5 
The simplicity and freedom of expression of prehistoric Canadian art 
is what modem craftsmen most need to counteract the tendency to over- 
decoration, mechanical technique, mathematical monotony, and lack of 
individuality. It is free from European tradition and so leads to new 
ideas. 
In using motives from prehistoric art, attention must be given to the 
artistic value of the original specimen; the suitability of the motive to the 
material and medium to be used, pottery, leather, textiles, metal, wood, 
cement, etc.; the suitability of the motive to the size, shape, and use of 
the article to be decorated; the preservation of the original spirit of the 
motive; and the subordination of the motive to the designer’s individuality. 
The designer may develop the motive by distorting it, conventionalizing 
it — as the lotus has been conventionalized into innumerable designs — 
duplicating it, dissecting it, combining dissections, and by various combin- 
ations of these methods. 
The specimens may be considered as artists' drawings or models and 
some of them may be reproduced as they are. For instance, the clubs 
made of whale’s bone illustrated in Plates XXI to XXV, may be reproduced 
as paper cutters; either end of these carvings may serve as models for 
umbrella and parasol handles; or, perfected in line, they may serve as 
models for knife, fork, or spoon handles. On the other hand, probably, 
the specimens will be of greater service if used merely as motives. They 
will also be of service to art schools in the study of the history of art, so 
desirable a part of the equipment of a commercial designer. 
Designers may wish to represent another view of these specimens. 
Every artist interprets differently, and expert designers may often want to 
work from the original specimens instead of from the illustrations. In 
such cases the album gives a fairly complete idea of what prehistoric Cana- 
dian art has to offer and indicates the collection in which each specimen 
may be seen. 
Financially successful use of museum specimens of prehistoric and 
historic aboriginal art from Peru, Mexico, the United States, Siberia, etc., 
has been made in recent years by the silk, cotton, and costume industries 
in the United States as described in the following publications: 
Crawford, M.D.C. — -“Design and Colour in Ancient Fabrics, Activity of Commercial 
Concerns of Today in Making Use of Antique Patterns Found in the Temples and 
Tombs of the Prehistoric New World and Now on Exhibition in the American Museum 
of Natural History.” Am. Mus. Jour., New York, No. 7, vol. XVI, November, 
1916, pp. 417-431. Illustrated. 
“Creative Textile Art and the American Museum.” Am. Mus. Jour., New 
York, No. 4, vol. XVII, April, 1917, pp. 253-259. Illustrated. 
“Museum Documents and Modern Costume. With an Introduction by Clark 
Wissler.” Am. Mus. Jour., New York, No. 4, vol. XVIII, April, 1918, pp. 286-297. 
Illustrated. 
Smith, Harlan I. — “Distinctive Canadian Designs. How Canadian Manufacturers May 
Profit by Introducing Native Designs into their Products.” Industrial Canada, 
September, 1917, Toronto, 1917. Illustrated. 
Also reprint. 
Also abstracted and rearranged in Saturday Night, November 24, 1917. Toronto, 
1917. 
