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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 16, 1902)
Ceramic Art and Its Followers f t f f- - Vases by Nebraska Ceramic Club Photographs Made by a Staff Artist J 1 17 SHE Nebraska Ceramic club was originally composed of only prac tical china decorators, for the purpose primarily of exhibiting tion at Chicago Since that time the club has continued to exist, with the principal object of giving an annual exhibition and sale and occasionally taking up a littlo work usually in tlx form of papers on correlated subjects at the regular meetings. This has generally ueen done In a rather aimless way, but last year the club started out with a definite plan which was so far a success that a similar idea was followed this year. Last year's work was found to be almost too heavy, as it consisted of a dozen plates of original design, the sub ject for each ruoujh being different. As the club only has Dine meetings a year, this doubled up the plates on three months. Several of the members confine their efforts to special lines of work; others are amateurs without the time or facilities for keeping up with such an elaborate scheme, and others still are professional decorators, who, especially at certain seasons, are rushed -with Order work and classes. This year's work was accordingly simplified, re taining the working idea which was found to sustain the Interest of the members, but reducing the number of pieces each member should decorate. The work for September, October and November was for all mem bers, a Beeleek vase, to be decorated with roses in an original design and according to the decorator's individual taste. These vases were presented at the regular meet ing, November 3, and only two of the twenty-two active members failed to com ply with the conditions. Of the twenty vases shown two were strictly conventional in design, one in monochrome by an out-of-town member and the rest In naturalistic style, varying from roses of delicate pink with light tintings to deep ruby roses with richly colored backgrounds. At the ninth annual exhibition of the club, which will begin on Saturday, the 20th, all these vases will be shown together, and sepa rate from the individual exhibits of the members, giving a better opportunity for comparison of the differences of technique and thought of the members. The Nebraska club Is endeavoring to secure the traveling and comparative exhibit of the National League of Mineral I'uiuters for public inspection at the time of its regular annual exhibit as the National league numbers among its working mem bers some of the foremost decorators of china in the United States. This exhibit has, among other items, thirty vases of larger size and different In shape from those decorated by the Nebraska club, which are in competition for a gold medal. There are about fifteen portrait heads In competition for a silver medal and the same number of plates competing for a bronze medal. The fact that the Nebraska club has never Joined the National league has made it difficult to secure suitable dates and terms with this exhibit, but the club is hopeful that the matter will be ar ranged so that Omaha people can compare the work of outside artists with that of Its own decorators who are anxious to prove that they have no fear of the re sults of such a comparison. The Nebraska club is limited to an active membership of forty-five and now has half that number. It Is very much to be hoped i hat the tenth anniversary of the club will see the roll lull, as the Interest is greatly increased, while the size of the club In sures a continual changing of the leaders in work, bringing out as it does a greater variety of ideas. For the rest of this year the work of the club requires a paper each month-by one member to be Illustrated by work from three other members. This brings only four members Into active serv ice each month and permits each group to enjoy the work of the others and devote more thought to their own. Last year the club made provision for the admission of members who could not do the work required of active members by providing for an associate list. The associate members have immunity from work and fines, have the privilege of vot ing, but are not allowed tp exhibit and must not do any actual China painting un less they become active members. Asso ciate members have the preference over outsiders in case they desire active mem bership and the list is full. Although the plans for another year's work are necessarily indefinite and nebu lous now, the interest this year has been so keen that there is no doubt but another annual exhibit will find the club with a still more Interesting quota of work to show. As an art and an Industry there Is prob ably no branch of decorative work that has gained as general favor as ceramics or china painting. While it Is among the oldest branches of art. it is of but comparatively recent years that It has come within the reach of those who have been chiefly instrumental in bringing it to Its present standard Ceramic art in America can be found to date back as far as 1616 and 176!. but it was not until about 1850 that Its pursuit warranted any number of decorators or firing establishments here. It was In 1861 that Edward Lycett, a skilled decorator, came from England to New York to establish- the work that has earned for him the title of "father of amateur china dec orating In America," but even at this time all material had to be Imported from abroad. Iu 1874 a class was organized In Cin cinnati for the purpose of experimenting In overglaze colors and It was the work of this class that formed the great part of the exhibit at the Centennial exposition of 1876 that gave to this new art the Impetus of which Its subsequent success is largely tho result. China painting as an art has met with unparalleled success, and today assumes a place of almost national Impor tance. This success has only been reached through repeated failures and at the sac rifice of time, money and labor, and the old adage, "Experience is the best teacher," was never more apropos than when applied to china painting. The fact that ceramics admits of such a jrofltable combination of art with the commercial a combination In which the latter has only s rved to stimulate tho advancement of the former has espe cially recommended it to favor, and to this Is due In no small degree Its remarkable recent advancement. Tho general culture of the age demands originality and Indi viduality In Its arts and china painting makes the same demands upon one's powers as any other branch and the t-amo methods of study must be pursued to attain suc cess. While the rolls or America's most suc cessful china painters includes the names of many men It Is a matter of comment that Gleanings From the Story Tellers' Pack v Flr-" "ulu'i isajs tue oaiuruay rjven yY I '"8 I'ost, if any French mot or urann' eei bu rpas.scu in deli cacy the reply made by an East Indian servant of Lord Duft'erin. when he was vieeory of India. "Well, what sort of sport has Lord had?" said Dufferin one day to bis "shikarry," or sporting servant, who had attended a young English lord on a shooting excursion. "Oh!" replied the scrupulously polite Hin doo, "the young Sahib shot divinely, but God was very merciful to the birds." Major Pratt, the I'nited Stated army offi cer who is in charge of the Carlisle Indian school, admits that many of his graduates who return to tribal life fall into Indian ways again. Therefore, he is doing all he can to prevent the educated Indians from going back to the reservations. He tells of an Incident he saw at a western Indian agency. A Fquaw entered a trader's store, wrapped in a blanket, pointed at a straw hat and asked: "How muchee?" "Fifty cents" said the merchant. "How muchee?" she asked again, point ing at another article. The prke was quoted and was followed by another query f "How muchee?" Then she suddenly gazed blandly at the merchant and asked mildly: "l)o ytu not regard such prices as ex tortionate for articles of such palpably and unmistakably Inferior quality? lo you n it really believe that a reduction in yt,ur charges would materially enhance your pecuniary profits? I beg ycu to ctn.-iler my suggestion." She was a graduate cf tho Carlisle In dian school. A good ell German lady who keeps native wine and some chickens in a suburb was waiting on a guest whin one or two bens K l up a cackling of such vehemence that it suggested to the stranger dire disaster either already happened or impending in the chickin park. Immediately the big rooster took up the refrain, and in his hoarse bass and inexcusable falsetto "mal ady and not melody" made more rumpus than all of the o her fowls put together. "What in the world Is the matter with those chickens, Frau?" asked the visitor. "Ach! I)e schicken, she haf de eggk laid; an' venn she an eggk haf laid de rooster he bin so glut he help her sin:;." A well known lawyer and writer, a resi dent of Oneida county, N. y., who has long since passed away, used to tell a Joke on himself, says a I'tica paper. His story was to the effect that he called for a bootjack at a country hotel at which be slopped. Now this lawyer and writer had very large feet, and the hostler to whom he made the request, after casting a glance at the big boots, exclaimed: "Why, man. It Isn't a bootjack you want for those! You need the fork of the road!" "Down In Tennessee one day," Bald Sen ator Carmack of that state, quotid by ihe New York Times, "I met a person whom I knew slightly, and who was of convivial habits. He had all the symptoms of a 'left-over.' In fact, as be came down the street he had so close a resemblance to a man who had surely been imbibing thu previous night that I stopped and said to him: "'Hid you have a good time last night?' " 'I did,' he chirped, with a cheerful grin. I had a magnificent time. It's a funny thing, though, senator,' he added confiden tially, 'I was out all night, and yet I can't remember a single thing that occurred after 9 o'clock.' " 'You can't.' I said. 'Then how on earth do you know that you had a magnificent time?' " 'Itocause,' he explained, "I heard tho policeman telling tho Judge about It In the morning.' " A certain woman of title recovered from a rather severe illness. An adept with the brush and a regular exhibitor of water colors in connection with the local art gallery, it was supposed she had over worked herself. When the doctor was called In an old nurse, who had been In the family many years, bored the medical man with her opinions as to the cauis of the attack. tho great majority are women. Of these women the name of Mis. llellaiuy Storer is known world-wide as the originator of tho famous Kookwood potttry, which, while It Is a distinct branch of ceramics, being under-glaze decoration, Is still a branch of this art. Tho wonderful beauty of thu colorings lias made Kookwood among the valuable, and expensive wares to which tho leading potters are every year paying trib ute In attempted Imitation. Ono of tho great mediums of ceramic ad vancement is the exhibit which has done so much, through comparison, to appreciate a proper appreciation of its merits. The next requisite after a proper appreciation is a buying public. The shrewd buyers always chooso the best, thereby becoming a factor in raising the standard of that class of art work. Naturally the ceramists are divided into two classes, those interested from a wage point of view and those interested be cause of their love of the art. Frequently It is said that ceramic art Is only a fad, that having so extensively engaged Interest is already on the decline, but present day Indications certainly do not verify such an assertion. Improved materials and kilns for the per fection of this work are every year being brought out at great expenso of time, work and money, and the last few years havo seen tho Issue of several books on the sub ject and the establishment of several pub lications In its exclusive Interest. All of these have contributed to tho advancement of ceramics, but It Is the true worth and beauty of decorated china that have given it its place among tho branches of the truest art, and that will certainly retain It there. "It's them long hours an' hard work i f tho palutin' what's done it." she r.maiked directly she saw him. The doctor was preoccupied and scarcely heard the re mark. "Has her ladyship exhibited any traces of hjstiria?" he suddenly demanded, turn ing to the talkative nurse. "Oh, no, sir," was the unexpected reply, "they was water colors, all on 'em real beauties, too!" Hy all accounts the affable manner whii'.i l'rince Henry displayed in ibis country is habitual with him. While Jaunting aroun I on his auto he nearly always travels in cognito. On a recent trip he stopped to buy tome benzine and the storekeeper was si Pleased with his customer that he offered him a cigar, which Henry took with thanks. I-ter in the day he slopped at a tavern, shared his sandwiches with the host'B chil dren, chatted with the hostess and on part ing got from her a bunch of roses with the injunction to place them in wattr as soon as be got home.
