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THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



It is by the simple, everyday objects 

 and materials which touch our lives 

 that we receive, for good or ill, the mes- 

 sage of art. It has been so in every 

 nation that has created a truly great 

 school, and it was eminently true of 

 the aboriginal Americans. Their art 

 touched every phase of their existence, 

 and it is richest in its textile and cos- 

 tume expression. It will therefore be 

 evident to the thoughtful that the 

 aesthetic possibilities of beautiful tex- 



tiles are almost limitless. That other 

 arts today, such as interior decoration, 

 will follow the tendency in our cos- 

 tumes, is a natural corollary. To see 

 and to wear beautiful fabrics and cos- 

 tumes cannot fail to develop our artis- 

 tic appreciation in other lines. 



This movement will have a great ef- 

 fect on our export business, for it goes 

 without saying that the wonderful war 

 energies awakened in America during 

 the last two vears must find vent in the 



This design, wliich won second prize in the recent design contest, was suggested by the Indian 

 collections in the American Museum. It was the first textile design ever made by the artist, Miss Ryther. 

 The sample of silk incorporating it was furnished by Belding Brothers 



