m m * # m * # TT 770 .S54 Copy 1 or l^anilAeape Gm"6roiiLerij, ^i^ ^j^i i^i'i i';<; ^:'i i'1'4 i^^ '«ii- '.(<• '/ii^ 'Hi- vtS" 5S& 3SS fiB s-m NEEDLE PAINTING OR- LANDSC/PE EMBROIDERY, \ I»PIICE, 30 Entered according to Act of Congress, by Mrs. L."bi'*9ttffAUS, in the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C, in the year i88^" ^^ J7 The Origin of Embroidery. The great number of books already issued on the subject of Embroidery, have doubtless rendered the general public familiar with its history. Students of the Bible will readily recall the de- scription of the curtains of the Ark which Moses was commanded to build. These hangings, for the gate of the court, says sacred history, were "of blue and purple and scar- let and fine twined linen, wrought with needle work. The garments also of the High Priest were, *'a broidered coat, a mitre and a girdle, with the ephod of gold, of blue, of purple, ot scarlet and fine twined linen, with cunning work." Again, in the building of the Temple of Solomon, the veil for the Temple was, " of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubim thereon." In fact, from Bible times to the present, altar cloths and priestly robes, exquisite in design, have been cunningly wrought with the needle. Mary of Scotland, and Elizabeth, rival queens of British history, were wont to deck their royal per- sons hi magnificently embroidered robes, which were, even in those days, marvels of skill and beauty. From the earliest authentic records we learn that embroidery was the favorite employment of Queens and Court ladies. History informs us that Mary Stuart was a skilled needlewoman, and there is no doubt that she whiled away many hours of her long imprisonment in embroidering magnificent robes, with which she hoped again to grace the throne of Scotland. Another beautiful and equally unfortunate Queen — Marie Antoinette, the wife of Louis Sixteenth of France, — spent her last hours in prison, working a variety of the most difficult patterns in needlework on a piece of common towelling. In England, in 1785, and a score of years later, the taste for embroidery raged to an unlimited ex- tent. A woman of that day — one Miss Linwood — sur- passed all other competitors in achievements with the needle. Her style of work was called " Pictorial Embroidery," and though many sought to follow her in this new branch of embroidery, it was soon ascer- tained that it could be done by no one else. Her most remarkable work was the " Salvator Mundi," after "Carlo Dolci." This wonderful piece of needlework she refused to part with, though offered $15,000 for it. With us, at the present time, the popularity of embroidery for decorations of all kinds, is on the increase, in many instances quite usurping the place of painting. When used for house decorations, such as friezes, portierres, panels, screens and wall pictures, it is far more expensive than painting ; yet this fact does not deter those of our countrymen who are rearing palatial mansions from decorating the interior of their dwellings with hand embroideries of the most delicate and beautiful designs, wrought on the cost- liest fabrics. Recent instances can be sighted where $7,000 was paid for one embroidered portiere, and $15,000 for a curtain. One panel screen in hand embroidery, the size of the modern door, was valued by a well-known con- noisseur at $5,000. In August, 1882, two pictures of the present collection were inspected by Mr. 6 George Flagg, a well-known artist of New York city. He expressed himself particularly pleased with "Henneberg Castle" and " Chillon ". He examined them carefully and critically, then asked what they were called. When told there was no name but embroidery for them, he replied, ' ' This work is something beyond embroidery. I could scarcely do better with the brush. We will call it Needle Painting. " As the collection increased it was visited from time to time by artists and connoisseurs from vari- ous countries, and they have invariably expressed the most favorable opinions regarding the originality and merit of the work. The desire to know how the embroidery is done has been so often expressed that the originator has determined to give the method as clearly as words can express it to the public. Teaching has been attempted in several instances, but without successful results. MATERIAL. The materials used for back grounds in this col- lection of needle paintings are heavy furniture satin, Surah silk, twilled silk, shaded Surah satin, plain satin, broad cloth and ladies cloth. If shaded satin can be procured it saves many stitches : but care must be taken that the coloring is true to nature. If shaded satin cannot be obtained, then the shading must be done with the needle, which is quite as effective, if properly worked. The embroidery silks used are the Filoselle, the Dacca, common, or old style embroidery silk, fine sewing silk, and chenille. In the groundwork of a picture and where dense foliage is to be represented, Kensington worsteds are found very useful. Also the cross cotton, for snow scene. The common pointed darning needles, Nos. 6 and 7, are the only needles required. To prepare the material for embroidery. If a bright day after a snow storm is to be represented, the background should be a light, greenish blue. This color is commonly known as robin's egg blue. The texture may be Surah satin or silk. In regard to stitches, the long Kensington, or half chain stitch, is used to represent clouds, distant mountains, wa- ter, and the groundwork of pictures generally. The foliage of the chestnut and all trees w^th pointed leaves may be made in feather stitch. The curved or short Kensington will, if properly put in, repre- sent the Maple. The double feather stitch the ce- dar, and the long, irregular button hole stitch the foliage of the Pine. l^Q inverted button hole stitch, if irregular, and taken at intervals, or a little distance apart, will apt- ly represent the foliage of the Oak. For the Sumac, and leaves of similar form, the single feather stitch will do, graduating it in length as the leaves graduate on the stalk, or limb they grow on. The back stitch and the cross stitch may also be used to advantage in certain portions of a landscape. In fact, there is not a stitch made with needle and silk that is not useful in perfecting a picture in land- scape embroidery. After considering the size of the picture to be worked, the material should be sewed to a narrow strip of cotton drilling and this tacked on a frame or " strainer," as they are called by picture dealers. The material should be drawn very firmly over the strainer so that no wrinkle is observable. Tacks should never be driven in either satin or silk, as they invariably draw or mar the material, and spoil the effect of an otherwise smooth surface. 9 If, during the process of embroidery, the satin stretches or becomes loose, draw the tacks carefully out and stretch the material more firmly over the strainer, and in this way the surface will be even and smooth when the work is done. One of the most effective pictures and perhaps the least difficult for a tyro m needle painting, is the winter scene on blue ground now in the collection. The clouds which are first put in are worked in three shades of Dacca silk, viz., a light, soft flesh tint, a gray — the lightest possible shade — and white. The Dacca silk should be split, using only one thread. The flesh tint is put in first, in the long, Kensing- ton stitch, working always from left to right, com- mencing at the lower part of the cloud, and working upward. Next, the distant mountains should be outlined and worked with the split Dacca, using the same shades as in the clouds, except at the base of the mountains and where irregularities in form are to be preserved, a still darker shade of gray may be used. The stretch of wooded knoll on either side — both at the left and right- -may be made with the same shades and one still deeper. The latter shade is 10 required to bring them nearer in perspective. The Kensington stitch is the only stitch used in these places to form the ground and the distant trees. The latter, bordering the forest, are finished with a few stitches of chenille in the short Kensington Stitch to represent snow on the tops of the trees and bushes. The chenille should be a very light gray, just turned from white. The foreground of the picture is made in cross cotton, or a working cotton not so closely twisted. This is worked in long Kensington stitch. Oc- casionally, where a patch of ice is to be represented, white Filoselle may be used, taking two threads at a time. The trunks of the trees and the larger branches are worked with four threads of Filoselle at a time in short Kensington stitch. The colors — three shades of brown, graduating from the deepest to light. The stitches must be put in irregularly to repre- sent the rough bark of a tree. The smaller branches of the trees near the top may be made by using only two threads of Filoselle, of the darkest shade ; and in some instances — where the branches are very small — only one thread is necessary. 11 The rocks and stones are made with black and dark gray Filoselle, using two threads, and shading so as to bring out in perspective their rough exte- rior. The shrubbery around the rocks and peeping out of the snow, is made in sage green, and brown Filo- selle, putting in the brown first, the dark green next, and lastly, one thread of light sage green and one thread of white Filoselle silk worked together. The stitch used for shrubbery is the long Kensing- ton, irregular as to length, and put in in a helter skelter manner. Stitches both in white cross cotton and white silk are lastly introduced to represent the snow lying on the rocks and bushes ; also on the branches of the trees. The few leaves on the trees are made in double and single feather stitch, the color being light brown. A few stitches of white may be added to represent snow on the leaves. The water lines are made of the finest sewing silk, in color a very dark gray. Shadows of trees in the water are represented in the same way, only in shorter stitches. Where two colors are represented in a picture, for instance, a landscape with a bright golden sun- 12 set, satin of a bright golden tint should be joined to a bronze green of the same texture if possible. The clouds may be scarlet shading into an orange, and finishing up in the lightest lemon tint. As to^the colors for foliage in a picture like this, the study of nature is the best guide. In fact, na- ture may be said to be the best teacher to the stu- dent in art in regard to both color and form. In this collection of pictures, where castles, forts, or human habitations have been represented, no pencil has been used. The size and shape being determined with needle and silk, in the same way that a builder uses his line and plummet when measuring for a wall or partition. Some may not approve of this method, and, if accustomed to work from a stamped pattern, they may perhaps find it easier to have the pattern drawn on the material. In preparing this book the author has not deemed it necessary to describe the diiferent stitches men- tioned as necessary to perfect a needle painting. At the Decorative Art Schools, blossoming out in nearly every town and village in the country, every stitch used in antique and modern embroidery, is taught by usually competent instructors, so that a knowledge of the variety of stitches mentioned is 13 attainable, if not already acquired. In regard to the cost of material for " Needle Paintings/' a few words may be said. Heavy furniture satins, whether of worsted or silk surface, may be had from $2.00 to |3.oo per yard. The width of this material is usually 55 inches. Shaded satins and Surah silks, 18 inches wide, of good quality, are from $2.00 to $2.25 per yard, but these are not readily found, being almost entirely out of market. The satins in solid colors suitable for the ground- work of pictures vary from $1.50 to $2.50 per yard. Filoselle of a quality suitable for needle painting is 5c. a skein, or 50c. per dozen, Dacca silk, 8 cts. a bobbin, chenille, 4 cts. a skein. If students of art in country places desire, they can send to the following address an order for any of the above articles enclosing the amount required, either in registered letter or Post Oflice order. L, D. Shear:, Sherwood Studio, 58 West 57th St., New York City, CATALOGUE. I. Dogs Head— Setter. 2. ''Sweet Home." 3- Sunset in the Catskills. 4. ''Mill on the Floss." 5. Glen in the Berkshile Hills. 6. Winter scene on Lake Champlain, 7. Castle of Chillon. 8. Lake George. 9. Bartholdi Statue. lO. View of Sea Cliff, L. L II. Light House, on the Coast of Egypt. 12. Rocky Mt. Point. 13- Lake in the Highlands. 14. New York Harbor. 15- Windmill by Moonlight. 1 6. Rock of Gibraltar. 17. Winter Sunset. 18. The Fort. 19. Henneberg Casde. 20. Niagara, Rock of Ages. Alexandria. 15 21. Moonlight Scene. 2 2. Last work of Queen Marie Antoinette. 2^. Jacqueminot Roses. SCREENS. New England Sunset. Scene in Nevada. '* Sunset Lake," Asbury Park. Sunset on the Prairie. A point in the Rocky Mountains. Skating Secne. "Snow Bound/' from Whittier. An Autumn Scene. Sunset on Goat Island, Niagara. Panel, ''original design, interior view," 8ft, high, 4ft. wide. 24. Hook Mountain, Nyack on Hudson. 25. Scene on the Housatonic. 26. Falls of Minnehaha.