March 2, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



9 



I THE RETAIL 



^•^^•^^♦^^•^■^^^■U^U^ U^U^'k»>^b:»>^^r»>^k»>•fer».^k»>^^.».•^^•j^.#;^i^ 



FLORIST 



0^^^^.^*^.'^^.'^^.'^^(^i^.<A^.<m^ 'fef»»S^r»>-'yr»)'fer»>-fer»!)-fer»>-fer»)-^^^yr»>' 



i^iS 



i 



THE VACANT CHAIR. 



The accompanying illustration is of- 

 fered as an excellent example of a 

 difficult design. The average vacant 

 chair has two faults: it is apt to be 

 shapeless, partly because of unskillful 

 workmanship and partly because of the 

 second fault — an attempt at too great 

 elaboration. In this case the design 

 was of sufficient size so that elabora- 

 tion in the decoration did not obscure 

 the outlines of the design; there was 

 space for plain areas to contrast with 

 the drapings, and the piece was on the 

 whole tremendously effective. 



Instead of the usual wire frame, an 

 ordinary green willow porch chair was 

 used and mossed over, then covered 

 solidly with Enchantress carnations, 

 great care being taken to have the 

 work smooth and even. With this 

 groundwork in place, the design was 

 ready for trimming. For this, cattleyas, 

 roses, valley, sweet peas and lilies 

 were used, with chenille cord and tas- 

 sels on the arm and ribbon on the back. 

 One of the merits of this piece was 

 that it presented an equally good ap- 

 pearance from all points of view. 



This chair was made by the Alpha 

 Floral Co., Kansas City. 



THE SCIENCE OF FBICE. 



Placing a Value on One's Skill. 



While we may always have to sell 

 flowers in bulk by the dozen or hun- 

 dred, it does not follow that the price 

 of a decoration or design shall be de- 

 termined solely by the amount of stock 

 which it consumes. If we ever expect 

 to see floral decorative art take its 

 place in the front rank with other de- 

 partments of art, it will be when the 

 majority of florists learn to place a 

 value upon their work as work, and not 

 as so many dozen flowers, so many 

 pounds of moss and a frame. Then, 

 when that happy day comes, he will no 

 longer expect to value a funeral piece 

 by dozens, pounds and hundreds only, 

 any more than an artist would price 

 his picture by the number of paint 

 tubes, brushes and square feet of can- 

 vas which were required to reproduce 

 his ideal for other eyes. 



Eight here, however, we might as 

 well understand that we must be able 

 to put the art into our work before we 

 can expect to get our money out of it. 

 But somebody will suggest that he does 

 not know how high a grade of work 

 his productions are. In the first place, 

 if his work is in the prevailing style 

 and like everybody else's, he has not 

 attained a rank higher than the man 

 who can build a brick wall, no matter 

 how perfectly he builds. But when 

 he can add or take from, some notice 

 may be taken of how he adds his orna- 

 ments to the brick wall or opens a 

 passage through it. 



A Tradesman, but Also an Artist. 



If I can construct a wreath after the 

 common fashion and remain satisfied 

 with it, I may -have learned my trade 

 well, but I have not yet begun to learn 

 my profession. But when I can re- 

 move some of my flowers from the 

 wreath, or bricks from the wall, and 

 open a passage through to something 

 beyond or opposite, or when I can add 

 a flower or a leaf which shall cause 

 my wreath to differ from what one Qtay 

 see any day, anywhere, then I may 

 be encouraged to believe that I have 



name some day, and, other things being 

 equal, I shall reap the benefits finan- 

 cially. ' 



A Picture in Flowers. 



At this point somebody will say, 

 "But we take orders in advance. Peo- 

 ple often do not see in advance what 

 they are getting. They must have some 

 idea of what to expect, some specifica- 

 tions as to size and number." To be 

 sure, they must. So must one when or- 

 dering his portrait. Give him a gen- 

 eral idea of what your plan is for 

 him, but it is poor policy to promise 

 so many dozens of one, so many dozens 

 of another, so many inches of length 

 and width to the piece. A good general 

 description and some idea of the style 

 and effect are all that can reasonably 

 be demanded. 



Make the piece so that a spray or a 

 group may have as ifluch value to the 

 whole piece as a bit of drapery or a 

 position of the hand may have to the 

 portrait as a whole. In short, make a 

 picture with your flowers as paint, with 

 your stems as brush strokes, your con- 



Thc Vacant Chair de Luxe. 



taken a step in the upward path. When 

 I pursue some plan of color distribu- 

 tion which is any distance removed 

 from hit or miss, I am at least a hope- 

 ful, and may be classed as a profes- 

 sional artist. I may make all kinds of 

 unprofessional blunders, but if my 

 courage holds out I shall deserve my 



structive flowers or foliage as back- 

 ground, your lighter material as high 

 lights, and your individuality as the 

 •• little signature across the corner. Then 

 let it sell for what it is worth in char- 

 acter, in beauty of coloring, in skill of 

 blending, in strength and beauty of ex- 

 pression. This isn't as difficult as it 



