For prints and photographs, sometimes the same, sometimes the simple yellow and white patterns. If the prints have narrow black frames and white mounts, these yellow papers make beautiful combinations.
Do we supply borders for our papers? From what we have said it will be seen that the natural architectural features of the room - the skirting or dado, the cornice or frieze, and the architraves of doors and windows - are the proper boundary-lines of the wall-paper. These parts in good building are always of different and better material than the mass of the wall, - at least in outside effects, where architecture is perforce more natural. The wall-paper inside, like rough-case or plaster outside, hides the coarser material of the body of the wall; it is a filling therefore, not a building-material, and should be used frankly for what it is. Panels formed by stripes or cuttings or wall-paper are futile decorations, as such, and they are ridiculous as architecture. Still more absurd is the practice of framing the whole wall with gilt mouldings, as if it were one huge piece of carpentry or a slab of stone. Our wall-papers therefore are simple fillings; they imitate no architectural features, neither dados, friezes, nor paneling.
We may say finally that the colors used in the printing are entirely free from arsenic. Of the one hundred and fifty or more wall-papers printed by Morris and Company it was possible to exhibit only a few. In the Embroidery room there are two, - the large St. James pattern, first used for the banqueting-room at St. James's palace, and the red-and-gold Sunflower. In the Tapestry room we have shown five of the ordinary pattern, - the Fruit in its darkest coloring, the light Daisy, the Chrysanthemums, the colored Larkspur, and the dark Jasmine. Other versions of these patterns will be found in the two books of patterns, which contain all the wall-paper we publish.
The portieres and other draperies in these rooms must be taken, like all the rest, as simple exhibitions of the goods. The silk-and-wool and all-wool damasks make excellent wall-hangings and window-curtains, and all but the Dove-and-Rose pattern may be used for furniture-covers. The single chintz pattern shown in this room has been a favorite in England; it is called Tulip. There are many different colorings of this pattern. The printed cotton-velvet hanging, over the Chrysanthemum wall-paper, is a variation of the red pattern shown in the Chintz room. The names, widths, and price of all the goods are clearly marked.
We may now describe the specimen of hand-worked tapestry in the frame. This is one of the few things referred to before-hand, as necessarily exhibited in a somewhat unnatural way. Tapestry of this class is used for wall-hanging, and sometimes for portieres. This specimen is framed and glazed as a picture, which in one sense it is; but the glazing was done only for the purpose of public exhibition, and is not consistent with the proper use of tapestry.
ARRAS TAPESTRY
is so called from the town in Flanders famous for the manufacture in the Middle Ages. Tapestry was made in many other towns, in England as well as on the Continent of Europe, but Arras was the general name for it. The art was not invented in Europe. It is older than the appearance of the European races. When the art of weaving attained the rudimentary condition of a few warp-threads fixed at one end to a weighted stick, and strained from the other by a bow, tapestry-weaving was invented. As a mechanical art it has made scarce any progress since. The artist has been able to increase the number of threads on which his pattern is woven, and so increase the size of his pictures; but this is all. The process remains exactly the same as when Penelope wove her web, and she was but practising an ancient art. To understand the process, you have but to imagine a coarse warp of twisted cotton or hemp placed upright before the worker. The colors are held on small bobbins, or quills, with long sharp points. Selecting the one he wants, he passes it through as many warp-threads as the design requires, and brings it back, opening the shed, for those threads only, with the left hand. This is all the method. It can be readily understood how an artist, in such a way, may work any pattern or shape he will. Attempts have been made to improve this loom by making the warps horizontal, and laying on a table, under the warp, the cartoon or pattern for the weaver to follow. Time is saved, and cost, by so doing, but as the natural concomitant of time-saving in the arts, the art itself becomes less. Instead of an artist working freely with his model before him, you have a mechanical person peering through the warp-threads at a dimly seen drawing, and imitating it in a purblind way. The invention called the Low-warp Loom did a good deal to bring the art of tapestry-weaving into its present state of degradation and deserved neglect Out efforts to restore it to some of its earlier dignity naturally commenced by a restoration of the ancient method.
Of all kinds of wall-decoration, Arras Tapestry is the most durable, except mosaic, - and the most desirable, next to painting done by the hand of a good master.
The subject of this piece is the story of the Goose Girl. The cartoon was designed for us by Walter Crane. It is due to him we should say this, our figure-cartoons being done as a rule by Mr. Burne Jones. Mr. Crane has chosen the critical part of the girl's history for his picture; the accessories relate to the other passages. It may be for the convenience of many readers if we here give
THE STORY.
Once upon a time lived an old queen, whose daughter was betrothed to a king's son, and when the time came that the princess should be sent to him, the queen dressed her in beautiful clothes, and gave her much treasure, and a maid to attend her, and sent them on the journey. But before they left, she called her daughter aside and gave her a talisman, which should protect her from all dangers by the way, and from all troubles. The princess placed the talisman in her bosom, and for a time thought much of what her mother had said. But one day, as she stooped to drink by a stream, the talisman fell out, and she did not perceive it; but the maid who waited on her did, and bad thoughts came into her mind; so that when the princess wished to continue the journey, she would not allow her to remount her own horse, Falada, but gave her the other horse, and took Falada to herself. She also made her take off her royal clothes, and swear by the "open sky" that she would say nought of what had been done, to any one. And the princess, having lost her talisman, felt weak and helpless, and was forced to comply. But Falada noticed all that passed, and the tears stood in his eyes.
They soon arrived at the king's palace, where the servant was treated with great respect. The young prince lifted her from her horse, and led her to the chair of state, while the princess was left standing in the court.
Just then the old king saw her, and remarked how delicate and beautiful she was, and he asked the bride who it was she had brought with her and left in the court below.
"Only a wench I picked up on the way; find her something to do." And she was set to help the gooseherd.
Now the false princess was afraid that the affection of Falada for his mistress might cause her story to be doubted; so she complained to the prince that the horse had angered her on the journey, and she would not be content if it were allowed to live. Falada, therefore, was ordered to be killed; and when the princess heard of it, she fondled him for the last time, and with many tears begged the head might be given to her secretly. this she fixed over the gate of the yard where the geese were kept, and, as she passed under it in the morning with her flock, said sadly:
"Ah, my Falada, there thou hangest!" And was surprised at first to hear the reply:
"Ah, my princess, there thou gangest!" But this became their constant salutation.
Now the gooseherd, whose servant she was, noticed her beauty; and one day, when she had loosened her hair, which was of purest gold, he asked for a lock, and when she refused it, attempted to take one. Then the wind came to her help, and blew so strongly that the hair streamed in the sun like a flame; and the herdboy's hat was blown across the meadow, and the wind held it and kept it always from him until the princess had bound up her hair again; and when he came back she laughed at him, so that he was angry all day, and tended the geese in silence.
On the next day the same thing happened, and the boy was so befooled that he determined he would not herd geese with the witch-maiden again; and he made complaint to the king, telling him also of the horse's head that spake. The old king thought he would see this thing for himself; and he commanded the herdboy to go out one more day, and to try to get a lock of hair as before. And the king watched from behind a bush, and all happened as the herd had said. Then the king questioned the maiden, who told him of the oath, but was afraid to speak more. But the king found a way to surprise her story when she thought herself alone' and he had her dressed according to her rank, and presented to the prince, whose eyes were opened; and the wicked waiting-woman, seeing her treachery useless, confessed it all.
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