Studio: international art (71.1917)

Reviews

REVIEWS.

The Western Front.—Drawings by Muirhead
Bone. Text by Captain C. E. Montague.
Introduction by Field-Marshal Sir Douglas
Haig, G.C.B., etc. (London: Published by
authority of the War Office from the offices of
" Country Life," Ltd.) Vol. L 15s. net-
After what has already been said in these pages
apropos of Mr. Bone's remarkable series of
drawings at the time the first instalments were
issued to the public, little remains to be added
concerning the present volume, which comprises
Parts I to V. As artistic achievements they
enhance the high reputation which Mr. Bone
had gained long before this gigantic upheaval
of armed force burst upon the world; the
significance of the scenes he has witnessed has
been conveyed with an eloquence far transcend-
ing that of the spoken or written word, and
in a way too which completely establishes the
superiority of the artist's vision over that of
the camera. As Sir Douglas Haig remarks in
his brief foreword, " The destruction caused by
war, the wide areas of devastation, the vast
mechanical agencies essential in war ... the
masses of supplies required, and the wonderful
cheerfulness and indomitable courage of the
soldiers under varying climatic conditions, are
worthy subjects for the artist who aims at
recording for all time the spirit of the age in
which he has lived " ; and every one will agree
that the War Office did the right thing in
appointing an artist of Mr. Bone's calibre to
the special duty of making these drawings as
a permanent record of the conditions incidental
to the campaign carried on by our armies in
the West with its "long left flank" on the
water—for by no means the least interesting of
the drawings are those which give us an insight
into the life of our sailors, whose untiring vigi-
lance has made the land campaign possible.
The name of Captain Montague as the author
of the textual commentary accompanying the
reproductions now appears for the first time,
and here again the War Office selection has been
most fortunate, for the Captain's notes are
written in a vigorous, racy vein, avoiding all
unnecessary verbiage. Praise is due to those
responsible for the production of the publica-
tion, and the way in which the drawings
have been reproduced calls for particular
commendation.

Quilts : Their Story and How to Make Them.
By Marie D. Webster. (London: B. T.
Batsford, Ltd. ; New York : Doubleday, Page
and Co.) 10s. 6d. net.—We were under the
impression that the home-made quilt was to be
numbered among the many articles of domestic
use which have been almost wholly supplanted
by the machine product, but it is gratifying to
learn from the author of this entertaining and
beautifully illustrated book that " there are
more quilts being made at the present time—in
the great cities as well as in the rural commu-
nities—than ever before," and that " their
construction as a household occupation—and
recreation—is steadily increasing in popularity."
Especially in the remote country districts of
America—and the book is mainly concerned
with the practice of the craft in the United
States—the making of quilts, in common with
other household crafts that flourished before
the advent of machinery, is, we are told, carried
on exactly as in the old days, and perhaps
nowhere with more energy and passion than
in the humble dwellings of the mountaineers of
Kentucky, whose womenfolk " still sit at their
quilting-frames and create beauty and work
wonders with patient needles." In days gone
by, however, quilt-making was an occupation
pursued by women of all classes in America,
where the " quilting bee " was as much a social
institution as the " At Home" of modern
times; and as showing the great diversity of
the patterns worked, the author gives a list
of several hundred names bestowed on them,
some of which are very curious, such as " Johnny
around the Corner," " Joseph's Necktie," " Puss
in the Corner," '* Toad in the Puddle." It is
interesting to note that the introduction of the
arts of patchwork and quilting to the American
continent is due entirely to the English and
Dutch, for, says the author, " no evidence has
been found that Spanish and French colonists
made use of quilting." In the earlier chapters
of her book Miss Webster sketches the history of
the craft in the Old World, observing that it came
into vogue in Western Europe after the return of
the Crusaders from the East. The practical side
of the subject is also dealt with, and as supple-
menting her remarks in this connexion the
numerous excellent illustrations, of which sixteen
are in colour and all are admirably printed, will
be welcomed by the needleworker of to-day who
is interested in this fascinating domestic craft.

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