International studio (33.1907/1908(1908))

Exhibition of National Society of Craftsmen

SECOND ANNUAL EXHIBITION OF
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF CRAFTS-
MEN
BY EVA LOVETT
The growth of the National Society of Crafts-
men, whose headquarters are at ir9 East Nine-
teenth Street, New York City, as reflected in its
second annual exhibition, lately held at the
galleries of the National Arts Club, on Gramercy
Square, New York, has been remarkable. The
recent exhibition exceeded the first in quality and
size. It was held by the National Arts Club,
in collaboration with the National Society of
Craftsmen, in the spacious galleries of the former
club, and a committee, composed of members from
each club, attended to the arrangement of the vast
array of beautiful objects of handcraft, covering
every department of such work. The interests of
the two clubs are closely interwoven, for many
members belong to both. Mr. Spencer Trask, of
New York, is president of each club. The long
galleries, full of delightful exhibits, showed the
great increase of interest, the steady growth of
membership and the higher standard of work
among the craftsmen.
Perhaps the largest single department was that
of jewelry, which occupied four large and several
small cases in the “Tilden Gallery,” nearest Gra-
mercy Square. Of this the collection was so good
that it is difficult to mention any one article as
exceeding another in design or execution. Mrs.
Josephine Hartwell Shaw had interesting necklaces
of tourmaline and topaz, and of blister pearl with
silver. She also displayed a copper tea-set, of low,
broad shape, the handles set with carnelians. Miss
Mabel Wilcox Luther showed necklaces and
brooches of amazonite, rose quartz, chrysoprase
and other stones, in most artistic shapes. Delicate
necklaces in coral and gold, and in silver and
azurite, were the work of Miss Grace Hazen. Miss
Emily Peacock displayed watch-chains, necklaces,
fobs, brooches and belt-pins in her delicate and
graceful style. Miss Virginia Senseney had hand-
some copper belt-buckles of Egyptian design.
Some beautiful tourmalines of a clear amber color
were set in a necklace by Miss Elizabeth Cope-
land.
Many bracelets, rings, brooches and scarf-pins
were from students of Pratt Institute, among them
F. S. Gardner, C. H. Johnonot, Miss Daisy
Thompson and Miss E. Walbridge.
A curious fob of ancient Chinese coins was made
by Miss Emily E. Graves, and scarf-pins and rings

by Otto Doesinger, John O. Winsche and Arthur
S. Williams. A necklace of finely wrought pattern
in lavender horn was adorned with amethyst and
gold by B. B. Thresher, who had another of the
same horn, with California moonstones and gold.
Silver and gold neck-chains were set with jasper,
turquoise, opal and amethyst and moonstones, by
Miss Mary W. Peckham, Miss Louise C. Anderson
and Miss Florence A. Richmond. Miss Josephine
Foard showed a collection of Navajo jewelry of
antique design. Beside these there were fifty or so
craftsmen who showed equally beautiful decorative
articles in the great jewelry cases.
In the department of bookbinding, which was
nearest the entrance to the National Arts Club,
the Misses Ripley had two extremely handsome
guest-books, one of white and one of brown tooled
leather, after the Mediaeval Sienese style of the
fifteenth century, and a large prayer book of tooled
dark leather, with a bronze cross on the cover. A
leather table-cover in heraldic design, showing
interesting treatment of tempera color, was also by
Miss Ripley. A book cover executed by Carrado
Sc.apecchi, which is a reproduction of an antique
book cover from the Piccolomini Palace, showed
fine work and brilliant color. Miss Elizabeth
Griscom Marot had a copy of Thomas Moore’s
“Utopia,” bound in blue blind tooled pigskin with
silver clasps, and Miss Adeline G. Wykes, several
fine bindings, one of green levant, with gold tooling,
and one a guest-book, tooled in gold and with
antique finish. William Lewis Washburn had
hand-made books and booklets, and hand bindings
were also shown by Miss Flora A. Hall and Miss
Edith Griffith.
Interesting process work on leather, set into a
screen, was by Mrs. Charlotte Busck. A portfolio
of brown wrought leather with wild-rose design
was made by Miss Anna Monell Meeks. Miss
Carrie Hibler displayed desk appointments, in
Italian heraldic design, and an excellent piece of
wrought leather in a lady’s shopping-bag. Deco-
rated and colored leather was used for address-
books by Miss Berthaline Lexow, and tooled and
colored leather on card-cases and leather bags was
used by Mrs. E. M. Stoddard, Emma F. Stratford
and Miss Abbie I. Fiske. Finely shaded green
and brown leather cases were the work of Miss
C. V. Hetz, and a hand-bag with peacock decora-
tion was shown by Miss Minnie B. Serrell. Miss
Frances P>. Tracy had beautiful illuminated leather
in Florentine style, in the shape of photograph
cases and bridge scores. The Flandicraft Guild
of Minneapolis, Minn., displayed small articles of

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