A California Craftsman and His Work 
all bear such unique titles as “Rose 
Bower,” “Pomegranate,” “Guest Book, 
Ye Ornament;” “Auld Lang Syne;” 
“Wedding Book;” “Orange Flower.” 
One of these last books contains a colored 
sketch of the marriage service of Aucassin 
and Nicolette, with attendants in doublet 
and hose. Another bears on parchment 
the words of the marriage ceremony illu¬ 
mined with border of a choice design, the 
whole making a brilliant picture. In these 
we see the worker’s versatility combined 
with painstaking and fine craftsman¬ 
ship. 
The array of leather work is fairly daz¬ 
zling. All sizes of chests and jewel caskets 
are sent out from this marvelous workshop. 
They cost, it is true, a tidy sum, but the 
happy possessor has something that cannot 
MR. EATON AT WORK 
be duplicated. Silver chests, with innumer¬ 
able tiny drawers, come in leather covers that 
are bound in brass and inset with semi¬ 
precious stones. The adaptability of the 
drawers to contain the largest space is won¬ 
derful. Coffers, caskets and metal book 
covers are of such workmanship that once 
seen one can always recognize them as be¬ 
longing to this California craftsman. An 
odd conceit is a low metal screen, studded 
with polished stones, that is made to stand 
in front of a chafing-dish, and so protect it 
from drafts of air. 
If Mr. Eaton excels in one article of crafts¬ 
manship it is his abalone shells of the Pacific, 
cut and polished to fit into artistic shaped 
frames. The shimmering grey of the shell 
blends almost imperceptibly with the iron 
frame to make a harmonious whole. Often 
ANOTHER VIEW OF THE STUDIO, SHOWING THE TAPESTRY 
MR. EATON’S HOUSE AT RISO RIVO 
the motif is a peacock feather, at other 
times it is simply an arrangement of shells 
that suggest the scale of a fish or a lotus 
blossom; but every shape is wrought with 
the cunning of a mediaeval craftsman. The 
dexterous handling ol Philippine shells and 
California stones alone would make the work 
distinctive and different from that of any 
other artist-artisan. 
These are things not met with in shops. 
They are examples of handicraft that must 
he sought to be obtained and are only pur¬ 
chased bv those who are educated to a 
J 
proper appreciation. Visitors to California 
see the work in the studio; others who are 
less favored become conversant with it 
through the various Arts and Crafts exhibi¬ 
tions, or they meet isolated pieces in the 
homes of the cultivated. Mr. Eaton’s recog¬ 
nition has come slowly but surely. 
35 
