154 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
September, 1912 
The copper figure of Saint Martin severing his cloak stands out' 
prominently and well performs its function of distinguishing this 
house from its neighbors 
The wall device may be suggestive of the owner’s occupation, like this 
symbol on the chimney of a doctor’s residence 
one-half to a beggar who was in need of some protection. 
Of course there are considerations, too, of the element of per¬ 
sonality imparted, the piquant dash of ornament, the romantic 
suggestion—there may be a whole love story bound up with the 
initials and date set high in the gable end of an old farmhouse; 
but the main reasons for the wall device must ever be to furnish 
a distinguishing mark and to add a touch of embellishment and 
contrast where needed. 
Wall devices may be fashioned in a variety of materials. Any 
substance that will do for an overdoor device will also answer 
for a wall device, subject, however, to certain limitations. First 
of all, it should be borne in mind that the wall device must gen¬ 
erally be affixed to the plain surface of the wall without the as¬ 
sisting accompaniment of moldings or panels and therefore it is 
better to make use of such materials and designs as require no 
support or relief in the shape of moldings to set them off prop¬ 
erly. It should also be remembered that contrast with the back¬ 
ground of the wall is of prime importance. Without a strong 
contrast in color, line or texture, or a combination of them, a 
wall device will not appear to the best advantage nor secure the 
full measure of effect. For this reason on a stone wall it is not 
well to have a device in stone or a cement device on a concrete 
wall, even where the design is deeply graved or brought out in 
high relief, unless it be emphasized by applying color or gilding 
to give the necessary contrast. If color or gilding is not used, the 
similarity in natural hue and texture will neutralize and obscure, 
if not wholly destroy, the effect. 
In this respect, as before hinted, the wall device is quite differ¬ 
ent from the overdoor device, for the purpose of the latter is to 
convey some appropriate sentiment expressive of welcome or the 
spirit of the household or else to enrich and embellish a structural 
feature; so it is entirely proper that it should be of the same ma¬ 
terial as the rest of the structure if so desired, particularly as it is 
always seen at close range and there is no danger of the effect 
being lost. The wall device, on the other hand, affixed to a chim¬ 
ney or high up in a gable, is almost always seen from a distance— 
in fact it is desirable it should be visible from a distance—and 
needs all the assistance that contrast in color, line or texture can 
give it. 
On a house built of gray stone or concrete a wall device of iron 
or copper can be recommended for the sharp contrast in color. 
With a brick wall a device molded in terra-cotta might be used 
but is open to the objection that when the bricks and mortar joints 
weather and mellow in hue, the terra-cotta, with its comparatively 
smooth surface and freedom from joints, stands out in almost 
garish freshness. It is better with a brick wall to follow the Ital¬ 
ian method of treatment and have the device sculptured in high 
relief or deeply graven on a marble or stone plaque or medallion. 
Weathering will then add to the distinctness of the design Me¬ 
dallions and plaques of molded cement can likewise be used with 
excellent results set into brick walls. Their surface is rough 
enough to let wind and rain and sunshine tone it harmoniously 
with the rest of the fabric. Iron or copper devices, too, stand out 
well against a brick background, while lead is especially satis¬ 
factory. 
In rough-cast buildings occasionally patches of bright hued 
tiles or Majolica medallions are seen and their use in this way is 
to be encouraged within bounds. In the case of a wooden house 
where the walls are covered with either clapboards or shingles, a 
device painted on a wooden panel is the most practicable, al¬ 
though here again as in all the other instances, iron or copper may 
be successfully employed. 
As to the design of a wall device, the simpler and bolder it is the 
better. In the first place, as it is meant to be seen from a distance, 
it must be big enough for anyone to distinguish clearly a long 
way off. That means that it must stand out boldly, and bold it 
cannot be if it is cluttered with little niceties of detail and elabora- 
