Art and Handcraft in the Woman's Building
of the World's Columbian Exposition

IN THE WOMAN’S BUILDING. 35 I shall now invite the reader to take a short stroll with me through the principal departments of our building. We will enter at the northern door, pass through the loggia, and find ourselves in the midst of the American exhibit of applied, arts. Here all is so excellent that we can afford to lose nothing; every case deserves examination. As it is impossible to speak of all the beautiful work exhibited by associations and individuals, let us notice that of the “ Associated Artists,” the parent society from which so many schools of embroidery and design have sprung. The two directions in which this school expresses itself are in the weaving of textiles and tapestries. The textiles are among the most beautiful fabrics that have ever been woven; they are rich in color and exquisite in texture. Certain effects can be produced by the weaving of silk which no pigment can ever give, for the silk itself has a reflective quality which is found in no other medium. The tapestry from Raphael’s cartoon of “ The Miraculous Draught of Fishes ” is a very remarkable work of art, and one which stands alone in modern needlework. The design was photographed from the painter’s cartoon upon the linen, and the spirit of the original is very perfectly preserved. The pottery comes next in interest to the textiles and embroid- eries. Nowhere is woman doing better work than in the manufact- ure and decoration of our native clays. We find original and beautiful vessels of use and ornament exhibited by many of the States. It is due to the Western States to say that in this branch of applied arts they surpass the Eastern. However long we linger in this section of the building, we leave it with regret. The impression which we carry away from it is that we are no longer pensioners of Europe in the matter of designs. To-day we have an American School of Design, with a distinct national character of its own, and our women are to the fore in every one of its branches. Passing through the corridor we enter the main hall, where there is much to admire in exhibitions of art and handicraft. The laces, in themselves, are a gallery of exquisite design and workman- ship. There is no danger that the visitor will slight the Hall of Honor, so we will not linger here, but pass on. to the southern pavilion. We have crossed the seas, Spain is before us; India, Ger- many, Austria, Belgium are upon our left; Sweden, Mexico, Italy, France upon the right. Two rooms of a Japanese house liave been ■cunningly reproduced with the nicety and finish which character- ize all the work of this artistic people. The low-ceiled boudoir is