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AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



December, 1908 



A Novel Idea in Decorative Windows 



By Dorothy Sylhe 



CLEVER idea has recently been evolved 

 for decorative effects in windows. It 

 closely resembles the most beautiful 

 stained glass, and yet its slight cost brings 

 it within the reach of all those who have 

 the skill to make beautiful designs, for it 

 consists only of Japanese tracing upon 

 which decorative sketches have been painted in water color. 

 The tracing paper is stretched on a drawing board 

 exactly in the same way as water color paper, and then the 

 sketch is made the size of the window pane for which it is 

 intended. In looking at our illustrations, it will be noticed 

 how good and bold all the designs are, but a reproduction 

 gives no idea of the brilliancy of color of these exquisite 

 window lights. The Japanese tracing paper lends itself to 

 this treatment, for it allows the light to come through and 

 yet, owing to its opaque qualities, it is excellent for screening 

 purposes for the 

 lower part of a hall 

 or bathroom win- 

 dow, or for the 

 lower lights of a 

 dining-room which 

 overlooks a neigh- 

 bor's house. The 

 fact of the light 

 not being obscured 

 makes them avail- 

 able for back win- 

 dows, especially for 

 studios where the 

 outlook on roofs 

 and chimneys is any- 

 thing but pleasing. 

 The introduction 

 of lettering carries 

 out the suggestion 

 of stained glass, and 

 yet they must not be 

 regarded at all in 

 the light of a sham, 

 for they do not pre- 

 tend to be anything 

 but what they are. 



When the sketch 

 is completed, and 

 perfectly dry, it can 

 be pasted on to the 

 window by means of 

 mucilage and water. 

 The best way to do 



An effective group of designs 



this is to mix equals parts of water and mucilage and to 

 smear the window pane all over with it. Then place the 

 paper on the window pane, pressing the middle first with 

 a soft cloth and working toward the edges so as to get no 

 creases or bubbles. Great care must be taken not to tear 

 the tracing paper; but a little practise soon makes perfect, 

 and I would certainly advise pasting several sheets of undec- 

 orated tracing paper on a window before running any risk 

 of spoiling the decorated tracing paper. One of our illustra- 

 tions shows nine different designs placed in the lower part 

 of a large studio window. The rich orange of the pump- 

 kins, the bright yellow of the marigolds and the purple of the 

 grapes were a feast of color that riveted my attention as 

 soon as I entered the room. Our three illustrations were 

 done by students at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, an art 

 school, where one is always sure to find original work, 

 beautiful in design and praiseworthy for their color value. 



One of the 

 charms of a dec- 

 oration of this kind 

 is that if we find 

 ourselves amidst 

 ugly surroundings, 

 with a depressing 

 outlook, beauty of 

 form and glowing 

 colors can be intro- 

 duced on the win- 

 dows, by means of 

 these effective paint- 

 ings, to cheer our 

 spirits and give an 

 individual touch to 

 the room. 



For a new 

 church, where the 

 costly leaded glass 

 cannot at first be 

 afforded, this form 

 of decoration would 

 be an admirable sub- 

 stitute, particularly 

 if the artist mem- 

 bers of the con- 

 gregation were will- 

 ing to make the 

 sketches gratuitous- 

 ly, for they would 

 make a fine substi- 

 tute while waiting 

 for the more per- 



