are governed by  
their own laws and the individual       
preferences of  the artist1 the third   
depends upon fashion1 the state of the  
markets1  averages and the laws of      
supply and demand4    ,now it seems     
quite possible in an artistic life1     
while preserving  an ideal of beauty of 
design and workmanship in whatever      
direction  without sacrifice of         
principle1 to remain in touch with the  
ordinary  wants of humanity--to realize 
that that art is not necessarily the    
highest which is always in the clouds1  
but1 indeed1 that all kinds  of art gain
 in character and beauty in proportion  

as the ideas they  express are incarnate
 as it were--inseparable from the       
particular  materials in which they are 
embodied4 ,their peculiar conditions and
  limitations openly and frankly        
acknowledged1 and so far from being     
felt in the nature of a bondage1 really 
are aids to distinct and  beautiful     
decoration1 as is the case in all the   
arts and crafts of  design1 showing that
 sincerity is the fundamental condition 
of good  design and workmanship1 which  
never pride themselves on imitating     
qualities which properly belong to other
 forms of art and other  materials4     
,there are two systems1 or methods1 or  
principles of education in art4      i4 
,the ,academic or absolute4      ii4    
,the ,experimental1 or relative1 and    
adaptive4    ,the one teaching art or   
design in the abstract on certain       
cut-and-dried principles and methods1   
and fixed canons and standards1  passing
 every mind through the same mill1      
without special reference to  any       

particular conditions of craftsmanship  
or individual preference4    ,the other 
teaching design in concrete forms and in
 direct relation  to tools1 methods and 
materials1 with the object of calling   
out the  individual feeling and setting 
it free to express itself under the     
natural limitations of art in its own   
way4    ,the latter is the method of our
 new technical and ,arts and ,crafts    
schools1 so that a student may really   
acquire a practical working  knowledge  
of the peculiar requirements of design  
to be reproduced in  any process of     
manufacture1 instead of being launched  
on the world  with vague general ideas  
of drawing and painting1 but ignorant of
 how  to apply them4    ,it of course   
remains to be proved how far technical  
schools can really  efficiently take the
 place of the old workshop training     
under the  apprenticeship system1 which 
led to good results in the past1 but    
while one must of course recognize that 
changed times require new  methods1 we  

ought also clearly to realize that      
efficiency in the use  of tools and     
materials1 and adaptability to          
materials1 with the view  of bearing on 
the prosperity of trade and supplying   
manufacturers with  more highly skilled 
designers and workmen1 with increased   
competition1  go to form one aim and    
ultimate object4 ,quite another is the  
like  efficiency1 governed by the fresh 
creative impulse of artists and         
craftsman taking keen pleasure in their 
work1 with leisure for  reflection and  
enjoyment1 and the gathering of fresh   
ideas from  no poor1 mean or stinted    
life1 and not deprived of the           
stimulating  influences of natural or   
architectural beauty1 or the touch of   
refinement1 and with the stimulating    
emulation and co-operation of           
fellowship instead of cut-throat        
competition4    ,these are two ideals   
somewhat distinct4 ,it remains to be    
seen which  goal we shall ultimately    
reach1 but much depends upon which we   

each individually work for1 since       
individual impulse and action are       
precipitated in the collective force    
which finally moves the world4    ,at   
present the requirements of artistic    
ideals are not always  identical with   
the demands of commerce1 and sometimes  
not so in any  sense at all4 ,there must
 be always ,i should think some         
particular  individual reserve in the   
artist which must bide its time and the 
fitting medium and opportunity for its  
expression4 ,the world is slow  to      
apprehend new manifestations of original
 talent and will not  accept immature   
masterpieces4 ,it becomes a question    
therefore for the  individual artist how
 far he can1 without casting away or    
losing sight  of his higher ideals and  
aspirations1 associate himself with work
 of a  less ambitious1 more immediately 
serviceable1 but not necessarily less   
artistic kind4 ,it is here that         
technical knowledge will come in to     
help him1 and there is room for the very

 best talents and invention  in design  
in the work of the loom1 and the        
printing press1 iron1  wood1 stone1     
metal1 glass1 in a thousand materials   
and forms which  contribute to build up 
the life of ordinary civilized man4     
,when the  design and construction of   
our furniture1 and the various patterns 
and  accessories which minister to the  
daily wants of humanity fall into       
purely mechanical hands1 and artistic   
craftsmen no longer concern  themselves 
with the unity of use and beauty1 the   
sense of beauty and  pleasure in life   
which comes of the exercise of the      
artistic  faculty and of its            
appreciation1 both are in a fair way to 
perish of  inanition4    ,it cannot too 
often be insisted on that the vital     
springs which  nourish the growth of the
 tree of art to its topmost branches    
must be  looked for in the harmonious   
character of all things connected with  
life itself1 and since human happiness  
is bound up with harmonious  social     

arrangements in all ways1 the importance
 of such considerations  cannot well be 
exaggerated4    ,as in the pursuit of   
art we advance in the possession and    
interpretation of beauty and in the     
power of conferring higher  pleasure to 
the cultivated senses and intellect1 so 
are the forms of  art apt to be placed  
higher in the scale3 but ,high ,art can 
only mean  the art which embodies the   
highest beauty and conveys the most     
lasting  and ennobling pleasure4 ,it is 
its quality more than its particular    
form which settles this4 ,sharp lines of
 demarcation are often drawn  between   
fine art and decorative1 or industrial1 
art1 for instance1  which have proved   
very misleading4 ,a good design is far  
and away  better than a bad picture any 
day1 but the arts are really an equal   
brotherhood4 ,excellence in any one     
branch probably requires as fine        
capacities as excellence in another4    
,beauty is of different kinds1 but      
perfect beauty of design and workmanship

 must be acknowledged to be  so1 after  
its kind1 whenever we meet with it1 and 
who shall hold the  scales between one  
kind of beauty and another4    ,if an   
exquisite work of the loom--say such a  
,persian carpet as may be  seen in the  
,victoria and ,albert ,museum1 satisfies
 the eye with lovely  and subtle        
harmonies of colour1 with delicate and  
beautiful and  inventive design1 and    
even suggestions of romance and poetry3 
can  the finest work of the painter give
 us more8 ,are threads and dyes         
necessarily inferior to pigments and    
palettes1 or the loom less a work  of   
ingenious joinery than the easel8       
,whatever may be the official and       
scientific classification of the arts   
agreed on1 there is but one spirit in   
which to study and practice  in any or  
all of them--sincerity and the love of  
beauty4 ,strive to  attain excellence in
 the things which are themselves        
excellent  sounds a good dictum but it  
is thoroughly ,academic4 ,certain things

 are  assumed to be excellent1 and then 
excellence is to be striven for in  them
 and in them alone4 ,but how often in   
life--in the history of art  and        
humanity has it been that some great    
artist and inventor has taken  some poor
 despised thing and made it excellent4  
,think of the wealth of  beauty and     
invention which makes alive the smallest
 fragment of  ,gothic carving1 and      
invests every cup and bowl1 every bench 
end and  knife-handle of the middle ages
 with beauty and romance4 ,the commonest
  weed may contain a fine motive in     
design1 just as1 in another way1  the   
whole spirit of ,japanese art in its    
weird1 half-supernatural  naturalism and
 magic delicacy of touch1 may haunt a   
tiny ivory button1  or be wrought into a
 sword hilt4    ,it does not follow that
 everything should be ornamented4       
,artistic  feeling is shown often as    
much in the judgement which restrains   
or forbids ornament as in the fertility 
of invention from which it  springs4    

,organic consistency1 adaptation to     
purpose1 harmony and relation to        
surroundings4 ,these are qualities at   
least as important as ornament4    ,yet 
it seems often to be thought that       
decorative art means ornamenting        
something3 but the very word decoration 
must mean something                     
appropriate--fitting1 perfectly adapted4
    ,the engineer who borrows cast-iron 
,roman capitals and mouldings  to adorn 
the iron railing and supports of his    
gasometer is not  necessarily making it 
more artistic4 ,a wrought-iron screen   
veiling the  cylinder altogether1 full  
of fancy and grace of treatment1 might  
be  more artistic--though it might raise
 the price of gas4    ,the skeleton has 
a beauty of its own1 ,thou art nor      
modelled1 glazed1  or framed1 says      
,tennyson1 to his rough sketch of man4  
,yet we should  not like to live in a   
world of skeletons1 however valuable a  
knowledge  of the bones and mechanism of
 the joints is to students of the human 

form4    ,engineers are good skeleton   
makers1 but their skeleton structures do
  not often appeal to the sense of the  
beautiful--from the ,eiffel ,tower  to  
the ,forth ,bridge4 ,they can never be  
mistaken for architecture1 they  are    
triumphs of engineering1 but they remain
 skeletons1 and they are  too big to be 
put in the cupboard4 ,perhaps our       
engineers are busy  devising skeletons  
for the future to clothe and invest with
 life and  beauty--or to bury6 ,yet for 
all that constructive lines--at least1  
simple ones which the eye can follow    
are1 as a rule1 beautiful lines4  ,but  
,i think if the sense of beauty was     
really a living and  effective force1 we
 should consider it a crime to destroy  
natural  or architectural beauty1 or to 
take away the public possession or      
enjoyment of it by any means1 and should
 insist that the problem of  utility was
 but half solved unless the result was  
harmonious4    ,at present the world    
seems too busy about other              

matters--dissecting  and analysing1     
experimenting1 buying and selling1      
manufacturing and  speculating1 to care 
collectively for beauty1 perhaps1 and   
truth is  at present too many-sided and 
composite to be easily reconciled with  
beauty4 ,all is tumult and conflict1 and
 through the smoke and dust of  the     
commercial competitive battle in which  
we spend our lives we are  not quite    
sure when the sun is shining1 and when  
we are sure1 are  perhaps too busy      
making the proverbial hay to notice the 
beauty of it4  ,that is only for artists
 and idlers1 and the world has such a   
horror  of idleness that people1 not    
condemned to hard labour1 have acquired 
a habit of being extremely busy about   
nothing in particular1 and it  is       
supposed to be a conclusive argument    
against ,socialism to ask  ,what will   
you do with the idle8 which seems a     
little like raising an  objection to    
eating your dinner because you don't    
know what you will  do when you are not 

hungry6    ,artistic ability and power  
of design are often talked of as if they
  were in the nature of conjuring       
tricks1 and their exponents like those  
automatic machines at the stations which
 only require a penny in  the slot to   
satisfy every ordinary modern human     
requirement from  butter-scotch to green
 spectacles4    ,it is not sufficiently 
realized that the sense of art and the  
power  of its creation is a growth of   
the mind 7as well as facility of hand7  
which must have its processes of        
germination and fruition4    ,art is not
 nature4 ,it is a commentary or creative
 variation upon it1  but in the progress
 of its own development art follows     
natural laws4  ,truth and ,beauty are   
true lovers1 but the course of true love
 never  did run smooth4 ,while ,truth in
 various disguises is roaming desert    
places1 sometimes like a knight errant  
fighting with sphinxes and  dragons1    
sometimes1 like ,thor with his hammer1  
striking blows1 the  effects of which   

are only seen long afterwards2 ,beauty1 
like an  enchanted princess1 is often   
shut up in gloomy castles closed round  
with thorny woods or thronging factory  
chimneys4 ,it is our business  to       
re-discover her1 to awaken her1 to      
interpret her afresh to the  world--to  
show that if beauty sleeps1 our senses  
are only half awake1  and our lives a   
meaningless monotony4          ,footnote
 #e3 ,mr4 ,liberty ,tadd has since      
developed his system      and has       
embodied his teaching in a large and    
fully illustrated      work--,new       
,methods in ,education4 ,he has visited 
this country      and given lectures in 
exposition of his method1 a part of     
which is known as bi-manual training1 or
 ambidexterity1      upon which there is
 an interesting book by ,mr4 ,john      
,jackson1      ,f4,e4,i4,s41 with an    
introduction by ,major-,general ,r4 ,s4 
,s4      ,baden-,powell1 ,c4,b41        
published by ,messrs4 ,kegan ,paul1     
,trench      and ,co4          ,,on     

,,some ,,of ,,the ,,arts ,,and ,,crafts 
,,allied ,,to ,,architecture            
,,on ,,some ,,of ,,the ,,arts ,,and     
,,crafts ,,allied ,,to ,,architecture4  
,,an ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,students    
,,of ,,the ,,architectural ,,association
      ,i have been asked to address you 
on the ,arts allied to ,architecture4   
,now1 as students of ,architecture you  
will feel1 considering how  closely     
associated all the arts of design have  
been in the past1 with  ,architecture as
 the mother-art1 that it would be very  
difficult to  draw a line between them1 
or to define the precise point at which 
any  one of them naturally part company 
to be considered as a separate art4  ,in
 the course of evolution many causes and
 forces have combined to  change their  
relationship1 however1 and to give some 
of them a more or  less independent     
position relatively to what they once   
had1 as in the  case of modern painting 
and sculpture2 although these arts in   
their  origin appear to be more closely 

related and essential to the forms of   
architecture with which they are        
combined than almost any of the other   
crafts4 ,indeed1 it would almost seem as
 if sculpture might dispute the  claim  
of primogeniture with architecture      
itself1 since cave-dwelling  and        
rock-cut temples seem more of the nature
 of the former2 and also  when we come  
to the wall sculptures of ,nineveh and  
find winged bulls  forming gateways2 or 
see1 as at the gate of ,mycenae1 beyond 
the  builders' cyclopean craft of stone 
on stone1 the only architectural  forms 
and ornament in the sculpture of the    
slab over the gateway  itself1 in the   
column each side of which the lions     
stand1 and in the  carved discs and     
spirals below them4    ,again1 when we  
come to the buildings of ancient        
,athens1 temples of the  ,parthenon type
 might almost be described as frames or 
pedestals for  sculpture1 although in   
the case of the ,parthenon the          
architecture and  sculpture are so      

perfectly united that we hardly think of
 them apart4  ,the sculptor seizes upon 
the deep pediments and the triglyphs to 
tell  his mythical and symbolic story1  
and emphasizes them in bold relief  and 
counterbalancing mass2 to which the     
lines of roof and cornice1 of           
entablature and column play a harmonious
 accompaniment1 while the more  delicate
 frieze completes and unites the whole  
scheme4 ,though we know  that sculpture 
was not left to the cold embrace of     
white marble1 but  must have been       
beautiful in colour as it now is in     
form1 the genius  of sculpture seems to 
dominate here4 ,greek architecture1 too1
 only  repeats in stone and marble and  
on a large scale the primitive          
construction of wood2 and this takes us 
back to the days of the sacred  ark1 or 
the tabernacle of the ,israelites1 more 
of a shrine or tent  than a building1   
which depended so much for its beauty   
upon the  adornment it received         
from--,the cunning workman1 the         

engraver1 the  embroiderer in blue1 and 
in purple1 in scarlet1 and in fine      
linen1 and  of the weaver1 even of them 
that do any work1 and of those that     
devise  cunning work 7,ex4 xxxv1 #ce74  
,certainly here1 as in the descriptions 
of the building of ,solomon's temple all
 the arts appeared to  co-operate and   
were equally important to the beauty of 
the result1 and  we get a splendid      
picture of oriental colour and ornament4
 ,the account  of the olive-tree doors  
of the temple carved with cherubim and  
palm  trees and open flowers and        
overlaid with gold1 shows the early use 
of  a craft very dear to the modern     
decorator--gilding3 though it probably  
means a more substantial kind than that 
of the modern frame-maker1  since the   
text has it that he covered them with   
gold fitted upon the  carved work 7#a   
,kings1 vi1 #ce74    ,the craft of      
working thin plates of gold and other   
metals in repouss  is clearly a very    
ancient one1 and contributed to what    

must have been  a very splendid effect  
in interior decoration4 ,our use of     
silvered or  gilded metal in modern wall
 sconces and door plates may be a relic 
of  times when it was more extensively  
used and on larger surfaces1 but  one   
can hardly imagine a more splendid      
effect than a wall covering of  beaten  
gold4    ,the ordinary brass or copper  
repouss work of our own day is either   
worked from the surface only by         
following the lines of the design  drawn
 on the metal by a tool called a tracer1
 straight or curved1  as may be required
 for straight or curved lines1 although 
a straight  tracer will follow all but  
very small curves4 ,the tracer is tapped
  with a broad-ended hammer according to
 the amount of relief intended4  ,i     
should have said the sheet of metal is  
fastened down over a sheet  of lead by  
screws or nails to a deal board before  
working on4 ,when the  outlines of the  
design are hammered out1 the background1
 which bumps  up between the traced     

lines1 has to be matted4 ,this may be   
done by  various patterned tools called 
matting tools4 ,your design1 when the   
matting is done1 will stand in low      
relief from its ground1 and may be      
polished as much as desired4 ,although a
 pleasing effect of soft relief  is     
obtained1 this is not carrying the work 
very far1 and would only  satisfy       
amateurs4 ,true repouss work consists in
 actually modelling by  the hammer and  
punch1 and for this both for delicate   
and bold relief  it is necessary to     
reverse the metal on the pitch block4   
,this is  formed of a mixture of pitch  
and ,russian tallow sprinkled with      
plaster  of paris1 which forms a        
somewhat firm but easily indentable     
substance  when warmed1 and can be held 
together in tin trays4 ,while the pitch 
is  soft you must press in your metal   
plate the reverse side up and then  beat
 up the hollows of the design as they   
have been defined by the  tracer on the 
face of the work and which show clearly 

on the back4 ,the  tools used for doing 
this are rounded punches of various     
forms4 ,the  hammering is done rather   
persuasively1 as sudden blows make      
sudden  dents1 which are not easily     
smoothed4 ,parts of the work1 again1 may
  be hammered on the surface over a lead
 or pitch block1 or it may  be hammered 
over a pattern carved in wood4 ,this    
method is used when  several forms      
recur1 or it is desired to repeat the   
same pattern4      ,illustration3 ,black
  white marble    ,roman mosaic         
pavement4    ,baths of ,caracalla4      
,from sketch made in #ahga4             
,illustration3 ,patterns of ,roman      
mosaic    pavements4    ,baths of       
,caracalla4    ,from sketches made in   
#ahga4    ,another art of very early    
association with ,architecture is       
mosaic1  which may be said to be perhaps
 the most permanent and most splendid   
kind of architectural decoration ever   
used4 ,in the matter of marble  mosaic  
the ,romans1 though not the inventors of

 the art1 in their  pavements carried it
 to great elaboration1 and worked it in 
many  forms1 the most successful being1 
to my mind1 the simpler forms of  flat  
pattern-work such as are seen in the    
baths of ,caracalla at ,rome1  where    
white marble1 or black1 or black or     
white1 is very effectively  used1 and   
there are some admirable scale-pattern  
borders4 ,these make  more reserved and 
satisfactory decorations for a floor    
than the shaded  pictorial battle-pieces
 and figures of gladiators such as are  
seen  at the ,borghese ,villa4 ,in the  
,bardo ,palace ,museum at ,tunis there  
is a  very fine collection of ,roman    
mosaic pavements4 ,there has been a very
  extensive revived use of marble mosaic
 for the covering of entrance  floors   
and halls in our own time2 but it has   
been rather too much of  the second-hand
 ,roman type1 although at its best it is
 a good type1  and1 as we know1 many    
original ,roman examples have been      
discovered1  so that we are not without 

historic models in our own country4     
,marble  mosaic is usually somewhat     
limited in colour but looking to the    
variety and beauty of tint to be found  
in marbles there is perhaps  more       
restriction than need be1 as well as in 
type of design4 ,i made a  design for   
the floor of a bank at ,cleveland1      
,ohio1 when ,i was in the  ,states1     
which ,i am afraid might have tried the 
colour-resources of the  mosaicist1     
since ,i introduced a symbolical figure 
of ,columbia coining1  wrapped in a robe
 of stars and stripes1 which1 however1  
would look  sober enough when translated
 into marble tones4      ,illustration3 
,,pattern ,,of ,,roman ,,mosaic         
,,pavement1 ,,from ,,the    ,,baths ,,of
 ,,caracalla4    ,for real splendour of 
colour we must turn to glass mosaic1 and
 for  magnificent examples of its       
architectural use we cannot do better   
than look at the churches of ,ravenna4  
,my friend1 the late ,j4 ,t4            
,micklethwaite1 speaking of mosaic1 once

 humorously remarked that  mosaic in    
decoration was like beer--of no use     
unless you had a lot of  it4 7,that is  
all very well for those who can imbibe1 
and the dictum  should appeal to        
,britons47 ,however1 the use of mosaic  
at ,ravenna and  ,st4 ,mark's shows what
 my friend meant4 ,in the mausoleum of  
,gallia  ,placida1 a small rounded      
arched and vaulted ,byzantine building  
of  the fifth century1 there are no     
mouldings or carving1 or any kind of    
architectural enrichment1 to interfere  
with the effect of the complete  lining 
of mosaic1 chiefly in pale tones of gold
 and colour on a deep1  subdued but rich
 blue ground4 ,the effect is very solemn
 and splendid4  ,the actual workmanship 
of the ,ravenna mosaics would no doubt  
be  considered rough by the more        
mechanical modern mosaicist who does not
  accept the cube principle in using    
tesserae4 ,the head of the ,empress     
,theodora at ,san ,vitale1 for instance1
 is very simply done4 ,the  tesserae are

 few--but since the effect from the     
proper distance is  fine1 they must be  
fit though few4 ,then these mosaics like
 all the  ancient ones1 must have been  
worked from the surface4 ,this gives  a 
certain play of surface and depth and   
richness of colour1 each  tesserae not  
having been set at precisely the same   
angle to the plane  of the wall1 or to  
its neighbour cube4    ,the modern      
,venetian way is to make the panels     
perfectly flat on the  surface1 the     
cement being spread over the tesserae   
when arranged face  downwards4 ,the     
modern ,venetian workmen will copy a    
cartoon properly  tesserated with the   
utmost precision1 as ,i have discovered1
 but his  panels have not the surface   
sparkle and variety of the old work4    
,the  method of putting in the tesserae 
from the front has however been  revived
 since ,i made my designs4 ,the design  
by ,sir ,edward ,burne-,jones  for the  
dome of the ,new ,american ,church at   
,rome was worked in this  way1 and      

recently a mosaic altar-piece of ,the   
,last ,supper1 for a  church in         
,philadelphia1 was executed in this way 
by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,henry  ,holiday1 the 
tesserae being inserted in a layer of   
putty4    ,in ,london we have the great 
work of ,sir ,w4 ,b4 ,richmond in the   
choir of  ,st4 ,paul's1 which was all   
worked from the surface--the tesserae   
being  set in red lead putty which1     
occasionally allowed to show at the     
joints1 gives a certain warmth of tone  
to the whole4 ,whatever  difference of  
opinion there may be about the          
decoration of ,st4 ,paul's1  the designs
 of ,sir ,william ,richmond are         
exceedingly fine and conceived  in a    
noble spirit4    ,mr4 ,anning ,bell has 
carried out a charming design in mosaic 
worked  from the surface for the        
exterior of the ,horniman ,museum4 ,one 
projected for the exterior of the       
,whitechapel ,picture ,gallery1 from a  
design of my own1 has not so far been   
executed for want of funds4    ,i have  

often thought1 when looking at the      
beautiful arrangements  of tint in the  
fine shingle of some of our sea beaches1
 that the  materials for a very         
effective kind of mosaic1 at small cost1
 might be  found there1 and adapted for 
the ornamentation of the external walls 
of seaside houses1 in friezes1 strings1 
panels1 or even entire walls4  ,in thus 
reviving the ancient art of             
pebble-mosaic1 a charming local         
character might thus be given to the    
buildings of certain of our coast       
places which would add very greatly to  
their attractions4 ,the thing1  of      
course1 would need some intelligence and
 taste1 without which  indeed the most  
costly and beautiful materials in the   
world may be  wasted4    ,one of the    
most charming and simple ways of        
decorating external walls  is to be     
found in the patterns indented in the   
plaster of the surface  filling of      
half-timbered houses such as are so     
plentiful in ,suffolk  and ,essex4 ,it  

is a characteristic and ancient method  
which it is  gratifying to note is made 
use of by modern architects and builders
 in  that district4 ,figures and        
ornament in relief are also used4 ,a    
mixture  of ,portland cement and lime is
 a good material for this purpose1 as it
  does not set too quickly1 but finally 
sets hard and is durable4    ,delicate  
plaster relief-work for ceilings and    
friezes is also a  very charming method 
of interior decoration1 and there are   
very fine  examples scattered over the  
country1 though its original home was1  
,i  presume1 in ,italy1 whose craftsmen 
still maintain their pre-eminence  in   
the skill with which they deal with the 
manipulation of all kinds  of           
plaster-work4 ,plaster and stucco must  
have been largely used in  ancient      
,rome1 and there are very beautiful1    
both bold and delicate1  examples in the
 decorations of the famous tombs of the 
,via ,latina4 ,in  one instance1 on a   
wagon vault1 the figures appear to have 

been worked  directly in the soft       
plaster and the relief-work is used with
 vigorous  indented lines4 ,the effect  
of the work is wonderfully direct1      
simple1  and fresh1 and suggests having 
been done with speed and certainty4     
,raphael1 influenced no doubt by old    
,roman work1 introduced modelled        
portions in his painted designs for the 
,loggia of the ,vatican4 ,the  usual    
modern method is to model the design in 
clay1 mould it in  gelatine1 and then   
cast it in fibrous plaster panels       
7supposing it  is for relief work7 and  
screw them in position1 stopping the    
joints  afterwards4 ,this1 though it has
 many conveniences1 is not so artistic  
in its results as when the design is    
worked directly in stucco or  gesso in  
its proper position2 but if we could be 
sure of finding  the plasterers and     
craftsman to do it1 we should but rarely
 find the  opportunity1 or the client   
who would allow time for such work in   
situ4    ,a middle course is to model   

your design--say1 for a frieze or       
ceiling--in gesso or stucco of some kind
 on fibrous plaster panels2  and the    
design may be planned so as to cut up   
into convenient-sized  panels to work on
 an easel in the studio1 and be fixed in
 position  afterwards4    ,i have worked
 panels in this way using plaster of    
paris1 thin glue1  and cotton wool4 ,the
 ground should be wetted1 or the suction
 stopped  by a coat of shellac1 or the  
work is apt to dry too quickly and peel 
off4    ,for delicate relief            
ornamentation1 say1 in wall panelling   
and  furniture1 a kind of gesso duro is 
good4 ,this is a mixture of  whitening1 
glue1 boiled linseed oil and resin4 ,it 
is mixed to a creamy  consistency1 the  
whitening being first soaked in water4  
,the gesso  is laid on with a           
brush--long pointed sable is best4 ,the 
gesso sets  slowly1 but very hard1 so   
that any part of the work could be      
scraped  down if necessary4    ,another 
effective method for external and       

interior work in decoration  is         
sgraffito1 also of ,italian origin4 ,it 
consists in cutting or  scratching a    
design through one or more layers of    
mixed lime and  cement on to coloured   
grounds4 ,a ground is laid on the       
plaster of  the wall1 say1 of black1    
made by mixing black oxide of manganese 
and  breeze from a smith's forge with   
the cement4 ,when this is set1 a layer  
of mixed lime and cement is laid over   
the black1 about a quarter of an  inch  
or more thick4 ,when this layer has     
partly set1 and is about the            
consistency of cheese1 you cut your     
design out1 its lines and masses        
defined by the black ground beneath as  
you cut away the top layer4 ,two  or    
three colours may be used in the same   
way1 one being laid over the  other1 and
 the effect produced by cutting down to 
the different layers  as you wish4    ,i
 once came to a town in ,bohemia1       
,pracatic1 a wonderful old place1  with 
a fine deep ,gothic gateway1 with a     

fresco of a knight-at-arms  over it4    
,the walls of the principal houses      
appear to have been  entirely decorated 
with designs in sgraffito4 ,the ,rathaus
 or town  hall was the most elaborate   
and best preserved1 and was covered with
  designs from ,bible story1 divided by 
pilasters1 and panelled in scroll       
ornament4    ,sgraffito is still        
extensively used in ,italy and ,germany1
 where one  sees much more elaborate    
work in it1 and on a more extensive     
scale  than anything here1 unless we    
except the considerable and excellent   
work of ,mr4 ,heywood ,sumner in this   
material4 ,he1 however1 has used it     
chiefly for interior wall decoration and
 churches4 ,he generally uses  three    
colours1 red1 green1 and black1 by which
 his large1 simple1 and  bold designs   
are well expressed4 ,our climate--more  
especially town  climate--is generally  
unfavourable to the effectiveness and   
permanence  of the work as exterior     
decoration4 ,there is1 however1 an      

excellent  object lesson in sgraffito of
 various kinds to be seen on the back   
wall of the ,science ,schools at ,south 
,kensington1 the work of the late  ,mr4 
,moody4    ,it seems curious that more  
has not been attempted in the way of    
external decoration by means of coloured
 and glazed tiles4 ,the colour  in these
 is permanent enough1 and good quality  
of colour can be  obtained4 ,i fancy    
pleasant effects could be produced by   
facing the  front of houses with        
coloured tiles1 and introducing friezes 
and  plaques beneath and between the    
windows4 ,the ground story of many      
brick houses in ,london streets are     
cemented and painted4 ,why not try  the 
effect of coloured tiles instead8 ,mr4  
,halsey ,ricardo1 it may be  mentioned1 
has used ,de ,morgan tile panels most   
effectively in a house  he designed in  
,addison ,road1 ,kensington1 which is   
distinguished also  by a beautiful roof 
of green glazed tiles from ,spain4 ,mr4 
,conrad  ,dressler has also designed    

extensive mural decorations in a kind of
  ,luca della ,robbia manner1 which is  
very effective4 ,for splendour of       
effect1 too1 few things could equal     
designs produced in lustre4    ,tiles1  
of course1 have long held an undisputed 
position as decorative  linings for     
fire-places4 ,a new domestic application
 of them is  suggested in that little   
gem of a picture by ,van der ,meer of   
,delft1  recently added to our ,national
 ,gallery1 where white ,dutch tiles with
  blue figures are fixed along the wall 
on the floor line1 where one  usually   
sees the wooden skirting4    ,of the    
beauty of the effect of raised figures  
treated in faence  colours and glazes as
 an architectural decoration there is a 
splendid  example in the frieze of      
archers from the palace wall of ,darius1
 now  at ,paris1 apparently made of     
moulded bricks glazed with colour1 a    
good reproduction of which was to be    
seen in what was formerly the           
architectural court at the ,victoria and

 ,albert ,museum2 where also we  could  
study the bold and beautiful frieze of  
,luca della ,robbia from  the ,ospedale 
at ,pistoia4 ,one wants to see it in the
 full ,italian  sunshine and in its     
proper architectural setting fully to   
appreciate  its fine decorative effect1 
and it is to be regretted that these    
reproductions of architectural          
decorative works are not exhibited  in  
the ,museum with an indication of their 
framework to show their  relation to the
 buildings of which they form part4#f   
,it would be  better to have fewer      
examples properly displayed1 ,i believe1
 than a  multitude crowded together1    
with no means of judging of them in     
their proper relation to their          
surroundings4 ,if the examples were     
accompanied by good and clear drawings  
or photographs of the entire  buildings 
it would be useful4    ,at ,pistoia1    
also1 there is a charming porch to the  
cathedral covered  with ,robbia ware in 
white1 yellow1 and blue1 in association 

with black  and white banded marble4#g  
,such examples show with what beautiful 
decorative effect majolica can be       
associated with architecture4    ,to    
,italy1 again1 we must look for the most
 beautiful illustrations of  the unity  
of painting with architecture1 from the 
work of ,giotto at  ,padua and ,assisi  
to the crowning work of the ,renascence1
 the ceiling  of the ,sistine ,chapel by
 ,michael ,angelo4 ,the most perfect    
example of  mural decoration in ,italy  
,i have seen1 is1 however1 to be found  
in the  ,appartimenti ,borgia in the    
,vatican1 painted by ,pinturrichio1 a   
very  beautiful model of which can be   
studied in the ,victoria and ,albert    
,museum 7it was formerly in the ,italian
 ,court74 ,here we have a scheme  of    
decoration at once restrained and rich1 
in strict relation to the  construction1
 and yet full of variety and beauty of  
detail2 and it is  interesting1 too1 as 
an example of the use of gilded gesso   
used both  for details in the wall      

pictures1 as well as for arabesque      
ornament1  and bordering on the vaulted 
ceiling4 ,the lower wall was evidently  
originally intended to be covered with  
tapestry hangings1 as there  is a       
moulding with the little hooks to hold  
them2 and this would have  completed the
 effect of the whole in a rich and      
reposeful way4 ,another  very rich and  
beautiful instance of the earlier       
,renascence mural  painting may be seen 
in the ,riccardi ,chapel at ,florence by
 ,benozzo  ,gozzoli4 ,some full-sized   
copies are at ,south ,kensington1       
notably one  of ,lorenzo de ,medici in a
 gilded dress going a-hunting4    ,the  
famous ,campo ,santo at ,pisa1 and the  
frescoes in the town hall of  ,siena are
 fine instances of the days when mural  
painting was a living  and popular art1 
frankly appealing to the love of story  
and romance1  vivid1 dramatic1 and yet  
superbly decorative4 ,superior modern   
critics  might scorn such types of art  
as literary1 and their navet as         

childish2 but their story-telling power 
is an inseparable part of  their        
artistic form1 and never oversteps it1  
just as their decorative  instinct is in
 perfect accord and harmony with their  
architectural  conditions4    ,this was 
long before the days of academies and   
art schools1 when there  was no         
technical art education outside the     
workshop1 no competitive  examinations1 
and a man learnt his craft by           
apprenticeship to it1  beginning at the 
beginning1 under a master craftsman4    
,i fail to see how any art can be wholly
 taught or learned on general           
principles1 since it is of the nature of
 art to address itself to  particular   
problems1 the conditions of which       
constantly vary4 ,certain  general      
principles have been evolved out of     
collective practice of  more or less    
value1 no doubt1 in a general way1 but  
they must always  be liable to          
qualification in their adaptation to    
particular cases4  ,nothing of the      

nature of art can be formulated as an   
exact science1  happily1 or the limits  
of its invention and variety would soon 
be  reached4 ,art1 however1 has its     
scientific side1 though the science of  
art is not exactly scientific or        
theoretic1 but practical1 and rather    
consists in recognizing particular      
necessities of conditions and           
materials1 and the realizing that the   
frank acknowledgment of the  nature of  
these conditions and materials leads1 in
 all the varieties  of design1 in       
association with craftsmanship and      
architecture1 to the  highest beauty4   
,illustration3 ,patterns in plain       
leading1    from ,,the ,,glazier',s     
,,booke4    ,the peculiar beauty of a   
stained glass window1 for instance1 is  
entirely dependent upon this frank      
acknowledgment of conditions4 ,a  screen
 of transparent colour and pattern1     
defined and united by leads1  and held  
in position by iron bars4 ,directly any 
attempt is made to  overstep its natural

 limits--to make it look like a painted 
picture1  to get chiaroscuro and        
vanishing points1 or to try to ignore   
the  leading as an essential condition  
of its existence--the charm and the  joy
 of it is lost4 ,there is a distinct    
character and beauty both in  plain     
leaded glass and roundels throwing a    
pleasant network of simple  geometric   
lines over the blankness of             
window-panes4 ,henry ,shaw1 in  his     
,glazier's ,book1#h gives a great       
variety of delightful leading  patterns4
    ,now1 any design for a coloured     
glass window should1 in the first       
place1 be a good arrangement of         
lead-lines1 ,i think--a good pattern1   
in short1 whether figure subject or     
not--and1 secondly1 a good pattern      
considered as an arrangement of colour  
or jewelled light4    ,the artistic     
designer and maker of a wrought-iron    
gate1 grille1 or  railing1 whatever     
phantasy he might introduce1 would never
 forget the  essential requirements of a

 gate1 grille1 or railing4 ,he would    
never  forget the architectural relation
 of his work1 or rather he would make   
the chief beauty and inventiveness of   
his treatment of wrought iron  spring   
out of that relation4    ,the practice  
of modelling in clay 7though it may be  
useful in a  student's training7 designs
 intended to be carved in wood1 has1 it 
seems to me1 been most destructive of   
the beauty and character of true        
woodcarving4 ,the same may be said of   
stone and marble4 ,the essential  spirit
 and go of the thing1 the characteristic
 touch and treatment  which each        
material in which the designer works    
claims as its own1 and  which is its own
 particular reason for existing1 these  
are1 of course1  lost or tamed out of   
recognition when a copy is made of      
something  already existing in a        
material and produced by a method       
totally  different4    ,much better keep
 to simple mouldings and plain painting 
than bring  in ornament which has no    

character or meaning of its own4 ,we    
must not  confuse the mere spreading of 
ornament with decoration in its true    
sense1 for ,design in all its forms may 
be said to be governed by an            
architectural instinct of its own1 which
 makes it a harmonious part of  the     
building with which it is united1 and   
which unites it1 and puts it  in harmony
 with itself4    ,in the limits of a    
short paper it is impossible to do more 
than  deal very lightly with so vast a  
subject as the ,arts allied to          
,architecture1 and there are many that  
,i have not been able to touch  at all1 
since1 properly considered1 all the arts
 are1 or should be1  allied to          
architecture1 and the history of        
architecture covers the  history of     
human life itself2 and what1 let us ask1
 would architecture  be without the     
associated arts which help to express   
and adorn it and  fit each part for the 
use and service of man4                 
,footnote #f3 ,this was written before  

the arrangement of the      collections 
in the new building of the ,victoria and
 ,albert      ,museum was complete4     
,footnote #g3 ,an illustration of this  
porch is given in my      ,bases of     
,design4        ,footnote #h3 ,the full 
title is ,a ,booke of ,sundry           
,draughtes4      ,principally serving   
for ,glasiers3 ,and not impertinent for 
plasterers1 and gardeners3 besides      
sundry other professions4      ,london4 
,william ,pickering #ahdh4 ,it is almost
 wholly copied      from an older work  
printed in ,shoolane at the sign of the 
,falcon by ,walter ,dwight #afae4       
,,notes ,,on ,,colour ,,embroidery ,,and
 ,,its ,,treatment          ,,notes ,,on
 ,,colour ,,embroidery ,,and ,,its      
,,treatment      ,embroidery as an art  
of design may be considered from many   
different  points of view--but none of  
these are more important than those of  
colour and its treatment4 ,it is indeed 
to colour that decorative  needlework   
owes its chief charm1 and in no         

direction is the influence  of          
controlling taste more essential1 and in
 its absence the most  elaborate        
workmanship and technical accomplishment
 are apt to be  wasted4    ,the choice  
and treatment of colour must naturally  
depend1 in the  first place1 upon the   
object and purpose of the work1 which   
would1 of  course1 decide the scale and 
motive of its pattern4    ,as applied to
 costume1 in which direction we find    
some of its most  delicate and beautiful
 examples1 nearness to the eye1 the     
construction  of the garment and the    
proportions of figure would have to be  
considered4    ,the ,russian peasants   
have a form of frock or long blouse worn
 by young  girls1 which affords an      
instance of effective use of frank and  
bright  colour upon a white ground4 ,the
 garment itself is of homespun linen4   
,it has a square opening for the neck1  
and is put on over the head1  like a    
smock frock4 ,the sleeves are quite     
simple1 full on the upper  arm and      

narrowing to a band on the wrist4 ,the  
skirt1 which falls  straight from the   
shoulders1 is decorated with a series of
 horizontal  bands of pattern worked in 
cross-stitch1 the principal colours     
being red and green1 colours which      
always tell well upon white4  ,the      
square-cut opening at the neck and the  
cuffs are emphasized  by embroidered    
pattern of similar kind but on a smaller
 scale4 ,the  garment is ingeniously    
adapted to the growth of its wearer by  
adding  extra rings of pattern to the   
skirt1 and by enlarging a square piece  
let in at the arm-pits4    ,the         
,hungarian peasant women are most       
admirable embroiderers1 and in  their   
festal costumes display an extraordinary
 wealth of brilliant  colour1 employing1
 like the ,russian1 principally the     
cross-stitch  on white linen4 ,they are 
fond of decorating the ends of their    
pillow-cases which are piled up one upon
 the other on the bed1 usually  set     
against the wall in their cottages1 so  

that only the outside ends  show1 and   
these alone are embroidered4 ,both the  
patterns1 which are  traditional and    
have an oriental character1 and their   
colour show a  strong decorative sense  
and natural taste4 ,many of them being  
worked  in a single tone of red or blue1
 always effective on white4 ,in some    
parts short sleeveless leather jackets  
lined with sheep's wool are  worn4      
,these are made incredibly gorgeous in  
colour by a kind of  combined appliqu   
and stitch embroidery1 the vivid greens1
 reds1  blues1 and purples being kept in
 their place by the broad white of the  
shirt sleeves which flank them on each  
side when worn4      ,illustration3     
,,russian ,,peasant ,,embroidery        
,,child',s ,,blouse    in home spun     
linen worked in cross-stitch      ,red  
pattern in    cross stitch      ,red    
band      ,neck opening      ,red band  
,red pattern in cross stitch            
,square enlarging piece      ,red band  
herring bone stitched      ,blue        

7stitched7      ,pattern in ,red        
7,cross stitch7      ,blue 7stitched7   
,red band      ,red band        ,more   
austere arrangements are however found4 
,there is a large heavy  overcoat1 with 
hanging sleeves and deep collar1 worn by
 the ,hungarian  farmers1 made of white 
wool4 ,this is ornamented most          
judiciously  by appliqu embroidery in   
black and green4 ,the chief points of   
decoration being the collar1 the cuffs1 
and the hem4    ,in the ,montenegrin    
section of the ,balkan ,states          
,exhibition at ,earl's  ,court there    
were some charming shirts and blouses   
embroidered with  gold thread and       
colour1 in bands4 ,the constructive     
points1 such as  the neck opening1 the  
junction of the yoke and sleeves1       
sometimes the  sleeves themselves were  
richly ornamented with designs in gold  
and  colour with excellent effect4      
,good examples of treatment of rich     
colour in combination with light        
pattern are to be found among ,cretan   

embroideries4 ,the decoration in  bands 
of the ends of the muslin scarves1      
relieved with silver and  gold thread1  
often recalls the effect of the         
illuminated borders of  fourteenth and  
fifteenth-century manuscripts1 having a 
delightfully  gay and sparkling effect4 
,these ,cretan embroideries are examples
 of  the harmonious effect in the       
arrangement of a number of different    
colours in the same pattern1 grouped    
around a central feature which  forms   
the dominating note2 this is generally  
in the form of a large  red flower with 
a gold centre1 and this is surrounded   
with smaller  detached star-like        
flowers1 and formal cypress trees in    
leaf-shaped  enclosures of gold or      
silver thread4 ,the design being        
repeated1 with  slight variations1 to   
form a band or border of pattern        
decorating  the ends of the scarf4 ,in a
 sample before me eight colours are     
used1  besides gold and silver thread4  
,the colours are3 7#a7 red1 in centre   

flower 7a light vermilion72 7#b7 crimson
 7sometimes1 alas1 magenta72  7#c7 pink 
7pale salmon72 7#d7 orange2 7#e7 light  
7lemon7 yellow 7of  greenish tone72 7#f7
 olive 7dark72 7#g7 pale blue1 and 7#h7 
dark blue4      ,illustration3 ,,cretan 
,,embroidery4 ,silk on ,muslin1         
heightened with    gold and silver      
thread4      ,colours3    #a4 ,orange   
#b4 ,crimson    #c4 ,red    #d4 ,pink   
#e4 ,olive    #f4 ,yellow 7green7    #g4
 ,light blue    #h4 ,dark blue    #i4   
,gold    #aj4 ,silver        ,as every  
embroideress knows1 colour in embroidery
 is very much  influenced by texture4   
,the colour of a skein of silk looking  
different  from the same colour when    
worked4 ,juxtaposition with other       
colours1  again1 alters the effect of a 
colour4 ,as a general principle1        
especially where many colours are       
employed1 we are more likely to  secure 
harmony if we choose reds1 for instance1
 inclining to orange1  blues inclining  
to green1 yellows inclining to green or 

brown1  blacks of a greenish or olive   
tone4 ,perfectly frank and pure colours1
  however1 may be harmonized1 especially
 with the use of gold1 though  they are 
more difficult to deal with--unless one 
can command the  natural1 primitive     
instinct of the ,hungarian1 the ,greek1 
or the  ,persian peasant4    ,for bold  
decorative work few kinds of embroidery 
design are more  delightful than the    
bordered cloths and covers from         
,bokhara4 ,here1  again1 the colours are
 chiefly red and green in different     
shades1 the  reds concentrated in the   
form of big flowers in the intervals of 
an  open arabesque of thin stems and    
curved and pointed leaves in green1  the
 whole design upon a white linen ground4
      ,illustration3 ,,bokhara          
,,embroidery4 ,silk on linen1 chiefly in
 chain    stitch4    ,the large flowers 
are worked in two shades of rich red    
inclining    to crimson with yellow     
centres relieved by dark blue4 ,the blue
     yellow  red are repeated in the    

smaller flowers4      ,the leaves are   
blueish green with a red line down      
centre4 ,they    are outlined with      
bronze brown which ,i also used for the 
stems     spirals4      ,inner border1  
between red lines4 ,the star flowers are
 alternately    blue  red with yellow   
centres with bronze leaves4 ,the outer  
border1 also between red lines4 ,the    
flowers are red with blue     yellow    
centres alternately1  green  bronze     
leaves4    ,such joyful1 frank1 and bold
 colour1 however1 would be usually      
considered too bright for the ordinary  
,english interior1 and under our  gray  
skies2 and colour1 after all1 is so much
 a question of climate1  and though for 
its full splendour we turn to the south 
and east1 we  need not want for models  
of beautiful1 if quieter1 harmonies in  
the  natural tints of our native country
 at different seasons of the year4      
,there are abundant suggestions to be   
had from field and hedgerow at  all     
times--arrangements in russet1 or gold1 

or green4 ,what can be  more beautiful  
as a colour motive than the frail pink  
or white of the  blossoms of the briar  
rose1 starring the green arabesque of   
thorny  stem and leaf2 or its scarlet   
hip and bronze green leaf in the autumn2
  or the crisp1 white pattern of the    
field daisy on the pale green  of the   
hay field1 relieved by the yellow       
centres and by the red  of sorrel2 or   
the brave scarlet of the poppy between  
the thin gold  threads of the ripe corn4
 ,then1 too1 there are beautiful schemes
 of  colour to be found in the plumage  
of our birds4 ,take the colours of a    
jay1 for instance--a mass of            
fawn-coloured gray with a pinkish tinge1
  relieved with touches of intense black
 and white and small bars of  turquoise 
blue and white4 ,a charming scheme for  
an embroidered pattern  might be made of
 such an arrangement1 if the colours    
were used in  similar proportions to    
those of nature--say in a costume4      
,the mainspring of colour suggestion1 as

 of design1 in embroidery1  however1    
must be found in ,nature's own          
embroidery--flowers1 and the  garden    
must always be an unfailing source of   
fresh suggestion for  floral design both
 in colour and form4 ,but1 of course1   
everything in  the process of adaptation
 to artistic purposes is under the      
necessity  of translation or            
transformation1 and any form or tint in 
nature must  be re-stated in the terms  
proper to the art or craft under its own
  conditions and limitations as being   
essential to the character and  beauty  
of the result1 suggestion1 rather than  
imitation of nature1  being the         
principle to follow4    ,but while we   
must go to nature for fresh inspiration 
in colour  invention or combination1 we 
have a guide in the traditions and      
examples of the craft and the choice of 
stitches to influence our  treatment4   
,the colour principles1 too1 we may find
 in allied arts may help us4            
,illustration3 ,,design ,,for ,,an      

,,embroidered ,,hanging    ,showing the 
use of shields of arms as contrasting   
elements in colour  pattern             
,,colours3      oak leaves - sage green4
      stone  acorns - golden brown    on
 pale green or unbleached    linen      
ground4      ,heraldic colours as noted 
on sketch      ,,original ,,design ,,by 
,,walter ,,crane4    ,heraldry1 for     
instance1 while shields of arms1 crests1
 and mottoes1  are in themselves        
excellent material for embroidery1 as   
units  of embroidered pattern4 ,the     
principles of the disposition and       
countercharge of colour in heraldry1 and
 the methods of its display  and        
treatment in form as exemplified in the 
heraldic design of the  best            
periods--say1 from the twelfth to the   
fifteenth century--will be  found full  
of useful lessons4 ,a repeating pattern 
of leaves or flowers  in a hanging is   
pleasantly enriched and varied by the   
introduction  of heraldic badges or     
shields at intervals1 the emphatic      

concentrated  colour and accent of the  
heraldry contrasting with the less      
formal1  open1 but evenly dispersed     
design with its recurring units and     
counterbalancing curves which form the  
main field of the hanging4  ,interesting
 heraldic devices for such purposes may 
be found in every  locality1 either of  
family1 civic1 or general historic      
interest1 our  village churches being   
generally valuable treasuries from this 
point  of view4    ,where it is desired 
to restrict colour in embroidery to two 
or  three tints1 and restricted colour  
is generally suitable to simple         
decorative purposes with corresponding  
simplicity of design1 it is  safe to    
follow the principle of complementary   
colours in nature4  ,red and green1 blue
 and orange1 brown and yellow1 and so   
on1 but1 of  course1 this would leave an
 immense range of choice of actual tint 
of  any one colour open4 ,your red1 for 
instance1 might be salmon pink or  deep 
crimson1 your green that of the first   

lime shoots in spring to  the metallic  
bronze of the holly leaf2 your blue     
might be that of  larkspur or the       
turquoise of the palest forget-me-not1  
while  your orange might be that of the 
ripe fruit or the tint of faded         
beech-leaf4 ,tasteful work1 however1 may
 be done in two or three shades  of the 
same colour4    ,the choice of tint for 
the embroidery must depend largely upon 
the  tint and material of the ground1   
and also upon the material in which  the
 work itself is to be carried out--silk1
 cotton thread1 or crewels4  ,whether1  
however1 for designs which entirely     
cover the ground1 or for  the lightest  
open floral pattern1 linen seems the    
material on which  the best results are 
produced4          ,,notes ,,on ,,early 
,,italian ,,gesso ,,work                
,,notes ,,on ,,early ,,italian ,,gesso  
,,work      ,the charming varieties of  
decoration in relief by means of        
modelled  gesso and stucco which        
attained to such richness and beauty in 

the  hands of ,italian artists in the   
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries1  are
 traceable to very early origins1 and   
come down from ,graeco-,roman  and      
,roman times1 and probably had a still  
earlier existence in the  ,east1 since  
decoration in raised gesso was long     
practised by the  ,persians and the     
,arabs1 and plaster-work goes back to   
the ancient  ,egyptians1 who also used  
gesso grounds for the painting and      
gilding of  their mummy cases4 ,existing
 examples of ,roman and ,pompeian relief
  work belong mostly to the first       
century ,b4,c41 and are of the nature   
of architectural enrichments1 being     
chiefly mural and ceiling  decorations1 
worked in plaster and stucco1 in situ4  
,many of these  are very delicate and   
show the influence of ,greek feeling in 
design  and treatment1 such1 for        
instance1 as those from the ceilings of 
the tombs on the ,via ,latina at ,rome1 
which in their simple panelled          
treatment1 enclosing groups of finely   

modelled figures seem to be the         
forerunners of the rich and delicate    
gesso relief work1 stamped1 or  modelled
 with the brush1 which the ,italians    
used with such tact in the  decoration  
of caskets1 marriage coffers1 and other 
furniture in the  early renascence      
period4 ,mr4 ,millar in his             
comprehensive work on  ,plastering      
speaks of a very fine example of gesso  
work as existing  in the old cathedral  
church at ,coire1 a box which is said to
 be as old  as the ninth century4 ,it is
 entirely covered with gesso1 on which  
a design in relief has been roughly     
scrolled4 ,the gesso has been  polished 
so as to give the appearance of ivory1  
and he further says1  at the corners1   
where it has got chipped off1 the ends  
of the linen  can be seen which has     
evidently been put next the wood1 as    
,cennino  ,cennini advises4    ,cennino1
 indeed1 in his very interesting        
,trattato 7which was  translated by     
,mrs4 ,merrifield in #ahdd1 for the     

first time into  ,english1 and recently1
 more accurately and completely1 by     
,mrs4  ,herringham7 gives very full and 
ample accounts of the methods in use  in
 his time in painting and the allied    
arts1 and gives recipes1 also1  both for
 making and working gesso4 ,he lays     
great stress on the care  necessary in  
preparing grounds on wood both for      
painting and raised  work1 and in       
advocating the use of linen cloth1 old1 
fine1 and white1  and free from all     
grease1 writes take your best size1 cut 
or tear  large or small strips of this  
linen1 soak these in the size1 and      
spread them with your hands over the    
surface of the panel2 remove  the seams1
 and spread the strips out with the     
palms of the hands1 and  leave them to  
dry for two days4 ,he further enjoined  
one to remember  it is best to use size 
when the weather is dry and windy4 ,size
 is  stronger in the winter than in     
summer1 and in winter gilding must be   
done in damp and rainy weather4         

,then--,chapter #aae--;he proceeds to   
describe the process of laying on the   
ground of gesso over the linen4  ,his   
gesso grosso used for the ground1 is    
burnt gypsum or what we  know as plaster
 of paris4 ,the same1 well-slaked1 he   
uses for finer  grounds1 and also for   
working in relief upon such grounds4    
,in ,chapter #aaf ,cennino describes how
 to prepare gesso sottile 7slaked       
plaster of paris74 ,the plaster1 he     
says1 must be well purified1 and  kept  
moist in a large tub for at least a     
month2 renew the water every  day until 
it 7the plaster7 almost rots1 and is    
completely slaked1 and  all fiery heat  
goes out of it1 and it becomes as soft  
as silk4 ,this  gesso is afterwards     
dried in cakes and ,cennino speaks of it
 in this  form as sold by the druggists 
to our painters1 and that it is used    
for grounding1 for gilding1 for working 
in relief1 and other fine  works4 ,these
 cakes were scraped or soaked and ground
 to powder and  mixed with size for     

using as grounds and for relief work1 as
 occasion  required 7,chapters #aag1    
#aai74 ,in speaking further on 7,chapter
 #abd7 of  how works in relief are      
executed on panels with gesso sottile1  
he  says1 take a little of the gesso on 
the point of the brush 7the brush  must 
be of minever1 and the hairs fine and   
rather long71 and with that  quickly    
raise whatever figures you wish to make 
in relief2 and if you  raise any        
foliage1 draw the design previously1    
like the figures1 and  be careful not to
 relieve too many things1 or confusedly1
 for the  clearer you make your foliage 
ornaments1 the better you will be able  
to display the ingraining with stamps   
and they can be better burnished  with  
the stone4 ,he describes 7,chapter #abe7
 also methods of casting  relief work1  
to adorn some parts of the picture which
 shows he is  thinking of gesso         
enrichments in painting1 so much used by
 the early  painters4    ,cennino is    
said to have been living in ,padua in   

the year #acih4 ,his  treatise shows the
 care and patience necessary to good    
workmanship in  the various arts and    
crafts he describes1 and throws much    
light upon  the methods of the artist   
craftsman of his time1 and is of        
particular  value and interest as       
touching the subjects of tempera        
painting1  gilding1 and1 incidentally1  
of gesso-relief decoration1 to the      
ornamental effect of which both the     
former are important contributors4  ,now
 there are several distinct varieties of
 gesso work4 ,firstly we  have gesso    
relief used to adorn and enrich painted 
panels1 or as an  adjunct to decorative 
painting4 ,of this there are many       
instances3  a notable one may be cited  
in the frescoes of ,pinturrichio in the 
,appartamenti ,borgia in the ,vatican at
 ,rome where the paintings are          
heightened by gilded parts in relief1   
such as weapons and ornaments1          
embroidery or robes1 and even           
architectural mouldings4 ,the late ,mr4 

,spencer ,stanhope revived this union of
 gilded gesso with decorative  painting1
 as in his work in the chapel at        
,marlborough ,college4 ,other  examples 
may be found in our ,national ,gallery4 
,the superb collection  of ,italian     
gesso work in the ,victoria and ,albert 
,museum1 unrivalled  anywhere1 from     
which1 by the courtesy of the late ,mr4 
,skinner1 who was  ,sir ,c4 ,purdon     
,clarke's successor in the              
directorship1#i ,i am enabled  to give  
my illustrations1 may be referred to as 
furnishing examples of  every variety of
 treatment in the craft1 as well as of  
the taste and  invention and richness of
 early ,italian decorative design4      
,illustration3 ,,marriage ,,coffer1     
,,no4 #ehjd--ahei    7,,victoria ,,and  
,,albert ,,museum74    ,as an adjunct to
 painting gilded gesso was frequently   
used burnished  and enriched with       
stamped or punctured patterns 7granare71
 often in  the form of nimbi around the 
heads of saints and angels in devotional

  works1 and in backgrounds4 ,cennino   
7,chapter #adb7 speaks of this method   
and gives directions in it4 ,the        
,marriage ,coffer from the ,museum1 ,no4
  #ehjd--ahei1 illustrates this         
treatment and is a good example of  its 
highly decorative effect4 ,the front    
panel shows a very rich and  interesting
 design of figures in fifteenth century 
,florentine costume1  heightened with   
gilded parts in gesso having small      
punctured patterns  upon it1 which give 
sparkle and variety to the gold4 ,this  
method seems  to have been continued for
 several centuries in ,florence4 ,i have
 an  alms-dish of early seventeenth     
century date1 the centre of which  is   
treated in this way with punctured or   
hollow pin-head patterns  impressed upon
 a gilded gesso ground4    ,this method1
 it may be noted1 has lately been       
revived by ,mrs4 ,adrian  ,stokes in    
association with tempera painting4      
,illustration3 ,,italian ,,cassone1     
,,no4 #cag--ahid    7,,victoria ,,and   

,,albert ,,museum74    ,stamped work1   
again1 mentioned by ,cennino1 is another
 distinct method  in gesso decoration4  
,of this a very beautiful example is the
 early  fourteenth-century ,italian     
cassone 7,no4 #cag--ahid74 ,this cassone
 is  decorated with figures of knights  
and ladies on horseback1 in hawking  and
 hunting array1 each figure being       
silhouetted in clear profile in  a      
separate square panel1 in white1 upon a 
black or a red ground1  alternately4    
,these spaces or panels are divided     
horizontally by  bands of running       
ornament in relief1 and1 vertically by  
bands of  thin wrought iron foliated at 
the edges which form protecting and     
strengthening bands for the chest4 ,the 
stamps from which these figures  were   
produced must have been most delicately 
cut4 ,they are full of  fine detail and 
charming in design4 ,it is not quite    
clear how they  could have been so      
cleanly stamped upon the ground1 unless 
perhaps1  the edges and outlines were   

carefully gone round and cleared        
afterwards1 or the paste in which they  
were stamped1 perhaps being  slow in    
setting and more or less elastic1 might 
have allowed of their  being stamped    
cleanly out of the material separately  
and applied to  the gesso ground or the 
chest afterwards4#aj    ,in design these
 figures 7on the cassone illustrated7   
are characterized  by a certain graceful
 severity1 almost ,greek-like in its    
ornamental  restraint1 yet in the       
delicate invention and richness of the  
decorative details of the costumes and  
housings of the horses they are         
oriental in treatment4    ,it has often 
been said that human figures cannot be  
repeated with  satisfactory decorative  
effect1 but this cassone is surely a    
striking  instance to the contrary1 as  
the recurring effect of these delicately
  silhouetted and slightly formalized   
figures and horses is extremely  refined
 and beautiful4      ,illustration3     
,,shield ,,in ,,gilded ,,gesso1    ,,no4

 #c--ahfe 7,,victoria ,,and ,,albert    
,,museum74    ,we might be able to      
discover examples of gesso decoration in
 which  stamped work or moulded work was
 used for repeating parts1 and  freehand
 work for other parts4 ,in the ,museum  
examples the majority  seem to have been
 worked directly with a free hand4      
,there is a fine  example of how gesso  
lends itself to a bold heraldic         
treatment in  the ,museum collection    
7,no4 #c--ahfe71 a tournament shield on 
which a  griffin1 sable1 is emblazoned  
on a field1 or4 ,the sable griffin in   
bold relief is not only a fine heraldic 
beast1 but is decoratively  spaced and  
relieved upon the gold field1 the       
richness of which is  greatly enhanced  
by the fine raised diaper pattern worked
 all over it  in effective ornamental   
contrast to the bolder relief and       
treatment of  the charge4 ,it is        
possible stamps may have been used for  
the diaper  of the field4 ,the work     
belongs to the second half of the       

fifteenth  century and is from the      
,palazzo ,guadagni1 ,florence4          
,illustration3 ,,front ,,of ,,cassone   
,,in ,,gilded ,,gesso1 ,,no4 #gbg--ahhd 
7,,victoria ,,and ,,albert ,,museum7    
,one of the charms of gesso work in     
ornamental effect is the softened1      
floated1 or half melted look given to   
the forms which take the lustre  of     
gilding so agreeably4 ,this character no
 doubt is given by the use  of the brush
 in floating or dropping on the forms of
 the ornament4  ,in ,no4 #gbg--ahhd of  
the ,museum collection a particularly   
rich and  dignified ornamental effect is
 produced by the contrasting allied     
elements of the figure reliefs in the   
large lozenge-shaped enclosures1  with  
the rich gilded formal diaper of the    
heraldic sphinx1 or  human-headed lion1 
which1 in close repetition1 forms the   
diaper on the  main field of the        
decoration4 ,the raised work in this    
example has  the softened molten or     
beaten character above spoken of4 ,the  

marriage  coffer 7,no4 #gah--ahhd7 is an
 instance of purely ornamental treatment
  in raised and gilded gesso on wood1   
consisting mainly of foliated  scroll   
forms characteristic of the early       
,italian ,renascence work1  and here    
again the raised patterns have the soft 
rich look1 as if the  ornament had been 
squeezed or floated upon the surface of 
the wood1  somewhat in the way in which 
confectioners squeeze sugar ornaments   
upon cakes4 ,sugar1 by the way was an   
occasional ingredient in the            
preparation of gesso1 as ,cennino       
mentions4      ,illustration3 ,,marriage
 ,,coffer1 ,,no4 #gah--ahhd             
7,,victoria ,,and ,,albert ,,museum74   
,illustration3 ,,marriage ,,coffer1     
,,no4 #bdg--ahid    7,,victoria ,,and   
,,albert ,,museum74    ,no4 #bdg--ahid1 
is a marriage coffer of walnut which has
 a  symmetrically and formally planned  
scheme of raised decoration in  gesso   
upon its front which suggests an earlier
 ornamental origin than  the actual date

 of its production1 perhaps1 given as   
the end of the  fourteenth century1 as  
it resembles in character the textile   
patterns  of the thirteenth century or  
earlier4 ,the treatment of the gesso    
relief work is peculiar1 and it appears 
as if an extremely softened1  even and  
almost flattened effect had been aimed  
at1 without any  special emphasis on    
particular parts4      ,illustration3   
,,marriage ,,coffer1 ,,no4 #eh--ahfg    
7,,victoria ,,and ,,albert ,,museum74   
,the rich encrusted effect of another   
treatment of gesso decoration           
characteristic of later fifteenth       
century work is shown in the  beautiful 
coffer1 ,no4 #eh--ahfg1 the painted     
shields of arms being in  ornamental    
contrast4 ,here we have an instance of  
the use of painting  to relieve gesso   
decoration1 as distinct from the use of 
gesso work to  enrich the effect in     
painting4    ,gesso decoration was also 
finely and freely used for small caskets
  and other objects and with delightful 

results1 as the rich ,museum  collection
 again demonstrates4      ,illustration3
 ,,coffer1 ,,no4 #i--ahij    7,,victoria
 ,,and ,,albert ,,museum74    ,the      
coffret1 ,no4 #i--ahij1 is an           
interesting instance of this            
adaptability of gesso and the           
extraordinary variety and richness of   
effect obtainable2 almost emulating     
carved work in the bolder parts  of its 
relief1 and yet with a softness and     
richness of its own4 ,the  designs are  
singularly interesting and spirited1 and
 the whole work  fully deserves the     
encomium suggested by its motto 7in     
,lombardic  letters on the lid7 ,onesta 
e bella4      ,illustration3 ,,gesso    
,,box1 ,,no4 #egeg--ahei    7,,victoria 
,,and ,,albert ,,museum74    ,in ,no4   
#egeg--ahei we have another good example
 of gesso decoration  on a small scale1 
and its rich ornate effect in a         
well-balanced  distribution of ornament 
adapted to a circular form1 showing the 
fine  sense of scale and quantity in    

ornament which distinguishes ,italian   
work of this period--the first half of  
the fifteenth century4                  
,illustration3 ,,front ,,of ,a ,,coffer1
 ,,no4 #ghcj--ahfa    7,,victoria ,,and 
,,albert ,,museum74    ,finally1 in my  
last example 7,no4 #ghcj--ahfa71 the    
panel of a coffer  belonging to the     
early sixteenth century1 we see another 
use and  treatment of gesso--to soften  
and enrich the effect of woodcarving    
and to make a good surface for gilding4 
,the figures here are carved in  bold   
relief and overlaid with a coating of   
gesso4    ,all carved work to be gilded 
was treated in this way with gesso1     
which  greatly softens the effect1      
giving a smooth surface for the gilding 
and increases its richness1 especially  
when done over ,armenian bole1  which we
 may see was used under the gilding of  
these raised gesso  ornaments           
generally--another method which is being
 revived with the  general revival of   
the forgotten arts of design and        

handicraft in our  own time4            
,,note4--,with reference to the early   
use of gesso1 the extremely             
interesting and remarkable recent       
discoveries of ,prof4      ,flinders    
,petrie in ,egypt in the shape of       
mummies of the ,roman      period of the
 first century ,a4,d41 in addition to   
the light      they throw on antique    
portrait painting1 show that gilded     
gesso enrichment over linen was freely  
used at that period1      some of the   
masks being moulded1 and the ornament   
apparently      stamped1 the toes of    
each mummy being modelled and gilded and
      burnished1 and the wrappings      
relieved with gilded buttons of         
gesso4          ,footnote #i3 ,before   
the appointment of ,sir ,cecil ,smith4  
,footnote #aj3 ,cennino describes a     
method of cutting stamps in      stone  
7,chapter #agj7 to be used as moulds for
 figures to be      applied to the      
decoration of chests or coffers1 but he 
speaks      of beating tin into these   

moulds and forming the figures in       
this way1 afterwards backing them or    
filling them in with      gesso grosso1 
cutting them out and sticking them on   
the chest      with glue1 gilding them  
and adding colour and varnish4          
,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,treatment ,,of     
,,animals ,,in ,,art          ,,notes   
,,on ,,the ,,treatment ,,of ,,animals   
,,in ,,art      ,looking back over the  
vast field of historic art it is obvious
  that the representation of animals has
 occupied a very important              
position--even the prehistoric cave-men 
display their artistic  instinct in     
animal draughtsmanship1 and in that     
alone1 and their  naturalistic scratched
 and incised outlines have set down for 
us in  unerring characterization1 the   
forms of the mastodon1 reindeer1 and    
other animals of the primitive hunter4  
,judging from these relics it would seem
 as if naturalistic sketching  preceded 
systematic ornamental or decorative     
treatment of animals in  design such as 

distinguishes the art of the ancient    
civilizations of  the ,east4            
,illustration3 ,egyptian treatment of   
birds4    from hieroglyphics of the     
#ahth ,dynasty4      ,tombs of the      
kings4 ,thebes4    ,long before such    
systematization as we find in ancient   
,egyptian art1  no doubt the power of   
depicting animals became important in   
the  tribal state1 when it was necessary
 for each tribe to have their           
distinguishing totem1 and to be able to 
establish their identity or             
respectability by unmistakable          
portraits1 if not of their ancestors1   
at least of their protecting animal     
deities and symbolic progenitors4       
,nature worship1 which became elaborated
 in a symbolic religious system  under  
the ancient ,egyptians1 under the       
conditions of mural and glyptic  art led
 to that severe and dignified formalism 
combined with essential                 
characterization in the treatment of    
birds and animals which has  never been 

surpassed and which have given splendid 
types for the  mural painter and        
sculptor for all time4 ,heavier and more
 formal and  architectural in their     
sculptural treatment of symbolic        
animals1 such  as the winged bulls which
 form essential architectural features1 
the  ,assyrians1 when they came to the  
treatment of actual scenes of life      
7such as the lion-hunts of their kings1 
carved in low relief on the  walls of   
their palaces17 showed a freer and more 
naturalistic feeling  which breaks      
through a prevailing formalism and      
convention sometimes  with almost       
startling power1 as in the celebrated   
wounded lioness of  the ,nineveh slabs  
in the ,british ,museum4                
,illustration3 ,lion from ,assyrian     
,bas-relief4      ,illustration3        
,persian ,lion from the frieze at ,susa 
7,perrot  chipiez7      ,illustration3  
,lion from a ,theban bas-relief4        
7,perrot  chipiez7    ,there is a       
considerable resemblance in treatment   

between the ,assyrian  lion in sculpture
 and the lion of ancient ,persia as he  
appears at the  palace of ,susa1 though1
 heightened with enamel1 the latter     
acquires  a certain decorative and      
distinctive ferocity4 ,a lion from a    
,theban  bas-relief shows the simpler   
and more abstract treatment of ,egyptian
  art4    ,this ,perso-,assyrian type of
 lion might almost be called a central  
,asian type1 and is curiously           
perpetuated in the well-known supporters
  of the pillar over the gate of ,mycen4
    ,in fact the later ,greek lion shows
 marked traces of his descent from  his 
,asian prototypes4 ,the influence of the
 same decorative formalism1  more       
especially of the mane and hirsute      
appendages1 is indeed  traceable through
 ,byzantine times1 from the bronze lion 
of ,st4 ,mark  to the heraldic lions of 
the middle ages4 ,the same influence is 
seen  again in the remarkable group of  
lions forming the capital of a column   
discovered at ,sarnath near ,benares in 

,india1 associated with many  other     
sculptures of ,graeco-,buddhist origin4 
,illustration3 ,grco-,buddhist ,group of
 ,lions carved in marble    forming     
summit of a column excavated at ,sarnath
 nr4 ,benares    ,for perfect monumental
 treatment of horses1 when truthful     
action  and vitality are perfectly      
united with linear rhythm and decorative
  effect1 we must still turn to the     
pan-athenaic frieze--despite the        
opinion of the ,yorkshire horse-dealer  
who pronounced them only damned         
galloways1 not worth ten pounds apiece6 
,they remain full of life and  movement 
and as examples of most delicate relief 
sculpture governed by  ornamental       
feeling4      ,illustration3 ,animal    
forms from early ,greek pottery    ,i   
should just like to mention1 while      
speaking of ,greek art1 the  practice of
 the early vase painter1 who1 frequently
 using animals  as his main decorative  
motive1 had a system by which he was    
able  to harmonize many different kinds 

in1 say1 a running border1 or           
succession of borders4 ,this was done   
partly through the influence of  the    
brush and partly by the recognition of  
typical resemblances even  in apparently
 diverse forms4 ,the basis of unity was 
the oval or ovoid  shape of the bodies  
of all animals and birds4 ,the vase     
painter with  his ornamental purpose in 
view exaggerated this resemblance1      
governing  his individual shapes by a   
sort of invisible volute-like curves1 he
  gained a rhythmic decorative effect   
without loss of identity in his  forms4 
,with the development of heraldry in    
mediaeval times we come upon a  world of
 spirited and vividly decorative design 
in which the forms of  animals play a   
very important part4 ,a very instructive
 study might be  made of the mediaeval  
heraldic lion alone4 ,the heraldic      
designer  had to be emphatic in his     
forms1 and distinct though simple in    
characterization4 ,as with the ,greek   
vase painter1 profile best served  his  

purpose1 and effective silhouette became
 all important4 ,when the  lion is      
passant regardant in mediaeval heraldry 
the full face has  a curiously human    
character1 as in the arms of ,prince    
,john at ,eltham  which ,mr4 ,g4 ,w4    
,eve gives in his ,heraldry as ,art4    
,illustration3 ,the ,lion in ,english   
heraldry4    ,arms of ,prince ,john of  
,eltham1 ,westminster ,abbey4    ,among 
the finest examples of the treatment of 
animals in decorative  art of an        
heraldic and symbolic character are the 
designs of the  twelfth and             
thirteenth-century textiles1 in the     
celebrated ,sicilian  silks1 or those of
 ,lucca of the fourteenth century4 ,in  
these fabrics  the animal forms are used
 with the greatest ornamental effect1   
the  conditions of the repeat of the    
pattern and the exigences of the  loom  
being essential1 and1 frankly           
acknowledged1 contribute to the         
character and beauty of the result4     
,it has always been the frank and       

workmanlike acceptance of the  necessary
 conditions of the materials and methods
 of production1  which1 while defining  
the character of the treatment1 gives   
both  character and beauty to decorative
 art1 and we find this especially  true 
in regard to the treatment of animal    
forms in all kinds of  design4          
,illustration3 ,,sicilian ,,silk1       
,,thirteenth ,,century 7,,fishbach74    
,illustration3 ,,sicilian ,,silk1       
,,thirteenth ,,century 7,,fishbach74    
,illustration3 ,,sicilian ,,silk1       
,,thirteenth ,,century 7,,fishbach74    
,the pursuit of superficial imitation in
 modern times1 the pictorial  aim which 
includes atmospheric effect and the     
representation of  values1 textures1 and
 surfaces1 extending its influence over 
all the  arts of design has done much to
 destroy the dignity1 the character1    
and the decorative reserve of ancient   
and mediaeval design in the  treatment  
of animals2 the so-called naturalistic  
aim producing  palpably absurd effects  

in sculpture and in heraldry1 for       
instance4  ,with the modern revival of  
design and knowledge of the handicrafts 
this mistake has been largely corrected4
 ,artists have discovered the  peculiar 
qualities proper to different materials 
and processes and  their value as means 
of expression in design is much more    
generally  understood and acknowledged1 
while fresh study of nature has helped1 
with these1 to make a fresh and         
appropriate convention in the  treatment
 of animals possible4 ,the ,japanese    
have taught us that  marvellous fidelity
 to nature may be united with decorative
 effect  in the treatment of            
animals--especially birds and fishes1   
and that  certain facts of structure and
 surface or colour may become1 under    
skilful treatment1 brilliant parts of a 
design--as the scales of a  fish in     
inlays of pearl1 or in lacquer3 the     
plumage of a bird in silk  embroidery1  
or the system of structure of the       
feathers expressed in  the delicate     

lines of cloisonn enamel4 ,examples of  
,chinese art might  be referred to also 
for excellence in the same qualities    
united with  more decorative reserve and
 dignity4      ,illustration3 ,,from    
,,the ,,hundred ,,birds ,,of ,,bari4    
,illustration3 ,peacock bracket4    ,man
 ,mandir ,palace4 ,gwalior4    ,i have  
not mentioned ,indian art1 except the   
example at ,sarnath1 which1  at least1  
as regards the ,hindu side abounds with 
examples of the  decorative treatment of
 animals1 the temples being frequently a
  mass of animal life in carving1       
continuous courses being formed of      
elephants1 horses1 and bulls in         
succession4 ,the peacock1 too1 being  a 
sacred bird1 constantly appears4 ,at the
 old palace of ,man ,mandir  at         
,gwalior1 ,central ,india1 ,i saw a     
carved stone bracket in which  a peacock
 had been very effectively treated for  
its constructive  purpose3 and in the   
south1 at ,tanjore1 ,i saw the splendid 
bird1 in  the quick1 with tail like a   

sweeping robe1 perched upon the sacred  
colossal bull which1 carved in black    
stone 7or marble1 darkened with         
successive libations of votive oil7     
reposes in the court of the great       
temple1 and whose living prototype might
 easily be found drawing an  ox-cart in 
the town4      ,illustration3 ,elephant 
bracket    ,man ,mandir ,palace ,gwalior
    ,at ,gwalior1 too1 ,i noted a       
treatment of the elephant in a carved   
stone  bracket in the old palace of ,man
 ,mandir1 which in structure recalled   
the wondrous columns of the temple at   
,steerungum at ,trichinopoly  in the    
south1 though in the latter case the    
subject is mainly the  horseman1 but the
 resemblance is in the arrangement which
 seems  characteristic of ,indian       
7,hindu7 carving4 ,at the ,guest ,house1
 ,gwalior1  also1 elephants' heads were 
treated ingeniously as the corbels      
supporting balconies4 ,it was modern    
work1 but evidently influenced by  the  
carvings in the old palace above        

mentioned4 ,there was an abundance  of  
floral carving and geometric pierced    
work in this ,guest ,house1  besides1   
extremely skilful and beautiful in      
detail1 showing that the  modern ,hindu 
architectural carver had by no means    
lost his cunning4  ,this1 of course1 was
 a native state4      ,illustration3    
,elephant corbels ,guest ,house ,gwalior
    ,one almost wonders that golden     
images of favourite race-horses are not 
set up in--well1 some of our public     
places1 for it cannot be said  that     
there is no animal worship in our own   
country1 though the  votive offerings in
 art usually take the form of sporting  
prints1 or  paintings of fat stock with 
straight backs and short horns4         
,illustration3 ,,elephant ,,corbels1    
,,guest ,,house1 ,,gwalior4    ,animal  
painting was once an honoured and       
prosperous career in ,england1  and     
prints after ,landseer covered a        
considerable acreage in the early       
,victorian epoch4 ,do not his lions     

still support ,nelson in ,trafalgar     
,square1 and perhaps afford some        
protection to unpopular speakers on     
that historic plinth8 ,i think1 however1
 most of us would prefer the  little    
lion which was modelled by ,alfred      
,stevens1 both as a dignified           
representation of our ,national ,totem  
and as an example of native  artistic   
style and treatment4      ,illustration3
 ,lion by ,alfred ,stevens1    formerly 
part of the outer iron railing of the   
,british ,museum4          ,,modern     
,,aspects ,,of ,,life ,,and ,,the       
,,sense ,,of ,,beauty                   
,illustration          ,,modern         
,,aspects ,,of ,,life ,,and ,,the       
,,sense ,,of ,,beauty      ,that modern 
social and economic conditions tend to  
destroy beauty in  the outward aspects  
of human life and nature3 the thesis1   
thus stated1  would seem almost a       
self-evident proposition2 yet ,i am by  
no means  sure that sensitiveness to    
beauty--or to its absence--in our daily 

surroundings is so very common 7or even 
that there is a common  understanding as
 to the idea of beauty7 that it would   
obtain general  assent without further  
explanation2 and as ,i have undertaken  
to open  the case for the prosecution1  
if ,i may so term it1 ,i will try to put
  before you my reasons and conclusions 
on the matter4    ,my first witness     
shall be ,london1 as ,london is typical 
and focusses  most of the effects of    
modern social and economic conditions4  
,now1 we  hear a great deal of the      
beauty of ,london1 but probably those   
who  talk of her beauty are really      
thinking of certain beauty spots or the 
picturesqueness of certain favoured     
localities where the ,thames and  the   
parks come in4 ,vast as ,london is1 most
 of us really live for the  most part in
 a comparatively small ,london4 ,outside
 our usual haunts  lies a vast unknown  
region1 of which indeed occasional      
glimpses are  obtained on being obliged 
to travel across or through the desert  

of  the multi-county-city4    ,those    
whose ,london is bounded on the west by 
,kensington ,gardens and  on the east by
 ,mayfair1 do not figure to themselves  
,clerkenwell or  ,ratcliffe ,highway1   
,bethnal ,green or ,bow1 and would not  
care to  embrace the vast new suburbs   
spreading over the green fields in every
  direction1 or even to notice the      
comparatively select slums in the       
shadow of ,belgravian mansions4         
,supposing we approached our metropolis 
by any of the great railway lines1 there
 is nothing to indicate that  we are    
entering the greatest and wealthiest    
city in the world4 ,we pass  rows and   
rows of mean dwellings--yellow brick    
boxes with blue slate  lids--crowded    
close to the railway in many places1    
with squalid little  backyards4 ,we fly 
over narrow streets1 and complex webs   
and networks  of railway lines1 and     
thread our way through telegraph and    
telephone  wires1 myriad smoking        
chimney-pots1 steaming1 throbbing works 

of  all kinds1 sky signs1 and the       
wonders of the parti-coloured poster    
hoardings--which pursue one into the    
station itself1 flaring on  the         
reluctant and jaded sight with          
ever-increasing importunity and         
iteration1 until one recalls the        
philosopher who remarked ,strange  that 
the world should need so much pressing  
to accept such apparently  obvious      
advantages6    ,inside the station1     
however large1 all sense of             
architectural  proportion is lost by the
 strident labels of all sorts and sizes1
 and  banal devices on every scale and  
in every variety of crude colour1       
stuck1 like huge postage stamps1        
wherever likely to catch the eye4       
,the same thing meets us in the streets3
 in the busier commercial  quarters1    
too1 it is a common device to hang the  
name of the firm in  gigantic gilt      
letters all over the windows and upper  
stories of the  shops2 while the shops  
themselves become huge warehouses of    

goods1  protected by sheets of plate    
glass1 upon the edges of which          
apparently  rest vast superstructures of
 flats and offices1 playfully pinned    
together by telegraph poles1 and hung   
with a black spider's web of  wires1 as 
if to catch any soaring ideas of better 
things that might  escape the mele of   
the street4 ,in the streets a vast crowd
 of  all sorts1 sizes and conditions is 
perpetually hurrying to and fro1        
presenting the sharpest contrasts in    
appearance and bearing4 ,here the       
spruce and prosperous business man1     
there the ragged cadger1 the club       
idler1 and the out-o'-work2 there the   
lady in her luxurious carriage  or      
motor1 in purple and fine linen1 and    
there the wretched seller of  matches4  
,modern street traffic1 too1 is of the  
most mixed and bewildering kind1  and   
the already too perilous ,london streets
 have been made much more  so by the    
motor in its various forms of van and   
'bus1 business or  private car4 ,the    

aspect of a ,london street during one of
 the frequent  traffic blocks is        
certainly extraordinary1 so variously   
sorted and  sized are the vehicles1     
wedged in an apparently inextricable    
jumble1  while the railways and tubes   
burrowed underground only add fresh     
streams of humanity to the traffic1     
instead of relieving it4    ,yet it has 
been principally to relieve the         
congested traffic of  ,london that the  
great changes have been made which have 
practically  transformed the town1      
sweeping away historic buildings and    
relics of  the past1 and giving a       
general impression of rapid             
scene-shifting to  our streets4    ,the 
most costly and tempting wares are      
displayed in the shops in  clothing1    
food1 and all the necessities of life1  
as well as fantastic  luxuries and      
superfluities in the greatest           
profusion--things that  nobody wants    
made to give to people who have no use  
for them--yet1  necessities or not1     

removed only by the thickness of the    
plate-glass  from the famished eyes of  
penury and want4    ,the shops1 too1 are
 not workshops4 ,the goods appear in the
 windows  as if by magic4 ,their        
producers are hidden away in distant    
factories1  working like parts of a     
machine upon portions of wholes which   
perhaps  they never see complete4       
,turning to the residential quarters1 we
 see ostentation and luxury on  the one 
hand1 and cheap imitation1              
pretentiousness1 or meanness  and       
squalor on the other4 ,we see the       
aforesaid brick boxes packed  together1 
which have ruined the aspect of most of 
our towns3 we have  the pretentious     
suburban villa1 with its visitors' and  
servants'  bells2 we have the           
stucco-porticoed town mansion1 with its 
squeezy  hall and umbrella stand2 or we 
have the desirable flat1 nearer to      
heaven1 like the cell of a              
cliff-dweller1 where the modern citizen 
seeks seclusion in populous             

caravansaries which throw every street  
out  of scale where they rear their     
,babel-like heads4    ,i have not spoken
 of the gloom of older-fashioned        
residential  quarters1 frigid in their  
respectability1 which1 whatever centres 
of  light and leading they may conceal1 
seem outwardly to turn the cold         
shoulder to ordinary humanity1 or peep  
distrustfully at a wicked world  through
 their fanlights4    ,many of the       
features ,i have described are found    
also in most modern  cities in different
 degrees1 and are still more evident in 
the  ,united ,states1 where there is    
nothing ancient to stem the tide of     
modern--shall we say progress8 ,it is   
only fair to note1 however1  that there 
is a movement in ,new ,york1 in which   
leading architects and  artists are     
joining with municipal reformers1 for   
the preservation of  beauty in the      
better ordering of street improvements1 
the laying out  of public places1 and   
the general recognition of the social   

importance  of harmony and pleasant     
effect in cities1 which has lately found
  expression in schemes of town-planning
 and garden cities and suburbs  in this 
country4    ,turning from the aspects of
 their houses to the humans who inhabit 
them--take modern dress in our search   
for the beautiful6 ,well1  national if  
not distinctive costume--except of the  
working and  sporting sort1 court dress1
 collegiate and municipal robes1 and    
uniforms--has practically disappeared1  
and1 apart from working dress  in       
working hours1 one type of ceremonial1  
or full dress is common  to the people  
at large1 and that of the plainest      
kind--with whatever  differences and    
niceties of cut and taste in detail--,i 
mean the type  for men1 of course4      
,among the undisputed rights of women   
the liberty to dress as she  pleases1   
even under recognized types for set     
occasions1 and with  constant variety   
and change of style1 is not a little    
important1 and  it is a liberty that has

 very striking effects upon the aspects 
of modern life we are considering4 ,it  
is true1 this liberty may be  checked by
 the decrees of eminent modistes1 and   
limited by the  opinion of ,mrs4        
,grundy1 or the frank criticism of the  
boy in the  street2 and it is even more 
than probable that the exigencies of    
trade  have something to do with it     
also4    ,it is1 however1 too important 
an element in the ensemble of life to   
be ignored or undervalued in any way1 as
 women's dress affords one of  the few  
opportunities of indulging in the joy of
 colour that is left  to civilization4  
,men suffer the tyranny of the tall silk
 hat as the outward and visible  sign of
 respectability--surely a far more      
obvious one nowadays  than ,carlyle's   
gig4 ,gigmanity has become              
top-hat-manity4 ,the  stove-pipe is the 
crown of the modern king--financier--the
 business  man--,he who must be obeyed4 
,i understand it is still as much as a  
city clerk's place is worth for him to  

appear in any other head-gear4  ,ladies1
 too1 encourage it1 with the black-frock
 coat and the rest of  the funereally   
festive attire of modern correct        
mankind4 ,i suppose the  garb is        
considered to act as an effective foil  
to the feast of colour  indulged in by  
the ladies1 and that it may act as a    
sort of black  framing to fair          
pictures--black commas1 semi-colons1 or 
full-stops1  agreeably punctuating      
passages of delicate colour6    ,the    
worst of it is that the beauty of       
woman's dress1 when it happens  to      
follow or revive a fashion with great   
possibilities of beauty1 as  at present1
 seems to be a matter almost of         
accident1 and entirely at  the mercy of 
the mode 7or the trade87--here to-day   
and gone to-morrow2  and1 alas1 lovely  
woman1 our only hope for variety in     
colour and form  in modern life1 in her 
determination to descend into the       
industrial  and professional arena and  
compete commercially with men1 not      

unfrequently shows a tendency to take a 
leaf out of her rival's  tailor's       
pattern-book1 and to adopt or adapt more
 or less of the  features of modern     
man's prosaic1 though possibly          
convenient and  durable1 but certainly  
summary and unromantic attire4    ,well1
 ,i think1 on the whole1 the pictures   
which modern life in ,london  or any    
great capital discloses may be striking 
in their  contrasts1 vivid in their     
suggestions1 dramatic or tragic in their
  aspects--anything or everything1 in   
fact1 except beautiful2 except1  of     
course1 in so far as accidental effects 
of light and atmosphere  are beautiful1 
mainly1 perhaps1 because they disguise  
or transfigure  actually unlovely form  
and substance4    ,the essential        
qualities of beauty being harmony1      
proportion1 balance1  simplicity1 charm 
of form and colour1 can we expect to    
find much of  it in conditions which    
make life a mere scramble for existence 
for the  greater part of mankind8       

,bellamy1 in his ,looking ,backward1    
gives a  striking and succinct image of 
modern social and economic conditions   
in his illustration or allegory of the  
coach and horses4 ,the coach is         
,capitalism4 ,it carries a minority1 but
 even these struggle for a seat1  and to
 maintain their position1 frequently    
falling off1 when they  either go under 
altogether1 or must help to pull the    
coach with the  majority toiling in the 
traces of commercial competition4       
,however these conditions may1 among    
individuals1 be softened by human       
kindness1 or some of their aspects      
modified by artistic effort1 they  do   
not change the cruelty or injustice of  
the system1 or its brutal  and ugly     
aspects in the main4    ,but if modern  
civilization is only tolerable in       
proportion to the  number and facility  
of the means of escape from it1 perhaps 
we may  find at least the beauty of the 
country and of wild nature unimpaired8  
,do we8 ,we may escape the town by train

 or motor--running the risk in  either  
case of a smash--but we cannot escape   
commercial enterprise4  ,the very trees 
and houses sprout with business cards1  
and the  landscape along some of our    
principal railway lines seems owned by  
the vendors of drugs4 ,turning away our 
eyes from such annoyances1  commercial  
enterprise1 again1 has us in all sorts  
of alluring  announcements of all sorts 
and sizes in innumerable newspapers and 
magazines1 which1 like paper kites1 can 
only maintain their position  by        
extensive tails4 ,the tail--that is1 the
 advertisement sheets--keeps  the kite  
flying--and the serial tale keeps the   
advertisers going1  perhaps1 also4      
,anyhow1 the gentle reader is obliged to
 take his news  and views1 social or    
political1 sandwiched or flavoured with 
very  various and unsought and unwanted 
condiments1 pictorial or otherwise4     
,thus1 public attention is diverted     
and--nobody minds6 ,but it is in  these 
insidious ways that that repose or      

detachment of mind favourable  to the   
sense of beauty is destroyed1 and thus1 
to put it in another  way1 we are in    
danger of losing our lives1 or the best 
that life can  give1 in getting our     
living--or1 well1 perhaps it might be   
true to say  in some cases1 a           
substantial percentage on our           
investments4    ,in obedience1 too1 to  
the requirements of the great god       
,trade1 whole  districts of our fair    
country are blighted and blackened1 and 
whole  populations are made dependent   
upon mechanical1 monotonous1 and often  
dangerous toil to support the           
international commercial race for the   
precarious world-market4    ,under the  
same desperate compulsion of commercial 
competition1  agriculture declines1 and 
the country side is deserted4 ,the old  
country life1 with its festivals and    
picturesque customs1 has  disappeared4  
,old houses1 churches1 and cottages have
 tumbled into  ruin1 or have suffered   
worse destruction by a process of       

smartening  up called restoration4 ,the 
people have crowded into the overcrowded
  towns1 increasing the competition for 
employment1 the chances of which  are   
lessened by the very industry of the    
workers themselves1 and so  our great   
cities blindly become huger1 more       
dangerous1 and generally  unlovely1     
losing1 too1 by degrees their relics of 
historic interest  and romance they once
 possessed4    ,even in the art-world1  
and among the very cultivators of beauty
 we  detect the canker of commercialism4
 ,the compulsion of the market rules    
supply and demand1 and the dealer       
becomes more and more dominant4 ,the    
idea of the shop dominates picture      
shows1 and painters become almost  as   
specialized as men of science1 while    
genius1 or even ordinary  talent1       
requires as much puffing as a patent    
medicine4 ,everyone  must have his trade
 label1 and woe to the artist who       
experiments1  or discovers capacities in
 himself for other things than his label

  covers4    ,every new and sincere     
movement in art has been in direct      
protest and  conflict with the          
prevailing conditions1 and has measured 
its progress  by its degree of success  
in counteracting them1 and1 in some     
sense1  producing new conditions4 ,the  
remarkable revival of the handicrafts1  
or arts and crafts movement1 of late    
years may be quoted as an  instance2 but
 it is a world within a world2 a        
minority producing for  a minority2     
although the movement has done valuable 
work even as a  protest1 and has raised 
the banner of handwork and its beauty in
 an  age of machine industry4    ,other 
notable movements of a protesting1      
protective1 or mitigating  nature are at
 work in the form of societies for the  
protection of  ancient buildings1 for   
the preservation of historic spots and  
the  beauty of natural scenery1 for the 
abolition or abatement of the smoke     
nuisance1 for checking the abuses of    
public advertisement1 for the  increase 

of parks and open spaces1 and for       
spreading the love of art  among the    
people4    ,indeed1 it would seem as if 
the welfare of humanity and the         
prospects  of a tolerable life under    
modern conditions were handed over to   
such  societies1 since it does not seem 
to be anybody's business to attend  to  
what should be everybody's business1 and
 we have not even a  minister to look   
after such interests4 ,the very         
existence of such  societies1 however1  
is a proof of the danger and destruction
 to which  beauty is exposed under      
modern conditions4    ,social conditions
 are the outcome of economic conditions4
 ,in all ages  it has been the system   
under which property is held--the       
ownership of  the means of production   
and exchange--which has decided the     
forms of  social life4 ,the expansion of
 capital and the power of the financier 
are essentially modern developments1 as 
also is unrestricted  commercial        
competition1 though this seems to lead  

to monopoly--a  heretofore unexpected   
climax4 ,modern existence in such       
circumstances  becomes an unequal race  
or scramble for money1 place1 power1 or 
mere  employment4 ,the social 7or rather
 unsocial7 pressure which results       
really causes those sordid aspects1     
pretences1 aggressions1 and brutal      
contrasts we deplore4 ,private ownership
 is constantly opposed to  public       
interest4 ,the habit of regarding       
everything from the narrow  point of    
view of money value and immediate profit
 as the determining  factors in all     
transactions obscures larger issues and 
stultifies  collective action for the   
public good4    ,ladies and gentlemen of
 the jury of public opinion1 perhaps ,i 
have  said enough to support the case of
 beauty against modern social and       
economic conditions4 ,i do not ask for  
damages--they are incalculable4  ,she   
stands before you1 a pathetic figure1   
obscured in shreds and  patches1 driven 
from pillar to post1 disinherited1 a    

casual1 and  obliged to beg her bread1  
who should be a welcome and an honoured 
guest in every city and country1 and in 
every house1 bearing the lamp  of art   
and bringing comfort and joy to all4    
,a ,,short ,,survey ,,of ,,the ,,art    
,,of ,,the ,,nineteenth ,,century       
,,with ,,some ,,notes ,,on ,,recent     
,,developments            ,illustration 
,a ,,short ,,survey ,,of ,,the ,,art    
,,of ,,the ,,nineteenth ,,century1      
,,chiefly ,,in  ,,england1 ,,with ,,some
 ,,notes ,,on ,,recent ,,developments   
,a hundred years is but an arbitrary    
division of time1 and yet one  cannot   
help investing the centuries with a sort
 of personality as  they pass1 each     
distinguished by certain                
characteristics1 particular  movements1 
and habits of thought as well as of life
 and its aspects1  and above all by the 
spirit and forms of the art to which    
they have  given birth4    ,if we could 
summon a typical figure with proper     
accessories to  illustrate each epoch we

 should get a vivid if somewhat         
symbolical  idea of the varying phases  
of thought and art1 and the passing     
fashions in taste which the past has    
witnessed4    ,few centuries1 perhaps1  
would be more difficult to comprehend in
 a  single figure than the nineteenth1  
displaying as it does in the course  of 
its history so many                     
diversities--revolutions we might       
say--in  artistic development4    ,in   
its early years1 inheriting its taste   
and fashions from the  eighteenth       
century1 when handicraft was still the  
principal means for  the production of  
things of both use and adornment1 the   
nineteenth  century has witnessed a     
complete revolution in commercial and   
industrial conditions1 with the         
development of the factory system1      
competition1 and the demands of the     
world-market4 ,it has seen  the great   
machine industries take the place of the
 former minute  subdivision of labour1  
and in the process of both subdivision  

of  labour and the development of       
machine industry all forms of production
  have been affected4    ,the former    
local centres of supply have disappeared
 with  self-dependent homesteads and    
village industries1 and with the decline
  of handicraft traditions of design and
 construction have been in this  country
 well-nigh completely broken1 except in 
some trades1 such as  the cartwright's  
and the wheelwright's and the harness   
maker's4 ,we  still see in our beautiful
 country wagons the chamfers and ogee   
forms  in the woodwork and the gay      
painting of mediaeval times1 and our    
noble shire horses are often brave with 
bright brass ornaments  which perpetuate
 traditional patterns1 moulded or       
pierced2 while the  descendants of      
,wayland ,smith still ply their trade at
 the village  forge1 though mainly      
limited to horseshoes4    ,but machine  
industry and the factory and production 
for profit  rather than for use1 having 
nearly extinguished all sense of art and

  individual taste in the useful arts   
which contribute to the comfort  and    
decoration of the home1 in the later    
years of the century1 seem to  have     
evoked1 by the mere force of reaction   
and revulsion of feeling1  that         
remarkable revival of decorative design 
and handicraft which has  distinguished 
its closing years1 under the influence  
of which many  beautiful crafts have    
been successfully recovered and         
practised with  success1 while trade    
itself has not been slow to derive new  
ideas from  the ,arts and ,crafts       
movement4    ,the main principles       
inspiring the promoters of this movement
 have been  the unity of the arts allied
 with and controlled by architecture1   
and  the due acknowledgement of the     
artistic responsibility of the designer 
and craftsman4    ,with regard to the   
architecture of the nineteenth century  
we may see  nearly every past fashion of
 its history revived in turn1 until some
  of our eclectic architects seem to    

have evolved something like a           
characteristic domestic style1 at least1
 characteristically mixed in  its       
constructive and decorative features1   
but certainly adapted to  modern        
requirements4    ,the classical forms in
 building1 which attained a certain     
heaviness  and ,dutch plainness under   
the ,georges1 underwent a transformation
 with  the revival of ,greek and ,roman 
taste in the ,empire period4 ,from that 
time onward classical columns and       
pilasters and classical details  of     
varying proportions became embedded1 as 
it were1 in our domestic  architecture1 
and as a consequence the                
more-or-less-,doric portico  still      
dominates large residential districts of
 ,london4 ,their columned  ranks1       
however1 have latterly been greatly     
broken in some quarters  by the cheerful
 red brick fronts and white sashes of   
the ,queen ,anne  revival1 which have1  
in some instances1 in response to the   
demand  for residential flats1 even got 

upon stilts and nod at us from the      
many-gabled top stories of the modern   
caravansary4    ,street architecture in 
later ,victorian days became a          
masquerade in  building materials1 since
 the design of the faade bears little or
  no relation to the hidden structure of
 steel framing by which our             
many-storied piles are held together1   
while1 apparently1 when there  are shops
 on the ground floor the whole mass has 
the effect of  playfully reposing upon  
the edges of great sheets of plate      
glass4    ,the use of terra-cotta1 or   
cut-brick enrichments have been a       
welcome relief from the doleful         
gentility of the white brick1 or  the   
depressing gray stucco which has cast a 
peculiar gloom over some  respectable   
neighbourhoods4    ,in church           
architecture the ,gothic revivalists    
have carried all before  them4 ,at one  
period of the nineteenth century1       
indeed1 when the  restoring zeal was at 
its height and nothing was acceptable   

but  something early ,english1 there was
 considerable reason to fear that  the  
architects would leave nothing behind   
them6    ,but we have had really        
distinguished work from men like        
,butterfield  7the architect of ,all    
,saints1 ,margaret ,street71 ,william   
,burges1 and ,j4  ,d4 ,sedding1 while   
domestic architecture both in town and  
country has  been developed on new lines
 by ,mr4 ,norman ,shaw1 ,mr4 ,philip    
,webb1 and  their able followers of the 
younger generation4    ,in sculpture we 
may trace an analogous line of          
development1 from the  severe1 graceful1
 but somewhat cold classical style of   
,flaxman and the  more dramatic ,canova1
 or the sentiment of ,thorvaldsen1      
freezing into  the later classicism of  
,gibson on the one hand1 or breaking out
  into the realisms and trivialities of 
the modern ,italian ,school4 ,in        
,england1 inspired by the study of      
nature and cultivation of style  chiefly
 under the influence of the works of    

,phidias and the ,florentine  masters of
 the fifteenth century1 a school of     
considerable distinction  and force has 
arisen4 ,we had one1 at least1 really   
great master  in ,alfred ,stevens       
standing almost alone as a modern       
expositor of  renascence traditions4 ,he
 has been succeeded by men of taste and 
refinement like the late ,onslow ,ford1 
or the accomplishment1 beauty  of       
design1 and vigour of expression of the 
late ,harry ,bates1 not to  mention     
living exponents of sculpture quite as  
distinguished4 ,among  the younger      
school the continental influence of     
,meunier and of ,rodin  may be noted4   
,to continue our rapid and necessarily  
imperfect survey1 in the field  of      
painting1 again1 the course of          
development through changes of  feeling 
and aim is even more emphatically       
marked1 as might be expected  from that 
most sensitive and impressionable of the
 arts4    ,the domination of the older  
,academic traditions in artistic        

education  and practice was only broken 
fitfully in the first quarter of the    
century by such meteoric influences as  
that of ,william ,blake1 who with  his  
vivid and inspired vision of a world of 
spiritual1 imaginative1  and symbolic   
beauty was in open revolt against the   
classical coldness  and the conscious   
prettinesses and pretences of his time  
in art1 as  well as against the prosaic 
calculating spirit of a commercial      
epoch4    ,sir ,joshua ,reynolds and    
,thomas ,gainsborough as well as        
,hogarth left  their mark on the methods
 in ,english painting and raised a      
standard  of workmanship in the         
eighteenth century which has not since  
been  approached in the same direction1 
though many charming artists in the     
figure and landscape1 such as ,george   
,morland1 succeeded them2 while  later  
we have the anecdotic and incident      
pictures of ,david ,wilkie  which       
established a characteristic ,british   
type4    ,the remarkable work of ,j4 ,m4

 ,w4 ,turner is perhaps more            
characteristic  of the first half of the
 nineteenth century than that of any    
other  ,english painter4 ,trained in the
 restricted and reserved methods of  the
 early landscape school learned from    
,italy and ,france1 with  extraordinary 
industry and facility as a draughtsman1 
and a keen sense  of composition1 his   
development under different influences1 
from the  classical landscape school of 
,claude ,lorraine and ,nicolas ,poussin 
to  the romantic feeling of ,titian and 
,salvator ,rosa1 or the quiet pathos    
and precision of touch of the ,dutch    
masters1 and above all of the  close and
 constant observation of nature in all  
her varying moods1 and  in nearly all   
,european countries1 may be seen in the 
unrivalled record  of work he has left1 
and in the splendid collection in the   
,national  ,gallery4    ,turner seems to
 express the general movement of the    
half-century's  life and moods of       
thought more completely than any other  

artist4  ,classical1 romantic1          
mythological1 naturalistic1             
impressionistic1 in  turn2 from the     
serene atmosphere1 lucent skies1 and    
deep umbrage of  classical landscapes1  
with their nymphs and shepherds1 we may 
follow  the course of his mind to the   
,rain1 ,steam1 and ,speed of the ,great 
,western ,railway4    ,it is a wide     
reach1 but ,turner's art illuminates the
 smoke and  the stir and stress of the  
industrial and revolutionary nineteenth 
century1 like a rainbow spanning a      
stormy sky4    ,and what of its last    
fifty years8 ,they have seen the rise1  
formation  and decline of the           
pre-,raphaelite ,school4 ,that strong   
and earnest  movement emanating from a  
small group of enthusiastic young       
painters1  seeking sincerity of         
expression with thoroughness of         
workmanship and  profound study of      
nature4 ,the names of ,holman ,hunt1 ,j4
 ,e4 ,millais1 ,d4  ,g4 ,rossetti and   
,ford ,madox ,brown and ,frederick      

,sandys will always be  associated with 
this important epoch in ,english        
painting4 ,their works  have exercised a
 potent influence far beyond their own  
immediate  circle1 and have affected    
many different developments1 forming the
  root and stem as it were of many      
different branches4    ,to this source  
7whether as reactive or related         
influences7 we may  trace back the two  
chief and vital distinctive directions  
into which  modern painting may be      
broadly divided--impressionism on the   
one hand  and the pursuit of decorative 
beauty tinged with poetic feeling  and  
romance on the other1 this latter being 
allied with a further  important        
movement concerned with the revival of  
design and the  artistic handicrafts1   
known as the ,arts and ,crafts movement4
    ,with this the names of ,william    
,morris and ,burne-,jones will always be
  associated1 and they both link hands  
with the original group of the          
pre-,raphaelites4    ,among later       

influences upon art generally that of   
the ,japanese cannot  be left out of    
account as its effects have been        
considerable in many  directions and may
 be said to have had an enormous        
influence upon the  art of ,whistler4   
,despite1 however1 the marvellous skill 
of ,japanese  craftsmanship1 owing to   
the fantastic spirit of their design1   
and  the absence of the steadying and   
controlling influence of stone          
construction in their architecture1     
their art has had more effect upon  our 
impressionistic school than upon our    
arts and craftsmen1 and it is  rather by
 the work of the latter type and the    
movement it represents  that the art of 
the close of the last century is more   
distinctively  characterized4    ,the   
study of ,japanese art1 however1 leads  
us back to its source in  the graver and
 more serious art of ,china1 where its  
prototypes may be  found in nobler      
forms4    ,the opening of the twentieth 
century has brought great               

changes--changes in the aspects of life1
 changes in the temper of the  nation4  
,action and reaction which govern the   
world1 also influence the  world of     
thought and of art4 ,the pendulum of    
taste swings between the  classic and   
the romantic moods and modes4 ,it has of
 late swung  again towards the classical
 side and manifests itself1 as regards  
decoration1 in the vogue of plain white 
walls1 classical columns and  pilasters 
and cornices1 and an almost puritan fear
 of any other kind  of ornament4 ,when  
colour and pattern are indulged in they 
mostly  show a reversion to the fashions
 of the early ,victorian age of ,french 
origin or pre-,morrisian types4 ,what   
was once denounced as hideous has  now  
become old fashioned enough to be found 
historically interesting4    ,in        
painting1 what might be termed a cult of
 the ugly1 indeed1 seems to  have       
fascinated many of our vigorous artists4
 ,this may be the result  of a reaction 
against early ,victorian prettiness1 and

 quasi-classical  elegance4 ,there has  
also been a decadent influence at work  
in our  latter-day art4 ,this also      
manifested itself in that strange       
decorative  disease known as ,l',art    
,nouveau1 which some writers have       
actually  asserted was the offspring of 
what properly considered was really  its
 antithesis--the ,morris school of      
decoration4 ,some of the forms  of      
,l',art ,nouveau may have been the      
result of the translation into          
continental modes of some kinds of      
,british1 or rather ,scottish1  design1 
initiated by certain designers of the   
,glasgow school1 and  it is in this     
direction1 ,i think1 that we should be  
more likely to  discover its true       
genesis4 ,to father it on the ,morris   
school is much  as if one were to say   
that impressionism was a development of 
the  pre-,raphaelite movement1 whereas  
it was a reaction4 ,the followers of    
both schools1 no doubt1 sought to       
restate natural fact or phase1 but  on  

totally different principles and in     
absolutely opposed terms of  art4       
,with the passing of the impressionist  
masters1 again1 we see a counter        
movement in what are called the post    
impressionists4 ,here1 again1           
principles1 methods of conception1      
observation1 selection1  and execution  
are totally different4 ,there are many  
different  individualities1 and their   
works are so diverse that it can hardly 
be considered a concerted movement in   
painting1 though1 regarded              
collectively1 it appears to be a        
reaction against previously accepted    
canons or standards in art4 ,yet        
curiously enough there are suggestions  
of the influence of early ,byzantine    
work and of ,roman mosaic in the  work  
of some of these painters1 the mosaic   
method of producing form  and colour by 
the juxtaposition of small tesserae or  
cubes1 being  actually followed as      
closely as possible in some instances1  
by laying  on paint in small squares or 

parallelograms4 ,by such means a        
certain effect of vibrating light is    
obtained1 but it seems rather a         
misapplication of the method1 and would 
be more satisfactory to work  in actual 
mosaic and for the artist to avail      
himself of the decorative  beauty which 
the conditions of working in that       
material would give4    ,the movement1  
so far as it is sincere1 appears to be a
 reflex in  art of the feeling which is 
apt to possess members of a civilized   
community occasionally--the feeling     
which urges a man to break away  from   
the restraints and formalities1 as well 
as the comforts and  luxuries of modern 
life1 and seek a return to nature or the
 bed-rock  of existence in the          
backwoods1 or some primitive country1   
where a  simple life is possible4    ,it
 also reflects a view which has a       
certain influence among                 
educationalists--a desire to realize and
 to possess the unprejudiced            
unprepossessed attitude of a child's    

mind and its outlook and vision  of     
nature and life4 ,there is a charm in   
the navet of primitive art  of all kinds
 which is akin to the charm we often    
find in children's  drawings4 ,in       
seeking to cultivate artificially such a
 mental  attitude and its expression in 
art1 however1 there is the danger of    
affectation1 and even the sincerest     
efforts in that direction may give  the 
impression of being affected2 also1     
when1 as is nearly always the  case in  
our time1 the question of art becomes   
hopelessly mixed up with  the question  
of commercialism1 and personal          
interests1 and crossed by  waves of     
fashionable caprice1 like the wind      
blowing where it listeth1  it becomes   
exceedingly difficult to discover the   
proverbial hair  which perhaps divides  
the false and the true4    ,another     
point to be noted is this1 that whereas 
the trend of  impressionism in art has  
been towards the opposite pole to       
conscious  and formal design1 among some

 of the painters of the newer school    
there appears to be a feeling towards   
its recovery to some extent1  at least1 
there is evidence of the desire to      
regard a picture as a  pattern of colour
 which necessarily involves some sort of
 arrangement4  ,this may be some        
indication of a return to sanity and a  
desire to  restore the art of painting  
as an art of design4    ,but over and   
above all these movements and varieties 
the desire for  something antique seems 
to be dominant4 ,the old masters eclipse
 the  moderns in painting2 and in       
decoration and furniture1 if genuine old
  work is not to be had1 the closest    
imitation is in demand1 and the  tone of
 time must1 if possible1 be anticipated 
in counterfeit4 ,mr4  ,hardcastle1 in   
,she ,stoops to ,conquer1 would be quite
 in fashion with  his old house and     
everything old in it4    ,apart from the
 trade interests no doubt concerned1    
this love of  antiquity growing side by 
side with the most rapid development of 

mechanical invention and the consequent 
transformation of the aspects  and      
habits of life1 is a curious fact and   
seems to show1 so far as it  is genuine1
 the growth of an unsatisfied historic  
sense or feeling  for romance1 which at 
one time seemed threatened with         
extinction in a  utilitarian world4     
,this taste for antiquity in all things1
 however1 is often very  artificial in  
its manifestations1 and does not lead to
 any keener  appreciation of good       
contemporary art1 but rather encourages 
the  simulation of past styles than     
original invention1 which does not seem 
quite healthy4    ,another recent       
development is the taste for pageantry4 
,this is in  itself another indication  
of the revival of the love of romance   
and  antiquity1 perhaps1 and may to some
 extent have also encouraged that       
revival4    ,certainly in pageantry we  
have a popular and picturesque means of 
vivifying past history1 and encouraging 
a knowledge of and pride in  the story  

of their own country among our people   
which could hardly be  gained from the  
study of books or pictures alone4       
,historic episodes  arranged in dramatic
 form enacted by living men and women1  
with all  the vivid effect of life and  
movement1 and heightened by all the     
resources of costume and heraldry and   
accessories proper to each  period1 the 
scenes1 too1 taking place in the open   
air1 with green  swards1 noble trees1   
and the wide sky for proscenium leave an
  ineffaceable impression upon the eyes 
and minds of the spectators4    ,but    
what is wanted is a wider appeal4 ,we   
might make the pageant a  means of      
centralizing and unifying national life4
 ,we should not be  content to limit    
such shows to a means of raising money  
for charitable  objects1 or as an       
expensive amusement for the few2 we     
should aim  at making our pageants free 
public spectacles in which the people   
themselves should co-operate4 ,mr4      
,frank ,henson and ,mr4 ,frank          

,lascelles  have done and are doing     
excellent work in this direction4 ,every
 town  might have its commemorative     
processions in celebration of certain   
important local historic events1        
especially such as illustrate the       
growth of the great structure of        
,english ,freedom4    ,if we consider   
the amount of artistic and              
archaeological knowledge1  the training 
and discipline involved1 the            
opportunities for personal  distinction1
 and the cultivation of the sense of    
beauty in the  externals of life1 we    
have in the pageant a very important    
educational  factor of far-reaching     
influence1 and a powerful means of      
unifying  public sentiment and public   
spirit1 and fostering the national      
character4          ,,art ,,and ,,the   
,,commonweal    ,,an ,,address          
,,delivered ,,at ,,armstrong ,,college  
,,to ,,the ,,students ,,of ,,the        
,,school ,,of ,,art                     
,illustration          ,,art ,,and ,,the

 ,,commonweal    ,,an ,,address         
,,delivered ,,at ,,armstrong ,,college1 
,,newcastle1 ,,to ,,the ,,students  ,,of
 ,,the ,,school ,,of ,,art      ,art in 
our time is regarded from many different
 points of view--for  instance1 7#a7 as 
an accessory in general                 
education--generally some  way after the
 fact2 or 7#b7 as the servant or slave  
of commerce and  industry2 or 7#c7 as a 
polite amusement for persons of leisure2
 or  7#d7 as a profession or means of   
livelihood2 7#e7 as a luxury only for   
persons of wealth and leisure2 or 7#f7  
as an investment or speculation2  or    
7#g7 as a necessity of life and its     
indispensable accompaniment and  means  
of record and expression4    ,art may   
be1 and indeed actually is1 each and all
 of these at the  present moment1 but1  
apart from economic and other           
considerations1  the latter is the      
larger and truer view of the function of
 art1 and  it necessarily1 too1 includes
 the first1 or educational value1 which 

cannot be over estimated4    ,the       
education of the eye is second to none  
in importance if we  consider it fully  
in all its bearings1 but this is far    
from being  generally sufficiently      
realized 7or ugliness might come to  be 
considered a crime71 and as the first   
avenue of human  intelligence--though   
the mouth perhaps might make out a case 
for  priority1 its interests are        
singularly neglected4 ,it is true we    
have  the words unsightly and eyesore1  
which seem to recognize that the  eye is
 capable of being affronted or          
distressed or even wounded by  hideous  
objects2 this perhaps is something1 but 
for all that the eye  has to be a very  
tolerant organ in these days4    ,the   
best test of power or accuracy of       
observation is drawing1 and  power of   
drawing is the basis of all art1 which  
might in all its  varieties be described
 as different kinds or degrees of       
drawing2 what  is painting but drawing  
in colour and tone8 ,what is modelling  

but  drawing in relief or in three      
dimensions8 ,what is weaving pattern but
  drawing in textile8 ,and so with each 
artistic craft by means of which        
beautiful form and colour is created1   
each after its manner is a  method of   
drawing1 and1 as a matter of fact1 each 
is actually based on  a drawing as a    
preliminary stage of its existence4     
,great1 then1 is drawing4 ,it has now   
taken a place in our ordinary           
educational course as a compulsory      
subject although it must be said  that  
amid the innumerable subjects with which
 the modern student is  expected to be  
crammed a very small proportion of time 
is generally  allowed for its pursuit--a
 pursuit indeed which generally ends in 
catching it like a mouse1 by the tail1  
for it appears that about  two hours a  
week is the time spent in the drawing   
classes of some  colleges4 ,this does   
not seem to give much chance to either  
teacher or  student of drawing6         
,nevertheless1 as one who has examined  

the results  of such drawing1 a certain 
power of simple definition of form in an
  abstract way appears to be            
acquired1--the capacity1 varying a good 
deal1 to give in simple bold chalk      
outline the salient characteristics  of 
some common object1 or living form1 such
 as a piece of pottery1  a flower1 a    
bird1 a fish4 ,even regarded merely as  
an aid to the  comprehension of an      
object or subject1 drawing is obviously 
of the  greatest practical use4 ,in the 
newer methods of teaching to read the   
word is accompanied by the pictured     
object1 for mere brain-puzzling  has no 
place in any national educational       
system4    ,it has been said that the   
worst drawing of an object gives a      
clearer  idea of it than the best verbal
 description4 ,that seems rather rough  
on literature6 ,but there is a good deal
 of truth in it4 ,it is just  this      
definiteness of statement in a drawing  
which makes it so  valuable an exponent 
of form and detail1 whereby its services

  become indispensable in demonstration 
and description1 and therefore          
invaluable to all teachers4 ,if anyone  
can draw an object in  ground-plan1 in  
elevation1 in longitudinal and          
transverse section1 and  give its       
appearance in silhouette and in light   
and shade1 he will  not only learn all  
about the form1 character and           
construction of the  thing1 but will be 
able to impart his knowledge to others4 
,to begin with1 then1 from the purely   
practical point of view and  regarded as
 an aid in education1 the chief aim in  
the study of drawing  is to acquire     
knowledge of form and fact and the power
 of describing  or demonstrating them4  
,we cannot therefore be too definite and
 need  not be afraid of being hard1 even
 from the art-student's point of  view4 
,studies should be studies1 thorough and
 searching4 ,but drawing1  pursued as an
 introduction to the world of art1 may  
lead the student  on through a course of
 practically endless evolution and      

development1  as he perceives that it is
 indeed a language of a most sensitive  
and  varied kind1 of many styles and    
methods1 which1 though beginning with   
simple statements of fact and form1 may 
become in gifted hands an  instrument of
 the most powerful or delicate feeling  
and an exponent of  character and a     
vehicle of the imagination1 having a    
rhythm and  beauty peculiar to itself4  
,consider the amount of beauty that has 
been  expressed by means of outline     
alone1 from early ,egyptian work to the 
exquisite figures of the ,greek vase    
painter1 or to the flowers and  birds of
 ,japanese artists4 ,in these instances1
 as in all the best1  drawing is united 
with design1--only another kind of      
drawing4 ,we  happen to have the words  
,drawing and ,design in our language1   
and they  signify distinct things1      
because of course there is drawing which
  may be simply copying or transcript1  
and there is drawing allied to          
invention and imagination1 drawing with 

the mind1 with ideas as well  as with   
the eye and hand1 which becomes design4 
,i heard of an artist  endeavouring to  
define design the other day1 and he     
said4 ,well1 you  make a think1 and then
 you draw a line round it4 ,it is       
certainly  thought that makes the       
difference4    ,when we come to         
composition we perceive that line has a 
further  function and significance1 and 
it becomes an important factor in that  
harmonizing1 unifying process which is  
involved in making a design of  any     
kind4 ,this is not merely an indulgence 
in idle or aimless fancy1  but is the   
outcome1 over and above its imaginative 
quality1 of meeting  certain conditions1
 such as the object and purpose of the  
work1 its  material1 and the necessities
 of its production4 ,there is a certain 
logic1 too1 in the language of line     
which the designer is bound to  observe1
 and he soon sees that in committing    
himself to a particular  form or system 
of line in his design of composition    

that form cannot  stand alone but has to
 be counterbalanced1 led up to1 and     
allied with  corresponding lines and    
forms1 or perhaps emphasized by         
contrasts4    ,now in pictorial         
composition or anything of that nature1 
a design  is complete in itself1 the    
plain surface-panel canvas1 or paper it 
covers1 determines its proportions and  
definite limits and the  only necessary 
technical considerations resolve        
themselves into  the necessity of unity 
with itself and suitability to the      
process  employed4 ,but whereas the     
pictorial artist or picture painter     
carries  his own work through to        
completion1 is designer and craftsman in
 one2  in short1 the designer for some  
industrial purpose1 unless he is his    
own craftsman1 must make his design also
 a working drawing to conform  to       
certain strict technical conditions1    
such as the nature of the  material and 
the method of reproduction1 certain     
limits of size and  number of colours to

 be used and so forth4 ,his work is not 
complete in  itself1 but is a draft for 
a process of manufacture1 and depends   
for  its ultimate success1 beyond what  
beauty it may possess1 upon the         
completeness with which the technical   
requirements have been met and  upon the
 co-operative labour of perhaps a       
multitude of craftsmen4    ,with the    
establishment of modern competitive     
capitalistic commerce  and industry1 the
 factory system1 division of labour1 and
 machinery1  designer and craftsman have
 been widely separated1 to the detriment
 of  both4 ,shops are no longer         
workshops1 but only dpts for the display
  of the finished products of industry1 
so that the public remain  largely in   
ignorance of how and where and under    
what conditions things  are made4 ,even 
building1 which was said to be the only 
craft carried  on under the public eye1 
is now largely a mysterious process     
developed  behind hoardings and posters4
 ,as to machinery1 ,i do not deny that  

it  has its uses or that wonderful 7and 
sometimes fearful7 things have  been    
produced2 the commercial output is      
prodigious1 in fact1 modern  existence  
has come to depend upon machinery in    
nearly every direction1  but the        
machines themselves remain as a rule far
 more wonderful things  than the things 
they produce1 and the less machinery has
 to do with  art the better4 ,machinery 
has been called labour-saving1 but the  
immediate result of its introduction has
 been to throw people out of            
work--labour-saving in the sense of     
taking their work from them1 or  the    
bread out of their mouths4              
,profit-making being the real object of 
modern manufacture1 the cheapening of   
the cost of production becomes  more    
important than human lives4 ,everything 
appears to be sacrificed  to the ,moloch
 of ,trade1 which1 according to our     
public men1 is the  one object of a     
nation's life4 ,yet trade on the        
competitive system  is devouring        

itself--or being devoured by monopoly1  
which again  devours the people4 ,there 
seems some danger of humanity being     
considered to exist for trade and not   
trade for the service of  humanity4     
,the old idea of a self-supporting      
country producing the necessities of    
life for its own use seems only         
appreciated by ,socialists4    ,these   
thoughts bring one to that aspect of art
 ,i spoke of at the  outset1 as the     
servant or slave of commerce and        
industry4    ,until the revival of      
design and handicraft in this country   
during the  last twenty-five or thirty  
years1 decorative design1 despite a few 
distinguished artists1 such as ,alfred  
,stevens1 might certainly be  described 
as the slave of commerce1 and even now  
the revivers of  design and handicraft  
are not altogether free from the danger 
of being  devoured by commercial        
methods4    ,however1 a protest has been
 made1 the hand and the brain have      
asserted  themselves2 a new standard in 

the decorative arts has been set up1    
and since the time of ,william ,morris  
and his group of pioneers1 many         
,english artists and craftsmen have     
shown that they have successfully       
revived and can do beautiful work in    
many forgotten crafts4    ,in founding  
the ,arts and ,crafts ,exhibition       
,society we desired to give             
opportunities of personal distinction   
for artistic work in design and         
craftsmanship1 to put designers and     
craftsmen in the same position as  other
 artists1 such as painters and          
sculptors1 before the public in  this   
respect by giving the names of all      
responsible executants of a  work4      
,here1 again1 trade interests and       
competitive commerce have been  against 
us1 although commerce has not been slow 
to imitate or adapt  some of the ideas  
in taste and design discovered in our   
exhibitions4    ,however1 the movement  
has spread all over the country1 ,arts  
and ,crafts  ,societies and ,exhibitions

 flourish everywhere1 and the art       
schools  of the country have been       
largely reorganized and craft classes   
established in connection with design4  
,after many years' work some  of us     
think that so remarkable a movement     
might attain something like  national   
recognition1 and its progress or        
permanence not be left  to depend upon  
the efforts of a few hard-working       
artists1 with  ever-diminishing         
opportunities for exhibition1 in the    
absence of a  suitable building4        
,painting and sculpture1 and in a lesser
 degree  architecture1 are officially   
recognized and housed rent free at      
,burlington ,house4 ,why should the     
decorative arts have nowhere to lay     
their heads8    ,after all1 it is these 
arts1 intimately connected as they are  
with a  people's daily life and         
well-being1 that may be said to be      
really of  more immediate consequence   
than what are called the ,fine ,arts4   
,though1  personally1 ,i do not admit   

the justice of the distinction usually  
accepted between ,fine and ,decorative  
or ,industrial ,art4    ,art is a       
language--of many dialects it may be1   
but its greatness must  not be measured 
by inches1 or the power or beauty of its
 thoughts and  conceptions determined by
 the material or method of their        
expression4  ,the spirit of art1        
imagination1 romance1 and the sense of  
beauty may  inspire the smaller         
accessories of life as they may the     
larger4 ,it is  not a question of size  
or quantity1 it is a question of        
quality4    ,as regards the art schools 
of the country1 both state-aided and    
municipal1 whatever their shortcomings1 
it is only fair to say that  they have  
been from their establishment the only  
means1 outside the  efforts of          
individual artists1 of maintaining a    
standard of artistic  taste and         
accomplishment in decorative art1 as    
distinct from the  influences of trade  
and fashion4    ,it has often been made 

a reproach that they have not been in   
closer  touch and association with the  
industries of the country1 but schools  
of art and technology cannot be turned  
into factories with the sole  object of 
supplying the immediate demands of      
ephemeral fashion--often  trivial and   
vulgar4 ,this would only end in the     
raising of a crop  of narrow            
specialists1 incapable of producing more
 than one sort of  thing1 to be         
exploited by commerce1 and unemployed   
when the boom was  over4 ,the business  
of a school of art is to train capable  
designers  and craftsmen1 competent both
 to practise and to teach4 ,the         
progress1  both in taste and            
accomplishment1 shown by the works      
exhibited every  year in the national   
competition under the auspices1 first of
 the old  ,science and ,art ,department 
and now of the ,board of ,education at  
,south  ,kensington1 is most remarkable 
and striking1 especially to one who can 
look back twenty or thirty years4 ,yet  

we are still without a proper  building 
in which to show these works1 which are 
generally housed in  temporary sheds in 
an out-of-the-way corner1 and           
consequently attract  little public     
attention4    ,turning now to the more  
theoretical side of art1 and regarding  
its  general purport and social         
influence1 it would appear as though    
every age--one might almost say each    
generation--demanded a different        
interpretation of life and nature1 being
 inspired by different ideals2  for the 
forms of art depend upon the aims and   
ideals in the mind of  artists1 who are 
but children of their age and reflect   
its thought and  sentiment4 ,pictorial  
art being the most popular because more 
intimate1  direct1 and immediately      
concerned with the aspects of life1 is  
perhaps  more sensitive to such changes 
of thought and sentiment than  other    
forms of art4 ,this accounts in a great 
measure for the  constantly-shifting    
point of view of the painter in dealing 

with the  aspects of nature1 for        
instance1 if we compare the work of one 
age1  or one school with another1 or    
examine the differences of treatment by 
different individual artists4           
,whereas religion1 and the beauty and   
splendour of life have of old  largely  
inspired painters1 nowadays it seems as 
if the interest was  centred upon the   
wonder and dramatic variety of the      
world1 the aspects  of life in different
 countries1 vivid and instantaneous     
presentment1  individual impressions1   
snap-shots of nature4 ,no doubt the     
photograph  has had a great influence   
both upon painters and the public4 ,the 
public eye must be largely influenced by
 the photograph1 but the  photograph in 
the hands of some of its professors has 
lately taken  to imitate the effects and
 methods of artists4 ,so that it is turn
 and  turn about4    ,the object of     
painting however is not illusion1       
otherwise1 in the  presence of the      
cinematograph and its marvellous living 

and moving  transcripts from nature1 as 
presented in the fascinating picture    
theatres1 painting would have no chance1
 for even colour is sometimes  given4   
,but1 however wonderful1 it is          
scientific mechanism and not art4 ,the  
true province of painting is untouched1 
our national galleries have  not lost   
their attraction1 and are not old       
masters more valuable than  ever8 ,the  
very illusory powers of photography     
serve to define the true  sphere of art1
 which is a product of the human mind as
 well as of the  eye and hand4    ,there
 is another form of pictorial appeal    
which has1 owing to the  association of 
art with commercial enterprise1 attained
 such vast  proportions as to count as a
 popular education of the eye--for good 
or  for evil4 ,i mean the pictorial     
poster1 which might be said to be the   
most original flourishing and vigorous  
type of popular art existing1  and the  
only popular form of mural painting4    
,its too frequent banality  and         

vulgarity are to be deplored1 but to a  
great extent they are  inseparable from 
the conditions of the existence of the  
poster2 but  undoubtedly there is a     
great amount of artistic ability        
employed in  these designs1 which often 
show1 too1 the great resources of modern
  colour-printing4 ,it is part of the   
wastefulness of our system that  so much
 skill1 talent1 and labour should be    
spent on such ephemeral  purposes and   
placed in such incongruous positions and
 injurious  juxtapositions1 often       
appearing in the mass as a sort of      
sticking-plaster of varied colour upon  
the doleful face of a dingy  street4    
,the same ability under different       
influences and inspired by  different   
ideals might serve to make eloquent the 
bare walls of our  schools and public   
buildings with painted histories and    
legends of our  country and race1 which 
might foster the public spirit of our   
future  citizens4 ,every town should    
have its history painted in its ,town   

,hall--as ,manchester has done in that  
wonderful series of mural  pictures by  
,madox ,brown4 ,there might be          
competitions in schemes of  decoration  
and mural design of this sort among the 
students of the  local art schools4 ,is 
this an ideal8    ,well1 after all1 the 
great thing is to have an ideal1 an     
ideal1 too1  may be of enormous         
practical value1 for it is capable of   
inspiring men  to accomplish great works
 which they would never have touched    
without  such a stimulus4 ,every great  
work1 every great achievement in art1 in
  social service--in all human effort1  
has been the result of an ideal  in the 
mind1 a vision1 a lamp1 a torch that has
 lighted the path that  has enabled its 
bearer to clear away often apparently   
insuperable  difficulties and attain the
 goal4    ,nor is the possession of an  
ideal less necessary to a people--the   
nation collectively--than it is to the  
individual if real progress is  to be   
made4 ,from ideals in art we are led to 

ideals in life and to  the greatest art 
of all--,the art of ,life4 ,an ideal of 
national life  which would give purpose 
and impetus and unity to all social     
efforts  at amelioration1 something     
beyond the strife of parties1 personal  
jealousies1 and parliamentary           
manoeuvres4 ,such an ideal may be found 
in that growing conception of the new   
age we are entering of a true           
co-operative commonwealth1 when the     
public good1 being the main  motive1 all
 things that add to the beauty1 health1 
dignity1 and  comfort of our cities1    
would be considered as of the first     
importance1  and when1 while our ancient
 history and monuments should be        
preserved1  natural growth and expansion
 should not be impeded2 a state wherein 
every citizen1 every man and woman would
 find a useful and congenial  sphere of 
work1 and each and all would be prepared
 to do their part in  the service of the
 community1 secure of a place at life's 
table1 when  friendly emulation should  

take the place of cut-throat            
competition2  when every mother and     
every child would be cared for1 and     
there would  be ample provision for old 
age4 ,labour being so organized that    
there  would be neither overwork nor    
unemployment1 while there remained      
abundant leisure for the cultivation of 
the arts and sciences and the  pleasures
 of life--poverty being unknown1 and    
disease conquered by  knowledge and     
enforcement of the laws of health2 death
 itself faced  with calmness or         
fearlessly met at need in the service or
 defence of  the community4             
,,the ,,apotheosis ,,of ,,the           
,,butterfly            ,illustration    
,,the ,,apotheosis ,,of ,,the           
,,butterfly#aa      ,the world1 it has  
been said1 takes a man at his own       
valuation1 and1  certainly it seems to  
have accepted even ,whistler1 at last1  
at his own  by no means modest estimate1
 and in the commercial sense1 indeed1 to
  have considerably exceeded it4    ,it 

is true that ,whistler had1 as an       
original artist1 to pass through  the   
usual stages of neglect and contumely4  
,it is only the common  experience of   
what is called genius1 albeit varied and
 complicated in  his case by his        
combative and whimsical personality4    
,what a pity it is that there are no    
means of obtaining a just and  sober    
estimate of an artist's powers 7as well 
as a sympathetic one7  except by the    
long wait necessary for the verdict of  
that ,court of  ,final ,appeal--,time4  
,at present the system seems to be1 in  
the case of any one who shows           
individuality or independence in art1 at
 first to ridicule1 underrate1  or      
abuse4 ,if the innovator survives this  
process--well1 the impression  gains    
ground that there must be something in  
him1 and1 if he can only  struggle on   
long enough1 and keep his head above    
water1 the tide may  turn in his        
favour--even to such an extent1         
sometimes1 as to carry  the genius on   

the top of it to quite the other extreme
 of laudatory  appreciation1 which may  
land him eventually in almost as        
dangerous  a position1 as regards his   
artistic safety1 as that in which he was
  first discovered4    ,between the     
bitterness of his enemies and the       
extravagant eulogies of  his friends1 it
 becomes almost as difficult for an     
artist to find his  real latitude and   
longitude as for a ship in a fog4 ,still
 more so for  other navigators on       
critical seas anxious to take his true  
bearings4    ,well1 ,the ,butterfly is  
caught at last6 ,we have him in ,mr4 and
 ,mrs4  ,pennell's two sumptuous        
volumes1 pinned down1 as it were1 in a  
glass  case1 his natural history fully  
accounted for1 both as an artist and  as
 a man4 ,we can study the ,whistlerian  
genius in its various stages1  from     
caterpillar to chrysalis1 up to when it 
flutters gaily over  everybody and      
everything in the garden of life--a     
butterfly with the  sting of a wasp6    

,illustration3 ,,portrait ,,study ,,of  
,,whistler ,,by ,,himself4      7,from a
 black and white drawing47    ,the      
authors have indeed1 in a literary      
sense1 adopted the  pre-,raphaelite     
methods1 to which in art they appear to 
be opposed1 in  painting their literary 
portrait of the great ,impressionist4   
,no one  will doubt the patience1 care1 
and zeal with which they have carried   
out the work1 or the devoted loyalty of 
spirit in which what was  evidently     
regarded as a sacred trust has been     
fulfilled2 but in their  natural anxiety
 to give full relief to the portrait of 
their hero and  idol1 the authors have  
not always been able to be fair to some 
of his  contemporaries or predecessors1 
or to other forms of art than those     
which he practised1 and they are apt to 
become a little extravagant in  their   
terms4 ,to assert1 for instance1 that   
,whistler was the greatest  artist and  
most remarkable personality of the      
nineteenth century is  a little tall2   

but no doubt the authors did not wish1  
any more than  ,mr4 ,wedmore1 to        
understate4 ,the insertion of the little
 words  one of in the above-quoted      
sentence would have been advisable1     
considering the number of remarkable    
personalities and artists the           
nineteenth century produced4 ,this      
presentation of ,whistler dominating    
and overtopping everybody reminds one of
 the method of the mural  artists of    
ancient ,egypt1 who1 in order to glorify
 their kings and  impress beholders with
 his powers1 represented the monarch as 
a  gigantic figure clutching a handful  
of diminutive enemies trembling in  his 
grasp1 while he flourishes his sword    
over their heads4    ,it is1 perhaps1   
one of life's little ironies that       
,whistler1 who  maintained in his ,ten  
o'clock philosophy that the artist1 like
 the  unexpected1 always happens1 and   
who took a purely individualistic  view 
of artistic history should be at last   
fully accounted for on  evolutionary    

principles4 ,it seems strange that he1  
who apparently held  that artists       
occurred accidentally here and there in 
the history of  the world--like very    
sparing currants in a suet pudding1 the 
pudding1  or public1 being always of the
 same materials1 equally stodgy1        
indifferent1 or ignorant as to art--that
 ,whistler1 who might almost  be        
described as the artist of accident1    
should be portrayed in minute  detail   
under the glare of the limelight1 and   
shown in relation to1 and  accounted for
 by1 his heredity and environment4    ,a
 member of a most respectable family    
7like ,the ,newcomes7 hailing           
originally from the ,islanders he       
professed to hate1 we may trace the     
origins of his personal characteristics1
 the germs of his development  and the  
foundations of his art4 ,his mastery in 
etching1 for instance  7perhaps destined
 to be considered the strongest and most
 enduring  side of his art71 had its    
roots in the technical experience and   

training of the ,united ,states ,coast  
,survey4 ,it is to be regretted that  it
 was not found possible to include later
 illustrations of his etched  plates in 
the book1 as1 with the exception of the 
pastels and water  colours and the      
earlier pictures1 the reproductions     
generally lose  much of the charm1 with 
the colour1 of the originals1 and most  
of  their atmosphere4    ,whistler in   
himself furnishes another illustration  
of the different  side of his nature an 
artist often presents in his serious    
work from  that usually perceived in    
him1 by the world in general1 as a man4 
,if nothing of his self-assertive1      
combative1 caustic and whimsical        
personality had been known1 such traits 
could hardly have been  suspected in the
 possessor of the refined taste1 the    
delicate justness  of tone1 the somewhat
 austere and restrained decorative sense
 combined  with a certain poetic        
vagueness1 which generally characterize 
his  works4    ,the work of ,whistler at

 different periods of his life also     
illustrates  the curious fact that      
artists of the most pronounced          
individuality of  style and method often
 show how strongly they may become      
influenced by  the work of others4      
,what ,whistler's art would have been   
had he never seen the work  of ,courbet1
 of ,velasquez1 of ,fantin1 of ,albert  
,moore1 and of the  ,japanese1 who can  
say8 ,the power of assimilation itself  
may be an  attribute of genius1 and it  
is not so much what he may have         
absorbed1  or from what source he may   
have derived suggestions1 as what use an
  artist makes of his derivations that  
really matters4    ,the first time ,i   
saw ,whistler's work was in the old     
rooms of the ,royal  ,academy when that 
,institution shared the ,gallery in     
,trafalgar ,square  with the ,national  
,collection1 and the old masters and the
 moderns were  next-door neighbours4    
,there was a certain obscure den opening
 out of a passage between two  of the   

principal picture galleries1 named the  
,octagon ,room1 almost as  dark as a    
cellar1 but it was here that ,whistler's
 early and wonderful  etchings of the   
,thames side first saw the light--such  
as it was6 in  the sixties4    ,i well  
remember1 too1 his early pictures1 which
 also first appeared in  the ,royal     
,academy exhibitions in the ,trafalgar  
,square rooms4 ,the quiet  power1 rich  
tone1 and distinction of ,at the ,piano1
 in #ahfj2 the  picture of a rocky      
seashore with a figure of a fisher-girl 
lying  on the sand 7,the ,coast of      
,brittany1 #ahfb71 skyed1 if ,i remember
  rightly1 which1 ,mr4 ,pennell says1   
might have been signed by ,courbet2  the
 lady in a ,japanese robe painting a    
blue pot 7,the ,lange ,leizen--of  the  
,six ,marks1 #ahfd72 ,i recall the      
striking effect of these works  among   
the commonplaces of the usual mixed     
exhibition4 ,they struck new  notes4 ,i 
also remember the ,wapping1 ,the ,thames
 in ,ice1 ,the ,music  ,room1 and ,the  

,little ,white ,girl1 all of which were 
exhibited at the  ,royal ,academy in the
 early sixties4 ,these impressed me more
 than any  other1 or later1 of          
,whistler's works4 ,all the             
above-mentioned early  pictures are     
reproduced in ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,pennell's 
book1 and1 to  my mind1 they still hold 
their place as the strongest and most   
interesting of the works of the artist  
in painting4      ,illustration3        
,t4 ,r4 ,annan and ,sons1 photo         
,,the ,,thames ,,in ,,ice4    ,later1   
too1 visitors to the winter exhibitions 
of oil pictures at the  ,dudley ,gallery
 were surprised by certain ,nocturnes1  
visions of the  ,thames in misty        
twilight with shadowy bridges and       
ghostly figures and  gliding barges1    
illuminated by twinkling golden lights2 
these were set  in moulded frames of    
unusual refinement1 in green and other  
tones of  gold to suit the key of colour
 in the picture1 and painted on the     
flat with decorative patterns of a      

,japanese character in dull blue1       
including a mysterious unit of pattern  
or mark1 afterwards known as  ,the      
,butterfly1 and used as a signature upon
 all ,whistler's works4    ,then there  
was a one man show in a gallery in ,pall
 ,mall 7,no4 #dh71  opposite            
,marlborough ,house1 in which ,old      
,battersea ,bridge1 ,nocturne  in blue  
and gold loomed large1 ,i remember1 and 
the town was surprised  by something    
fresh in the decorative arrangement of  
the exhibition1  yellow and gray        
predominating1 if ,i remember rightly1  
relieved with  blue pots and palms4     
,this is mentioned in the ,life at p4   
#agi4 ,then  came the famous ,peacock   
,room in ,prince's ,gate1 which chiefly 
sustains ,whistler's repute as what one 
may call a practical decorator4  ,it is 
to be deplored that the room itself was 
not more beautiful in  structure and    
arrangement1 cut up as it was with      
fidgetty details1  with pendants from   
the ceiling and shelves for china4      

,still1 of  course1 the business of a   
decorator is to adapt his scheme to the 
place decorated1 and certainly this was 
done quite thoroughly  by ,whistler1 and
 the blue and gold scheme was worked out
 very  consistently and ingeniously upon
 the theme of the peacock4    ,it seems 
rather pitiful to read of the miserable 
squabbles over the  money1 and the      
personalities and petty spite1 however  
seasoned with  the wit of the artist1   
which seemed to raise a cloud of dust   
around  every transaction in which      
,whistler was concerned4    ,a little   
later1 at the ,grosvenor ,gallery in    
#ahgg1 he is in the  limelight again1   
and this time is fallen foul of by ,john
 ,ruskin4    ,much as one may owe to    
that great writer1 and while1 however   
biassed  or occasionally mistaken1 the  
wholesome and ennobling influence of    
his work on the whole must be           
acknowledged1 there could be no         
justification for his very injudicious  
and uncritical pronouncement  upon that 

nocturne of ,whistler's1 but it only    
meant that ,ruskin1 as  might be        
supposed1 was utterly out of sympathy   
with that form of art1  and did not     
understand it4    ,yet great as was the 
provocation1 it would surely have been  
more  dignified for the artist attacked 
to have let the words recoil upon  the  
writer1 and to have confidently awaited 
the verdict of time1  rather than to    
have dragged the matter into a law-court
 to be made  game of by counsel1 judge1 
and jury1 an utterly incompetent        
tribunal  to form any serious opinion   
upon a question of art4                 
,illustration3 ,,panels ,,from ,,the    
,,peacock ,,room4    ,one feels1        
however1 to a nature like ,whistler's1  
the sort of  notoriety which such       
situations give to the principals had a 
distinct  attraction1 added to the      
fighting instinct which possessed him4  
,from this time onward this attraction  
seems to have grown more and  more      
powerful and to have influenced the life

 and work of the artist  in anything but
 a fortunate way1 and it becomes        
fatiguing to follow  the course of the  
continual brawls in which he was        
involved4    ,he was a conspicuous      
figure at the ,grosvenor ,gallery       
private views in  the early days1 with  
his white lock and his long wand1 but ,i
 never  got further than a slight       
acquaintance with him1 personally1 which
 may  have been as much my fault 7or    
misfortune7 as his4    ,when we come to 
his ,ten o'clock1 in which ,whistler    
gives us his  philosophy of art1 we find
 his views1 characteristically1         
intensely  individualistic4 ,period1    
traditions1 gradual evolution in art and
  artists1 are nothing to him4 ,it is   
always the one man show1 a  purely      
personal view of art1 from the first    
etcher on a cave-bone to  ,rembrandt4   
,the artist is always an accident4 ,his 
predecessors or his  contemporaries are 
nothing4 ,heredity and environment1     
economic and  social conditions1 are of 

no account4 ,race or country don't      
matter4  ,the inspiration of symbol and 
story is ignored or despised as         
literary4 ,the unifying and ennobling   
influence of architecture1 the          
co-operation of the crafts1 the         
associated chain of human endeavour  and
 experiment in the arts1 which link the 
ages together1 and find  their highest  
expression in great public monuments1 do
 not interest  him apparently4 ,art     
happened4 ,this is as much as to say one
 is  only concerned with the flower1 and
 the roots1 the soil from which  it     
springs or the evolution of the plant   
itself are matters of no  account6 ,thus
 the individualistic artist kicks away  
the ladder by  which he arrived and     
expects the stage to be cleared for him4
 ,ah1  well1 ,ten o'clock suited the    
hour1 the audience1 and the man4 ,it    
would be too much to expect brilliant   
artists and witty inventors of  bons    
mots1 or butterflies to be profound     
philosophers as well4    ,in many ways  

,whistler1 though distinctly a          
decorative artist1 was the  complete    
antithesis of ,william ,morris4 ,mr4    
,pennell makes a true remark  in his    
book in speaking of ,whistler's ideas in
 decoration when he says  7p4 #bba1 vol4
 i73 ,colour for him 7,whistler71 was as
 much decoration  as pattern was for    
,william ,morris4 ,one would be inclined
 however to  qualify this by saying that
 ,whistler's main principle in          
decoration1  in which he showed a fine  
taste1 was by tones of colour2          
especially  was he successful in the    
choice of pale delicate tones4 ,whistler
  appeals to one as a great craftsman in
 tone1 rather than as a  colourist4     
,as a painter his most distinctive and  
original works will always  be his      
nocturnes1 and1 of his portraits 7which1
 however1 he often  treated as          
landscapes7 his fame seems likely       
chiefly to rest upon  those of his      
,mother and ,carlyle4    ,the picture of
 ,whistler himself1 of his character as 

a man1 which this  book reveals--in     
spite of some relieving touches--is not 
an attractive  one4    ,one can only    
feel sorry that so genuine an artist was
 so consumed  by his own opinion of     
himself1 and wasted so much time and    
energy in  litigation1 and that he could
 stoop to be professor of the gentle art
  of making enemies or glory in the     
distinction of being a past-master  in  
the craft of losing friends4 ,still1 he 
fought the ,philistines4    ,mr4 and    
,mrs4 ,pennell's book is admirably done 
and well illustrated1  and it appears   
moreover in a form--clad in an          
arrangement of brown1  yellow1 and      
gold--such as might have been approved  
by its fastidious  subject4    ,the book
 is peppered with ,whistler's smart     
repartees and sayings2  of the latter   
the following dictum strikes me as      
remarkably true and  sound3    ,poverty 
may induce industry1 but it does not    
produce the fine flower  of painting4   
,the test is not poverty1 it's money4   

,give a painter money  and see what he  
will do3 if he does not paint his work  
is well lost to  the world4             
,footnote #aa3 ,the ,life of ,j4        
,mc,neill ,whistler1 by ,e4 ,r4      and
 ,j4 ,pennell1 in two volumes1          
illustrated4 ,london3 ,william          
,heinemann1 #aijh4          ,,index     
7,note3 ,the ,page number is the link to
 the reference4      #abcx indicates    
that the reference is only in the       
,footnote2      #abc1x indicates that   
the reference is also in the ,footnote74
        ,ancient ,buildings1 ,society   
for the ,protection of1 #db1 #dc1 #bag4 
,animals1 treatment of1 in art1         
#ahe-bjd4      ,architecture1 modern    
domestic1 #dh2      arts allied to1     
#abe-adf2      of the nineteenth        
century1 #bbe-bbg4      ,art education1 
#ef1 #eg1 #ajg-aaj1 #aad1 #aae1         
#bdb-bde1 #bej4      ,art1 study and    
practice of1 #aje-abb2      of the      
nineteenth century1 #bbc-bcg4      ,art 
,nouveau1 ,l'1 #bcb4      ,arts and     

,crafts ,exhibition ,society1 the1 #bh1 
#fg1 #fh1 #gj1 #ga1 #ie1            #if1
 #bcj1 #bdh1 #bdi4      ,art ,workers'  
,guild1 the1 #ei1 #fj1 #gj1 #ic4        
,assyrian art1 animals in1 #ahg1 #ahh1  
#aij4      ,athens1 architecture of1    
#abf4        ,ball1 ,john1 #da4         
,bates1 ,harry1 #fa1 #bbh4      ,bell1  
,r4 ,anning1 #acd4      ,bellamy1       
,edward1 his ,looking ,backward1 #aj1   
#aa1 #bad4      ,benson1 ,frank1 #bcf4  
,binyon1 ,laurence1 #fe4                
,birmingham1 ,st4 ,philip's1 #bi4       
,blake1 ,william1 #bbh4      ,bokhara1  
embroidery from1 #aed1 #aee4            
,brangwyn1 ,frank1 #ib4      ,brown1    
,ford ,madox1 #ag1 #bh1 #ib1 #bcj1 #bec4
      ,brown1 ,prof4 ,frederick1 #ib4   
,bullen1 ,wentworth1 #be4      ,burges1 
,william1 #ej1 #ea1 #bbg4               
,burne-,jones1 ,sir ,edward1 #ae1 #be1  
#bf1 #bh1 #cf1 #cg1 #fa1 #bcj4          
,burne-,jones1 ,lady1 #bi4              
,butterfield1 ,william1 #bbg4           
,cambridge1 ,jesus ,college1 #bh4       

,canova1 ,antonio1 #bbg4      ,carlisle1
 ,earl of1 #ae4      ,carlyle1 ,thomas1 
#ba1 #dj1 #bac4      ,cennini1 ,cennino1
 his ,trattato1 #afd-agf4      ,century 
,guild1 the1 #fg4      ,chinese art1    
#fc1 #fe1 #bca4      ,city and ,guilds  
of ,london ,institute1 the1 #fg4        
,clausen1 ,george1 #fi1 #ib4      ,clay1
 modelling in1 #ade4      ,cleveland1   
,ohio1 mosaic floor for bank at1 #acb4  
,cobden-,sanderson1 ,t4 ,j41 #bhb1 #cd4 
,coire1 gesso work at1 #afd4            
,courbet1 ,gustave1 #bfd1 #bfe4         
,cowper1 ,f4 ,cadogan1 #ghd4            
,crane1 ,walter1 his designs for ,the   
,glittering ,plain1 #cf2      associated
 with the proposal for a ,national      
,exhibition of the            ,arts1    
#fi2      ,president of the ,arts and   
,crafts ,exhibition ,society1 #ie2      
design in mosaic for a bank at          
,cleveland1 #acb4      ,cretan          
embroideries1 #aeb1 #aec4               
,darius1 frieze from palace of1 #aci4   
,day1 ,lewis ,f41 #ei4      ,dearle1    

,h41 #be4      ,drawing1 study of1      
#bdb-bde4      ,dress1 modern1 #bab-bad4
      ,dressler1 ,conrad1 #aci4         
,earthly ,paradise1 ,the1 #g1 #h1 #af2  
projected illustrated edition1 #cg4     
,eastlake1 ,c4 ,l41 his ,hints on       
,household ,taste1 #ec4      ,edinburgh1
 ,art ,congress at 7#ahhi71 #bi1 #gd4   
,egyptian art1 animals in1 #ahe-ahh1    
#aij2      mummies1 use of gesso on1    
#ahb4      ,embroidery1 colour and its  
treatment1 #adi-aei4      ,eve1 ,g4 ,w41
 #aib4        ,flaxman1 ,john1 #bbg4    
,florence1 ,riccardi ,chapel1 #ada4     
,forbes1 ,stanhope1 #ib4      ,ford1    
,onslow1 #bbg4      ,furse1 ,charles1   
#ib4        ,gainsborough1 ,thomas1     
#bbh4      ,gallia ,placida1 ,mausoleum 
of1 #acc4      ,gesso work1 early       
,italian1 #acf1 #acg1 #ada1 #afc-ahb4   
,gibson1 ,john1 #bbg4      ,gilbert1    
,alfred1 #fa4      ,giotto1 #adj4       
,glasgow ,school1 the1 #bcb4            
,glass1 stained1 #bh1 #bi1 #add4        
,glittering ,plain1 ,the1 #cf4          

,gozzoli1 ,benozzo1 #ada4      ,greek   
art1 animals in1 #aij-aib4              
,grosvenor ,gallery1 the1 #fe1 #ga1     
#bfh1 #bgj4      ,gwalior1 stone        
carvings of animals at1 #aih1 #bjj-bjc4 
,hammersmith ,socialist ,society1 #bg1  
#bh1b4      ,hobby ,horse1 ,the1 #fg4   
,hogarth1 ,william1 #bbh4      ,hokusai1
 #fc4      ,holiday1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4     
,henry1 #acd4      ,home ,arts and      
,industries ,association1 the1 #fg4     
,hooper1 ,w4 ,h41 #cf4      ,horne1     
,herbert ,p41 #fg4      ,horniman       
,museum1 mosaic design on the1 #acd4    
,houses of ,parliament1 frescoes in the1
 #ghd4      ,hughes1 ,arthur1 #ag4      
,hunt1 ,holman1 #di1 #fi1 #bcj4         
,indian art1 animals in1 #ahi1 #aij1    
#aih1 #bjj-bjc4      ,israels1 ,joseph1 
#ia4        ,jackson1 ,john1 #ajhe4     
,japanese art1 influence of1 #fc-fe1    
#bca2      treatment of animals in1     
#aih1 #aii4        ,kelmscott ,house1   
#bg1 #bh1b4      ,kelmscott ,press1 the1
 #e1 #bi1 #cd-cf4        ,landseer1 ,sir

 ,edwin1 #bjc4      ,lascelles1 ,frank1 
#bcf4      ,la ,thangue1 ,h4 ,h41 #ib4  
,leighton1 ,lord1 #fa4      ,leverett1  
,arthur1 #cf4      ,liebermann1 ,max1   
#ia4      ,lindsay1 ,sir ,coutts1 #fe4  
,liverpool1 ,art ,congress at 7#ahhh71  
#gc1 #gd4      ,london1 aspect of1      
#bjg-bad2      architecture of1 #bbf4   
,london ,county ,council1 its technical 
schools1 #fh1 #fi4        ,magnus1 ,sir 
,philip1 #fg4      ,magnsson1           
,professor1 #af4      ,manchester1      
frescoes in the ,town ,hall1 #bec4      
,marlborough ,college ,chapel1          
decoration of1 #afh4      ,merton       
,abbey1 #be1 #bg1 #bh1b4      ,meunier1 
,constantin1 #ia1 #bbh4      ,michael   
,angelo1 #ada4      ,micklethwaite1 ,j4 
,t41 #acb4      ,millais1 ,sir ,j4 ,e41 
#bcj4      ,millar1 ,w41 his            
,plastering1 #afd4      ,millet1        
,franois1 #ia4      ,moody1 ,t4 ,w41    
#fc1 #ach4      ,moore1 ,albert1 #fa1   
#bfd4      ,more1 ,sir ,thomas1 #da4    
,morgan1 ,william de1 #ee1 #aci4        

,morland1 ,george1 #bbh4      ,morris1  
,miss ,may1 #cf4      ,morris1 ,william1
 #c-dc1 #ea1 #bcj1 #bga2      his       
,socialism1 #e1 #g-ad1 #cf-da2          
visit to ,iceland1 #af2      and the    
artistic revival1 #af-bj1 #ed1 #ic-ie1  
#bcb1 #bdh2      his birth and          
education1 #ba1 #bb2      experiments in
 dyeing1 #bd2      weaving1 #bd-bf2     
painted glass1 #bh1 #bi2      his ,,ms4 
of ,omar ,khayym1 #bi-cc2      the      
,kelmscott ,press1 #e1 #bi1 #cd-cf2     
illustrations for ,cupid and ,psyche1   
#cg2      founds the ,society for       
,protection of ,ancient ,buildings1 #db2
      his appreciation of humour1 #dd1c4
      ,morris and ,co41 #ae1 #ag1 #bg1  
#bh1 #ed4      ,mosaic1 marble1         
#abi-acb2      glass1 #acb-acd2         
pebble1 #acd1 #ace4      ,murray1       
,fairfax1 #bi1 #cf4      ,mycenae1      
,cyclopean gate of1 #abf1 #aij4         
,national ,association for the          
,advancement of ,art1 the1 #bi1 #gc1    
#gd4      ,national ,exhibition of the  

,arts1 proposed1 #fi4      ,new ,english
 ,art ,club1 the1 #fi4      ,news from  
,nowhere1 #e1 #aj1 #aa4      ,new ,york1
 improvement of1 #baa1 #bab4            
,nineveh1 wall sculptures of1 #abf1     
#ahh4      ,northern ,art ,workers'     
,guild1 the1 #fj4        ,omar ,khayym1 
illuminated by ,morris1 #bi-cc4         
,oxford1 ,exeter ,college1 #bf2         
,christ ,church1 #bh4        ,pageants1 
#bcf4      ,parthenon1 the1 #abf4       
,peacock ,room1 the1 #bff4              
,pennell1 ,mr4 and ,mrs41 their ,life of
 ,whistler1 #bei-bgb1aa4      ,petrie1  
,w4 ,m4 ,flinders1 #ahb4                
,philadelphia1 art-teaching in1 #ajg2   
mosaic altar-piece in1 #acd4            
,photography1 influence of1 #beb4       
,pinturrichio1 #ada1 #aff4      ,pisa1  
,campo ,santo1 #ada4      ,pistoia1     
#adj4      ,plaster work1 decorated1    
#ace1 #acf4      ,poster1 the modern1   
#aaa1 #beb1 #bec4                       
,post-impressionists1 the1 #bcc4        
,pracatic 7,bohemia71 sgraffito designs 

at1 #acg1 #ach4      ,pre-,raphaelite   
,brotherhood1 the1 #dh1 #bcj4           
,pugin1 ,augustus ,w4 ,n41 #ej4         
,raphael1 #acf4      ,ravenna1 mosaics  
at1 #acc4      ,repouss work1 #abg-acj4 
,reynolds1 ,sir ,joshua1 #bbh4          
,ricardo1 ,halsey1 #hi1 #aci4           
,richardson1 ,h4 ,h41 #bi4              
,richmond1 ,sir ,w4 ,b41 #acd4          
,robbia ware1 #adj4      ,rodin1        
,auguste1 #bbh4      ,rome1 baths of    
,caracalla1 #abi-aca2      ,new         
,american ,church1 #acd2      tombs in  
the ,via ,latina1 #acf1 #afc2           
,appartimenti ,borgia1 #ada2            
,sistine ,chapel1 #ada1 #aff1 #afh4     
,rossetti1 ,d4 ,g41 #af1 #bh1 #di1 #bcj4
      ,royal ,academy1 the1 #fj-fb1 #fi1
 #gj1 #ie1 #bdi4      ,royal ,school of 
,art ,needlework1 the1 #fg4             
,ruskin1 ,john1 #e1 #ba1 #ej1 #ic1 #bfh4
        ,st4 ,paul's1 decoration of1    
#acd4      ,sandys1 ,frederick1 #bcj4   
,sarnath1 sculptured lions found at1    
#ahi1 #aij4      ,school of ,art        

,woodcarving1 the1 #fg4      ,sedding1  
,j4 ,d41 #bbg4      ,sgraffito1 #acg1   
#ach4      ,shaw1 ,henry1 #ej2      his 
,glazier's ,book1 #add1h4      ,shaw1   
,norman1 #ea1 #bbg4      ,sicilian      
silks1 #aid-aig4      ,siena1 frescoes  
in the town hall1 #ada4      ,sigurd the
 ,volsung1 #g1 #af4      ,smith1        
,catteson1 #cf4      ,socialism1 ,morris
 and1 #e1 #g-ad1 #cg-db2      its       
inspiration in art1 #hc-aja4            
,society of ,arts1 the1 #gc1 #gd4       
,solomon's temple1 #abg4      ,stanhope1
 ,spencer1 #afh4      ,stevens1 ,alfred1
 #fc1 #bjc1 #bjd1 #bbg1 #bdh4           
,stokes1 ,mr4 ,adrian1 #agj4            
,street1 ,george ,edmund1 #ba4          
,sumner1 ,heywood1 #ach4      ,sykes1   
,godfrey1 #fc4        ,tadd1 ,liberty1  
#ajg1e-aji4      ,technical ,schools1   
#fh1 #fi1 #aad1 #aae4      ,thorvaldsen1
 ,bertel1 #bbg4      ,tiles1 use of1 as 
decoration1 #ach1 #aci4                 
,town-planning ,exhibition1 the1 #fa4   
,tuke1 ,h4 ,s41 #ib4      ,turner1 ,j4  

,m4 ,w41 #bbi4        ,van der ,meer1   
,jan1 #aci4        ,walker1 ,emery1 #cd4
      ,watts1 ,g4 ,f41 #fa1 #ghd4       
,webb1 ,philip1 #ae1 #af1 #ag1 #ea1     
#bbg4      ,whistler1 ,j4 ,m41 #fd1     
#bca2      his ,life1 #bei1aa-bgb4      
,wolfe1 ,miss ,catherine1 #bi4          
,wrought ,iron ,work1 #add1 #ade4       
,illustration          ,,books ,,for    
,,collectors    ,,uniform ,,with ,,this 
,,volume    ,post #hvo1 with numerous   
,illustrations      ,,how ,,to ,,look   
,,at ,,pictures4 ,by ,r4 ,c4 ,,witt1    
,m4,a4 ,sixth ,edition4 ,with #dj       
,illustrations4 #es4 net4        ,a     
better gift for people who are dimly    
'fond of pictures1'      but who regret 
that 'they know nothing about them1'    
could not      be found4--,spectator4   
,,how ,,to ,,understand ,,sculpture4 ,a 
,handbook for the ,amateur4 ,by         
,,margaret ,,thomas4 ,with #dj          
,full-page ,illustrations1 and          
,photogravure  ,frontispiece4 #fs4 net4 
,,how ,,to ,,identify ,,portrait        

,,miniatures4 ,by ,g4 ,c4 ,,williamson1 
,,litt4,d4  ,with ,chapters on ,how to  
,paint ,miniatures1 by ,,alyn           
,,williams1 ,r4,b4,a41  ,a4,r4,c4,a4    
,third ,edition4 ,with #dj plates       
illustrating upwards of #gj  miniatures4
 #fs4 net4        ,contains much        
valuable information for the collector  
of      examples of this form of art4   
,the book is finely illustrated1        
and is enriched with chapters explaining
 technicalities      and describing the 
special qualifications of a miniature   
painter4--,morning ,post4    ,,art ,,and
 ,,the ,,camera4 ,by ,,anthony ,,guest4 
,with #di ,illustrations4 ,post #hvo4   
#fs4 net4        ,the book cannot be    
read without realization of the great   
possibilities of photography4 ,it should
 be studied by amateurs      and        
professionals alike4--,evening          
,standard4    ,,how ,,to ,,identify     
,,old ,,china4 ,by ,,mrs4 ,,willoughby  
,,hodgson4 ,eleventh  ,thousand4 ,with  
#dj plates and numerous reproductions of

 marks4 #es4  net4        ,the          
information given is precisely what is  
needed1 and is      particularly well   
arranged1 with a preliminary chapter of 
practical advice4--,westminster         
,gazette4    ,,how ,,to ,,collect       
,,continental ,,china4 ,by ,c4 ,h4      
,,wylde4 ,with #dj plates and  upwards  
of #djj reproductions of marks4 #fs4    
net4    ,,how ,,to ,,collect ,,old      
,,furniture4 ,by ,,frederick            
,,litchfield1 ,author of  ,illustrated  
,history of ,furniture1 etc4 ,fourth    
,edition4 ,with #dj  plates and numerous
 illustrations in the text4 #fs4 net4   
,the book is1 without question1 the most
 interesting and      informing guide   
that the modern passion for antique     
furniture      has produced4--,pall     
,mall ,gazette4    ,,how ,,to ,,collect 
,,books4 ,by ,j4 ,h4 ,,slater1 ,editor  
of ,book ,prices  ,current1 etc4 ,with  
numerous illustrations4 #fs4 net4       
,,how ,,to ,,collect ,,postage ,,stamps4
 ,by ,,bertram ,t4 ,k4 ,,smith4 ,with   

#dh plates1  illustrating upwards of    
#gej specimens4 #fs4 net4    ,,the      
,,print-,,collector',s ,,handbook4 ,by  
,,alfred ,,whitman4 ,fifth and ,cheaper 
,edition1 revised by ,,malcolm ,c4      
,,salamon4 ,illustrated4 #fs4 net4      
,,london3 ,g4 ,,bell ,,and ,,sons1      
,,ltd4          ,handbooks of the ,great
 ,masters    in    ,painting and        
,sculpture    ,,edited ,,by ,g4 ,c4     
,,williamson1 ,,litt4,d4    ,with #dj   
,illustrations and ,photogravure        
,frontispiece    ,large ,post #hvo4 #cs4
 #f;d4 net each      ,the series is of  
high value and great promise1 444       
evidently being  carried out            
conscientiously1 and without the sparing
 of pains or  labour4--,magazine of     
,art4    ,dr4 ,williamson is editing the
 ',great ,masters' series with singular 
success and good fortune4--,academy4    
,volumes on the following ,masters are  
now ready3      ,,botticelli4           
,,brunelleschi4    ,,correggio4         
,,carlo ,,crivelli4    ,,della ,,robbia4

    ,,del ,,sarto4    ,,donatello4      
,,francia4    ,,gaudenzio ,,ferrari4    
,,gerard ,,dou4    ,,giorgione4         
,,giotto4    ,,frans ,,hals4            
,,leonardo ,,da ,,vinci4    ,,luini4    
,,mantegna4    ,,memlinc4    ,,michael  
,,angelo4    ,,perugino 7,p4 ,,vanucci74
    ,,piero ,,della ,,francesca4        
,,pintoricchio4    ,,raphael4           
,,rembrandt4    ,,rubens4               
,,signorelli4    ,,sodoma4              
,,tintoretto 7,,jacopo ,,robusti74      
,,van ,,dyck4    ,,velasquez4           
,,watteau4    ,,wilkie4    ,a detailed  
and ,illustrated ,catalogue of the      
,series will be sent on  application4   
,,london3 ,g4 ,,bell ,,and ,,sons1      
,,ltd4    ,,york ,,house1 ,,portugal    
,,street1 ,w4,c4          ,transcriber's
 ,note3          indicates italic text4 
indicates bold text4         indicates a
 superscript4      ,missing or damaged  
punctuation has been repaired4          
,both hyphenated and un-hyphenated      
variants of some words appear    in this

 book4 ,all have been retained4 ,the    
author has used ,,uk-,english           
variants of some words 7e4g4 'colour'1  
etc41 not 'color'1 etc471 and    some   
older spellings4      ,illustrations    
that interrupt a paragraph have been    
moved to a more    convenient position  
nearby1 between paragraphs1 and closer  
to their    descriptive text4      ,the 
text in the ,omar ,khayym illustrations 
appears to be missing    some           
end-punctuation1 or it is partially     
hidden by the design4 ,it    seems to   
have been a hand-written copy1 by the   
author 7,william    ,morris71 of the    
,fitzgerald translation of ,omar        
,khayym4 ,as it is    hand-written1 it  
has not been amended to the ,fitzgerald 
translation4        ,page #be and       
,index3 ',wentworth ,buller' is         
mentioned on ,page #be2    ',bullen1    
,wentworth1 #be4' is the entry in the   
,index4    ,the transcriber cannot find 
which spelling is correct1 so both have 
been retained4      ,page #ed3          

',hebblewhite' corrected to             
',hepplewhite'4       444 and           
,chippendale1 ,sheraton1 and            
,hepplewhite4444      ,pages #ei-fj3    
',in fact1 since artists more or less   
concerned with    decoration had        
increased1 owing to the revived activity
 and demand    arising for design of all
 kinds4' ,this sentence does not make   
sense4    'since' may be extraneous4    
,page #gb3 ',for in spite the immense   
activity and industry1 the              
independent artists in design and       
handicraft were but few1444'      should
 probably read either3       ',for      
despite the immense activity and        
industry1444'      or       ',for in    
spite of the immense activity and       
industry1444'      ,,oed gives3 spite1  
n4  v4t4 #a4 444 7in7  of1              
notwithstanding4      ,so 'in' may be   
optional1 but 'of' seems to be needed4  
,the transcriber    has chosen to       
correct 'in spite' to 'in spite of'4    
,in other places1 the author has used   

brief notes rather than    grammatically
 correct prose4 ,these appear to have   
been hasty jottings1    and have been   
retained4      ,page #ge3 'fatigueing'  
corrected to 'fatiguing'4        ,we    
have no word-symbols for defining those 
delicate shades of      difference so   
important to the artist1 and to be      
perpetually      qualifying is          
fatiguing4      ,page #gh1 ,footnote #d3
 ',cooper' corrected to ',cowper'4      
7,reference3 ,wikipedia7        444 by  
some of our ablest men of the younger   
school1 such as      ,mr4 ,payne and    
,mr4 ,cadogan ,cowper14444      ,the    
,index entry is correct4      ,page     
#agd3 'droping' corrected to 'dropping'4
        by the use of the brush in      
floating or dropping on the forms of    
the ornament4      ,page #bda3 'intance'
 corrected to 'instance'4        444    
different points of view--for instance1 
7#a7 as an      accessory4444