A Study of Decorative Hand-Carving 
By MARY H. NORTHEND 
T O the twentieth century architect the decorative 
hand-carving of the Colonial porch, mantel, 
doorway or cornice, found both through the 
North and South, appeals. The wonderfully deli¬ 
cate, graceful and classic designs, show that a most 
careful attention to each, and every detail, has been 
made, while the perfectness of the whole, tells plainer 
than words of the days when patient, honest labor 
prevailed, and has left a lasting mark, not only in the 
architectural world, but in the artistic world as well. 
To the casual observer, however, it shows a pleas¬ 
ing decorative design only, but the student looks 
deeper, and wonders how the workman, deprived of 
the opportunities of studying classic art, as allowed in 
the present day, living at a 
time when schools afforded 
little opportunity for re¬ 
search along these particu¬ 
lar lines, could out of rough 
wood or marble, have pro¬ 
duced such wonderful re¬ 
sults. 
Greece, the country 
where art has always reign¬ 
ed as master, has given to 
the world rare and wonder¬ 
ful decorative effects. Eng¬ 
land, our motherland, has 
in her baronial halls, choice 
bits of rich carving. Doubt¬ 
less, the master carpenters 
of old England, who sought 
freedom of religious thought 
m America, had served an 
apprenticeship, in part at 
least, before embarking for 
this land where architec¬ 
ture was unknown. Many 
of these had commenced 
their work of designing in 
their native land, while 
others had transmitted their 
knowledge to son or em¬ 
ployee. Others like Sam¬ 
uel Mclntire, of Salem, 
Massachusetts, created 
original designs, many of 
which were suggested by the 
affairs of the day, or na¬ 
tional events,thus marking 
a new era in architectural 
progress in the new world. 
The period of erecting the 
houses which now stand as monuments of Colonial 
art might well be said to mark three epochs, the first 
of which commenced about the year 1745, when 
gambrel roofed houses were in vogue, and continued 
in popularity until 1785? when they were supplanted 
by square, dignified Colonial houses, built by mer¬ 
chants whose fortunes were made in foreign lands. 
These were principally of wood, but about 1818 
they were changed to brick. 
The old New England homes though beautiful in 
architectural designs, cannot compare with the 
stately mansions of the sunny South, where exquisite 
decorative effects speak eloquently of the days gone 
by, when love of the art of wood-carving, prompted 
the workman to put forth 
his best efforts. The pres¬ 
ent day architect realizing 
that Time, the destroyer of 
all that is beautiful,isslowly 
but surely eliminating these 
old landmarks, has reached 
forth a detaining hand, and 
copied the wonderful and 
graceful designs, thereby 
preventing their complete 
destruction, and has intro¬ 
duced them into the man¬ 
sions of the present day, 
adding rather than detract¬ 
ing from their beauty of 
form and lines through re¬ 
production. 
The decline of commer¬ 
cial prosperity in the sea¬ 
port towns of New England 
caused the leading citizens 
of the day, who were de¬ 
prived of their source of 
revenue, to turn perchance 
to cheaper houses of less 
artistic build, so that with 
the progress of years, the 
old Colonial style of our 
forefathers went out of 
vogue, and moderns, tiring 
of the classic type, tore from 
their places, the rich and 
priceless bits of decorative 
wood and marble, and twen¬ 
tieth century productions 
took their place, being more 
in keeping with the half- 
timbered brick and plaster 
A BIT OF MCINTIRE WOODWORK IN THE 
CADET ARMORY, SALEM, MASS. 
