Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, April 28, 1907, EDITORIAL SECTION, Page 5, Image 13

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SHORT LINE
CITY TICKET OFFICE,
5 S
h ALD SCENIC WALL " PAPERS
Demand Acain. for the Deooratiem of a
CenUry A eo,
QUAINT AND PICTURESQUE OLD DESIGNS
Wall Coverings Broaajht from
Italy and Vscd la Jiir Enflaul
Dwellings Now Sonant for
Country Houeee.
These two Illustrations of the picture or
scenic wallpaper, which la Just now in
greut demand among decorators, were ub
tulnod from a home at liath, Me., built In
lM'i George Shepard was the tlrst user ot
the house und he acquired this interesting
old wallpaper In the way that nutny New
EngLmUera of that day did.
Ills son-in-law, James Hull, was a aea
captain and on onu of hi voyages to Italy
bought, at Naples, the paper. It arrived
In Maine about 18oi and waa placed upon
the walls of the house. Mr. George M.
Bhepuid. the present owner of the house
und a descendant of the captain who
brought the paper here, says that the col
on are still so fresh that It might, with
cure, lust at least 100 years mora.
The three pictures Into which the paper
ts divided show different views of Rome.
One shows the Vatican with Its gardens
and a view of St. Peter s. A key came from
Italy with the wallpuper describing each
view, but It has been lust.
The sky In the puper is blue with white
clouds, while tho troes and grass are done
In shades of green. The buildings are drab,
with brown trimmings.
These picture papers are not reproduced
now by modern manufacturers In spite of
the Increased demand for them sines It be
came the fashion to build what are called
Georgian. Colonial or Jaivlean houses. New
Rngland Is especially rich In these old pa
pers, which usually came here Just as Mrs.
Shepard'a was brought on a ship.
Bar of Naples" Ret.
Of all the Italian designs brought here
none was ever so much liked as the so
called "Bay of Naples" set, which was not
unlike the scene of Rome shown In the pic
ture. This paper la found In a number of
New England homes.
In the distance Mount Vesuvius la smok
ing, while on two promontories overlook
ing the bay men and women are dancing
and playing on musical Instruments. It Is
estimated that this design still hangs on
the walls of at least a dnten New England
drawing rooms. Fo perfect Is this paper
In the details of Its finish that It la possible
to translate the Greek inscriptions on the
mono ments.
All the houses decorated with this peper
received It at the beginning of the nlne
(ionth century, although It was fifty years
Wore thut time thst the Importation of
Msh clnM papers to this country hsd Its
s'nrt. Previous! to thst period the wslla
were painted with rtelrn llm'ted In elabo
rateness hv the tihlhty of the artist.
Th painters had never hsd much school
ing, nor were thev ronflned hv the exnmnl
o th frpr Tr- howet-er ome
ppeotmens of this pointing still In existence
that are prcttv enough to be decorated
Plrds and flowera were generally the sub
jects selected, althnueh occasionally ani
mals lire seen with landscape backgrounds.
When wallpaper came here first It was
In small snunres. and not In rolls, aa the
method of prWtlnc used now was not In
rented until near the middle of the eight
eenth century In England. These small
squares were often brown and white mar
ble dominoes or black and whit for a
change.
There were ng borders and the family
orna
usually gathered to cut out of brown paper
the border for the frleae. The large pieces
of paper such as those shown In the pic
tures were brought to this country first at
the beginning of the nineteenth century.
Although these papers were more fre
quently eeen In New England than In any
other part of the country, they occasion
ally found their, way to the south and usu
ally via New Orleans. One of these old
papers waa sold for more than J2.0CO a
short time ago to a Boston antique dealer.
It showed a succession of antique Greek
scenes.
This paper was not done In colors, hut
la a variety of shades of brown and cream
color. This paper had never been hung.
i
1 WMt sV
ONE OF THE OLD
It waa In thirty pieces and waa made In
Prance for a planter who had his town
home In New Orleans at about the begin
ning of the nineteenth century.
There la a piece of the same design hang
ing In a hlatorlc house In New Hampshire.
It was purchased In New Orleans.
The paper referred to as having been
sold recently shows wear only at the edges,
which were worn by the frequent exhibi
tion to which the paper had been aub
Jected. This piece was in the opinion of
experts printed by hand from engraved
blocka After this the shading was In all
probability done by hand as was so often
the case in the finishing of these old papers
This paper came In sheets about three feet
square.'
Old Designs Popalar.
Some other papers of this period bear
the same decorative designs that are popu
lar now with large landscape or figure
effects. Such a piece Is In the drawing
room In New Hampshire, although It looks
as If It belonged in a French boudoir ot
the late Louis. A amull sylvian scene Is
repeated at intervals on the paper. .
This design Is brown, while the back
ground Is cream colored. In the frlese and
dado the predominating tone la dark blue,
which offers a charming contract to the
brown tones. This wallpaper wt made
up In plecea a foot and a half square.
In spite of the beautiful designs In these
old papers, the manufacturers of the pres
ent day have never consented to reprint
them.
There la a apecial demand at present for
Chinese papers. One of the historic pat
terns In wall paper Is Chinese and came to
this country 160 years ago. This aubject la
"Tea O rowing In China," and It waa on the
papera Imported Into Europe first by the
Campaguie dea Indea In Vti. In a few
years wall paper wag taken from France
ft t . I O"
If VI J
Only Two More Days
Of Low One-Way Fares
Org
Tickets good in Tourist Sleeping Cars
Through Train Service.
UNION
Be sure your
1324 Farnam Street.
to Italy, where the new styles of house
hold decoration took deep root In public
favor.
Borne of the designs of the nineteenth
and late eighteenth century papers are
very quaint and tasteful. One shows a
group of women fishing In a boat with a
man to empty their nets. Another has a
group of old ladies taking tea, while a cat
dozes by their side.
An English design in Imitation of Chinese
la filled with small oriental figures In many
colors, subdued, however, to a sufficiently
quiet ensemble effect. Such papers are
beautifully adapted to the large acenlc ef
fects, but are not suited to small houses
V. ,
i&Mr
ITALIAN DESIGNS.
and apartment rooms. The picture papers
are only for the country house -and It Is
for that they are in demand.
Very Ciood Ilralnalna;.
The Incident below which Daniel Colt
Gilman, LL. D., late president of Johns
HooKlns university, has incorporated In his
recently published aheaf of remembrances,
"The Launching of a I'nlverslty and Other
Papers" could not happen at the present
time, when each new institution of learning
has its millionaire sponsor. It belongs to
the pioneer period of education, when start
ing a college meant breaking the wilder
ness. A gentleman, President Gilman says, once
Introduced himself to Dr. Day, then presi
dent of Yale, as chancellor of a western
state university.
"How large a faculty have you?" Presi
dent Day Inquired, with genuine Interest.
"Not any," answered the western gentle
man. "Have you any library or buildings?"
Not yet."
"Any endowment?"
"None."
"What have you then?" persisted Presi
dent Day.
The visitor's countenance brightened.
"We have a very good charter," said he.
Cleveland Leader.
Ovvraltfhts of History.
Cassandra had prophesied the visit of the
wooden horse and the destruction of Troy,
but, as usual, nobody had believed bcr.
"Didn't I warn you of this!" she went
around shrieking while the Grecians were
sacking the city.
Had it not been for this she might have
escaped, but the despairing Inhabitants, to
whum an "I told you so" fiend was the
lt straw, bundled her Into a suck and
handed her over la Aameinnou. Chicago
Tribune.
THFi OMAHA SUNDAY KKE; APRIL
to
OBI
FAST TRAM
Via
PAOFIC
tickets read over this line.
INQUIRE AT
J 4.
WOOD AND NOT WALL PAPER
Example of thi Fewest Mode of Deoo
raticr Booms.
PRICE HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH CRAZE
Rase (or Wood In Rooms of Every
Character, from Nursery to
Parlor Doll Finish and
Hovel Color Effects.
NEW YORK, April 27.-Consult a high
class Interior decorator this spring and he
Is likely to be enthusiastic on the subject
of woodwork. Not at the very start, maybe.
Until satisfied of the size and elas
ticity of a customer's purse he throws out
suggestions tentatively.
Discovering that the purse will not stand
for elaborate wood decorations, he gener
ally confines himself to a consideration of
materials costing less than wood, kalso
mlne and wall puper, for instance. But f
the purse is all right then a customer Is
bound to hear moro about wood Interiors
than perhaps he ever heard before, and,
further, he will often get an object lesson
of what Is In the decorator'a mind.
This object leBson, by the way. Is a nov
elty, comparatively speaking. Heretofore
only a very few of the highest-priced
house decorators included in their establish
ments rooms or sections of rooms Illus
trating special designs. In most cases per
sons up against the always puzzling task
of selecting wall decoration for a partic
ular stylo of house arrived at a decision
chiefly by the aid of photographs and sam
ples of wood, paper and brocade.
It Is not like that now. In this city there
are establishments easily got at and not
at all exclusive where rooms of many
characters dining rooms, drawing rooms,
sleeping rooms, libraries, foyer halls fresh
from the decorator's hands and exhibiting
many grades of cost and the materials and
designs now most in fashion, are offered
for Inspectlor as freely as a furniture
dealer displays his newest models of tables
and chairs.
Demand Exceeds Rtprrlrnre,
In most rases the quantity of wood In
evidence bears out the statement of a
well known decorntor that the present de.
mand for wood fittings and trimmings in
private dwellings exceeds anything he has
encountered In a business experience of
two decades, and that the varieties of
wood In use are even more surprising than
the quantity demanded.
"Dull-finished woods," he continued,
"have gone ahead of polished woods in
most rases. Everybody Is clamoring for
natural oak, chestnut, mahogany, walnut,
etc., and there are a dozen different ways
of treating these woods.
"For the time being few persons who
come here will look at polished walnut or
mahogany or rosewood for wall paneling.
Everything and anything of dull flulsli,
with the grain of the wood much In evi
dence, leads In popularity, and the brighter
browns have given pl.tce to ash browns and
grays. Let me Illustrate."
The decorator led the way to one of the
show rooms, a library, whose walls to a
height of nearly six feet from the lloor
were covered with wood divided into panels
two and one-half feet wide by strips of
the game wood four Inches wide. Roth
panels and dividing strips were perfectly
flat and plain, without carving or mold
ings of any description.
Oak la Jw Dress.
The decorator said the wood was oak.
To a novice It looked quite unlike oak.
In color It suggested a two-toned, mottled
arrangement of dull gray and grayish
green, and the natural grain of tho wood,
23, 1007.
Wash
or
every appearance of grain at all, in fact,
had been obliterated.
The oak, It was 1 explained, had been
treated with a solution of lead rubbed well
Into the pores and then finished with a dull
stain only. It Is concelvaole that an old
fashioned woman might prefer the natural
oak. New-fashioned housekeepers, though,
rave over the oak in its new dress and will
have no other
In another room, a dining room, the walls
to a height of seven and a half feet were
lined with oak of a dull gray, showing
little or no grain and ns smooth as wall
paper. Across the bottom was a seven
Inch baseboard and a few Inches from the
top the surface was ornamented with me
dallions, perhaps a little more than three
Inches in diameter, placed nbnut a foot
apart. These were carved in the wood.
It was the color of the wood, though,
which most attracted.
Walnscotlnic Dlnlngr Hooma.
A seco.'d dining room was wainscoted
to within three feet of the celling with
chestnut wood of a drnb or putty color,
the conspicuous black brown ,large grain
of the wobd showing up In n moire antique
effect, describing an Inverted -V. This was
done by piecing the panels down the center
and cutting the wood on the bias, matching
tho griin as perfectly where the halves
Joined as a dressmaker would match the
stripes In a silk gown. In this room the
same effect was carried out In the heavy
mantel, the door and tho window panels.
Red mahogany, treated to accentuate the
warmer tints, was the feature In a third
dining room. There was no wainscoting
here. The wood was applied in a base
board ten Inches deep In a fifteen-Inch
cornice and frieze. In a narrow molding,
dividing the room Into an upper and a
lower section of one-third and two-thirds,
the lower wall being treated plainly, the
upper In conventional figure design.
All the woodwork In tho room, Including
the mantel, was of red mahogany, and the
novel features were the tint of the wood
and the cornice. In all the rooms men
tioned the wood cornice and frieze took the
place of a beamed celling and this, the
decorator declared, was a variation which
Is now finding much favor in spite of the
fact that it Is In direct contrast to the
fashion taken up a few years ago of omit
ting the wooden melding near the celling.
In the Dlnluax Itoom.
In soma of the smartest dining rooms
and also In some of the less expensive a
wood cornice and frieze from fifteen to
twenty Inches wide Is now an admired
foature, the ceiling being plain. In a room
of this type finished the other day for a
New Yorker and done In gray-toned oak
and a German renaissance design a wood
cornice of eight inches was joined to a
twelve-inch wood frieze, which, like the
wainscoting rising to a height of six feet,
the capitals of the doors and windows and
the great caryatides upholding the high
mantel was heavily carved in a scroll and
giupe design.
In a colonial dining room designed for
tho country house of a New Yorker a cor
nice and frieze fifteen Inches wide of white
enameled wood topped a plain delft blue
burlap covered scace, which in turn topped
a seven-foot high wainscoting of white
enameled wood. There may be a question
aa to the gracefulness of the wooden cor
nice but no difference of opinion, the deco
rator thought, as to Its good style for the
time being.
Dull hoisted walnut, quite unlike the
walnut of our grandmother's day, Is In
great demand for lofty foyer halls where
dark effects are desired. Its gloom being
relieved with touches of gold leaf on capi
tals and columns.
Hut it Is In tho drawing room perhaps
that the growing popularity of wood and
vagaries of color and most noticeable. In
teriors solely of wood, excepting the cell
ing, are more and more asked for,, and en
NO DELAYS
PHONE DOUGLAS 334
ameled woods, cream, pure white and of
many tones of color, are the favorites.
For the Drawing; Room.
White mahogany, really a pale ecru In
color, is mch admired for the same pur
pose, but beaause of Its higher cost Is less
frequently ordered. Ry way of Illustration
the specialist cited the drawing room of
an uptown New York dwelling just com
pleted. The color scheme ts French gray and
white, done in enameled wood panels of
varying widths and carved In a leaf and
vine, Louis XV design. The wider gray
panels are bordered with carving, the six
Inch wide white panels are almost covered
with the same decorations, and the
windows, doors and mantel in which gray
and white wood are combined, are similarly
treated.
There is no gold ornamentation to detract
from the simple effect, the ceiling ot the
room, too, being of cream white plaster,
delicately frescoed where It Joins the wood
work which entirely covers tho walls. Rose
color portieres and furniture give the touch
of brightness needed to offset the gray
tones.
A second drawing room Just finished Is
lined from celling to floor with paneled
palest green enameled wood touched up
with traceries of fine gold leaf and has
doors, windows and mantel to match.
In a third drawing room the walls are
almost covered with Ivory enameled wood,
relieved here and there with a panel of rose
silk brocade beginning about three feet
from the fl)or and reaching to within two
and one-half feet of the celling and about j
thirty Inches wide. There Is no gold on the
wood panels, which are ornamented In the
corners with a Louis XVI pattern.
C'hninhera anil inraery.
In sleeping rooms, too, even In the nur
sery, there Is an Increased pnrtlallty for
wood sycamore, blniseye maple and
birch alternating with enameled woods,
the former all In a new dress, and French
gray and Nile green are favorites In the
newer color schemes. The former, In
one case Instanced, Is used with convincing
effect as a background for a Marie An
toinette room. Panels of gray enameled
wood reach from floor to celling, alter
nated with panels of gray and white wall
paper patterned In small wreaths of gray
on a white ground.
In a sleeping room finished In blrdseye
maple there was a baseboard or wains
coting about twenty-seven Inches wide, and
a cornice and frieze eighteen Inches deep
of the wood. ,
One of the new stjie nurseries waa wains
coted with sycamore of yellowish tint to a
depth of three feet, the space between the
wainscoting snd celling being lroke,ri half
way with a wide moulding of wood.
"There Is a belief that wood is more
hygienic than paper or other upholsterlnt?
fabrics, which may account In part for the
Increased demand for wood fittings." said
the decorator, "but I am Inclined to think
that the main reason Is a love of change,
a liking for something new."
LINENS THESAME AS EVER
Only thunur Noted Is that Price l
tiolug HlKher This
Year.
From year to year practically the same
customs prevail In regard to linen, for the
home, the chang) always being slight
and usually affecting only shapes, sizes,
designs und quality. Rut this year dealers
say they are selling the same goods they
have been offering for years and the only
difference is In the designs.
Nearly everything In this line Is Im
ported. Table linens may have flowers or
scroll designs, with round borders and
plain centers, or not. Just as Is desired.
Dollies of tluiiy lace or old Enfllatj eylet
JJ
embroidered lace are abundantly used fop
alUpurposcB, and are made In all sizes, to
suit each one of the purposes on the table,
mantle or shelf. Napkins are made ami
sold the same as in recent years, but tha
twcnly-four-inch size, whlah ts the middle
size. Is chosen most often' by buyers, In
preference to the twenty-soven-lnch or
twenty-two and one-half-lnch.
Linen for the bedrooms present the same
ensy problem to the purchaser, the choice
being small and the requirements lax. For
the bath room prohably tho first oppor
tunity of pleasing Individual taste Is pre
sented, towels being made In varieties to
pleaso all bents, and with tho latest trim
mings for bath rooms highly polished
nickel, or clear glass with round or cut
knob, or pure white opallte glass towel
rods and other wall appointments of tho
samo dainty materials, these rooms can
be made to ldok almost too pretty to
touch.
There Is one thing, however, that can
be stated as a change, and Is stated with
emphasis that all may take warning, the)
price of linen Is on the swift upward
trend, and next fall will see a considerable
advance In Omaha. Linen Is already ex
pensive, but it will be more ao yet.
Voile In Great Demand.
Voile has become so staple a fabric that
It has sold largely for next fall and even
for the following spring. 80 large Is tha
demand for this cloth that some manu
facturers are reporting an Inability to de
liver spring goods for 1908 before next De
cember. It' You Eead This
It will bo to lourn that the leading tntytN
cal writers and teachers of all tho several
schools of pracllco recommond, In the)
strongest terms possible, each and every
Ingredient entering into tho composition
of Dr. Plerco'a Golden Medical Discovery
for the enro of weak stomach, dyspepsia,
catarrh of stomach, "liver complaint,"
torpid liver, or biliousness, chronic bowel
alTcctions, and all catarriial diseases of
whatever region, namo or nature. It la
also a specific remedy for all such chronlo
or long standing cases of catarrhal alloc
tions and their resultants, as bronchial,
throat and lung disease (except consump
tion) accompanied with 6overu coughs, II
Is not so good for acute colds and coughs,
but for lingering, or chronic cases it Is
especially etlicaclous in producing per
fect cures. It contains lilack C'lierryhark,
(iolden cieal root, liloodroot, hUmo root,
landrako root and Queen's root all of
which aro highly pralwjd as remedies for
all tho above mentioned affections by sued
eminent modical writers and teachers a
Prof. I'.artholow, ofJeffcrson Med, Col
lege: Prof. 1'areyBT fctie Univ. of Pa.;
Prof. Finley-rittfiigwood, M. D., of Ilea
nett Med. College, Chicago; Prof. John
King, M. IC0' Cincinnati; Prof. John
M. heudJerf. D.. of Ciisclnnati ; PYof.
Edwin I?!re. M. D., of Hahnemann
Mod. CnyyC, Chicago, and hcores of
otberieVuraily eminent la their several
tcbtjrGI pracUc.e,
Tt.e -i.oijen jiepicai n'jjgovery " i tr
fl)v. Ifl'.dUii.e LUL.li"l?TJr7Ilii iiiroui-1
mote Uiu:i ri v iju,'..-i , f jidinary t.-t
jpAu'al ' Op.;ii publicity ol its Lruiui
U tho bust possible guaranty of Its merit:
A glance at thin published formula will
show that "Golden Medical Discovery"
contains no poisonous, harmful or habit
fonningdrugs and no alcohol -chemically
pure, triplo-relined glycerine being used
Instead. Glycerino Is entirely unobjec
tionable and bcHidei is a most useful tijp'iit
In tho cure of all stomach n well as bron
chial, throat and lung affections. There
is the highest medical authority for I'
use la ullsuch cases. Tho" Discovery " ie
a concentrated glyceric extract of native,
medicinal roots and is sufo utid reliable).
A UsjkU't of extrarts from eminent.
Medical authorities, endorsing Its (nitre
dient mailed free on roM'.t. Addruo
Dr. Ji. V. Pierce, Butlalo, N. Y.