92 DECORATIVE 



such as is usually afforded by a dark gray cardboard 

 below the glass exposing-stage of the vertical camera- 

 stand, gives the best average results. Here again the 

 interested worker will experiment for himself, and he 

 may easily prove me to be entirely wrong in this matter 

 of the tint of backgrounds. 



y,„-,f Next 1 need to mention that to secure 



Prints '■^^ uniformity desirable the prints must 



all be alike in tone. For a room of com- 

 paratively small size forty or fifty prints will be needed, 

 and they should be absolutely uniform, if that is pos- 

 sible ; but if it is not possible, they should be as nearly 

 uniform as they can be made, and should then be selected, 

 so that the differences are imperceptible when they are 

 placed one next to another. 



I find that with the very best of care in this respect 

 there will be differences, and I have evolved a plan for 

 helping out these differences. It consists of pasting a 

 thin strip of paper of a color harmonious with that of 

 the background, but a little lighter or a little darker, 

 between the photographs as they are mounted for sus- 

 pension on the wall. This strip of paper should not be 

 over one-eighth of an inch wide, usually. It will panel 

 the motive and cover the joints. 



By far the easiest way to handle this scheme is to 

 paste the photographs on linen mounting cloth. They 

 are then in flexible shape, and can be managed readily. 



The Tone oJ ^^^ ^°^? °^ ^^^ photograph is of 

 the Prints ^^^^ great importance, and depends, of 

 course, on the color of the room which 

 is to be decorated. The experimental room in which 

 I sit has walls of green burlap, with a dark brown 

 stained wainscoting. The black-and-white, tones of 

 Portrait Velox were cold and unsatisfactory, but the 

 brown tones of Eastman Sepia, or the richer browns of 

 the re-developed Velox, are just right. The carbon 

 printer, who has at his command a great range of colors 

 and tones, will find no difficulty in fitting any color 

 scheme. Parenthetically, well-made blue-prints of uni- 

 form tone will be found exceedingly dainty and pleasant 

 in a room with light walls, that will stand the juxtapo- 

 sition of masses of rich blue. 



