May, 1916 
35 
W E are fortu¬ 
nate, we of 
this day and genera¬ 
tion, for we are to 
see the first flower¬ 
ings of a truly char¬ 
acteristic American 
art. Where ? In the 
exhibition galleries 
with easel picture 
crowding easel pic¬ 
ture—the one dimin¬ 
ishing what beauty 
there may be in the 
other? No, nor in 
the further multipli¬ 
cation of useless 
“objects of art,” but 
in the development 
of our free Amer¬ 
ican spirit through 
the many phases of 
handicraft and ar¬ 
chitecture. 
Here, there and in 
every corner of these 
United States are in¬ 
dividual architects 
working, not to re : 
vive the glories of 
past ages, but truth¬ 
fully a n d tastefully 
to solve the problems 
of the present; de¬ 
signers and crafts¬ 
men, in groups and 
alone, working to 
beautify the interiors 
of these homes of a 
new understanding; 
working to make 
charming the cos¬ 
tumes of the hour 
and to enhance with 
sympathetic touch 
the products of the 
modern printing 
press. 
Rightly, we are 
coming to under¬ 
stand the arts, not as frail, extraneous accomplishments, but 
as a sincere part and parcel of cultured life, and to grasp 
the vital distinction between applied art and art applied. 
* * * The one—applied art—a high spiritual prophecy of 
the potential beauty inherent in the nature of a material, as, 
an incidence of hundreds, the delicate carvings and clear finish 
of a beautifully grained wood bringing into life the innate 
loveliness of the graceful, natural markings which the experi¬ 
ence of growth have created, or, the subtle tinting of fine fab¬ 
rics and the delicate, sympathetic embroidery of them that their 
qualities of charm may be enriched; the other—art applied— 
a base imposition of the laws of form and of color upon a 
material, regardless of the nature of that material, as the 
imitation of one through another, or the application of a 
coarse medium to a delicate material for effect. 
A S, gradually, we come to appreciate these essentials we 
find the “fine arts” once more filling their place in the big, 
real work of the world, creative design, the appropriate use 
of pattern and color and simplicity of decorative scheme are 
again, as they were in the pre-commercial days, the fascinating 
element of charm in building, in book and in gown. 
"Instead of the artist, as we are wont to know him,” to 
quote Holbrook Jackson, in his book on William Morris, “living 
a pampered or neglected life according to the measure of 
success he has obtained in the making of things complete in 
themselves and bearing only the slightest relationship to the 
activities of life, we”—in the clearer understanding and deeper 
appreciation of applied art —“shall have the craftsman.” 
I T was this realization of a bigger, more practical work that 
led Ralph Helm Johonnot to leave his position as head 
of the design depart¬ 
ment at Pratt Insti¬ 
tute, in New York 
City, and, with Mrs. 
Johonnot, to estab¬ 
lish himself in Cali¬ 
fornia that they 
could carry theory 
into practice and de¬ 
velop the many 
phases of handicraft 
—particularly of in- 
t e r i o r decoration 
and costume — in 
which they have 
been interested for 
years. 
Of their personal 
su c c e s s, of the 
Medal of Honor 
awarded their work 
at the recent Pan- 
American Exposi¬ 
tion and of their en¬ 
thusiastic following 
in the various cities 
where they teach 
during the winter 
months Mr. Johon¬ 
not has little to say, 
his thought is con¬ 
centrated in spread¬ 
ing abroad a fine 
sincerity of artistic 
truthfulness, a re¬ 
spect for exquisite 
materials, their 
proper, natural use 
and enrichment and 
an interpretative 
comprehension of 
beauty in colorful, 
patterned design. 
These, his work, and 
the work of Mrs. 
Johonnot, pictured 
here, speak for 
themselves. For 
their work is de¬ 
voted to those arts 
which apply directly to the beautifying of the home. A printed 
curtain of unusual pattern and striking colors, an embroidered 
pillow, a table cover, a miniature mural, along lines such as 
these have their energies been directed. 
N the opposite page are shown some examples of their 
design. The scarves, of which five are pictured here, 
are block printed crepe. Both the designs and the blocks are 
made by these handicrafters. The same designs have been 
applied to curtains of crepe and other materials. In the pat¬ 
tern lies their beauty. Or again, there is the embroidered 
pillow, a design in tans, blues, greens, ivory, rose and yellow. 
And here again the pattern is beauty. Their use in a room 
would give it immediate distinction. 
These may seem small items, but it is by such that an interior 
attains individuality. 
Unquestionably the first law for the decoration of interiors 
is to use those furnishings that are suitable to the room, to the 
house and to the sort of life the occupants live. That is suit¬ 
ability plus personality. The personal distinction lies in the 
judicious use of the smaller decorative accessories, objects 
especially wrought for those especial uses and places. 
The same suitability that requires the right sort of furniture 
in a certain kind of room justifies the creation of these acces¬ 
sories. For they are the result of applying a pattern which is 
beautiful to material which also is beautiful. 
When we shall have learned to appreciate this suitability 
of detail, our American interiors will begin to rise above the 
mediocre and attain something of distinction. Meantime here 
are the examples of the work of but two of our American 
handicraft artists. Hundreds of others are devoted to a like 
work. It is a sign of better things. 
A convincing demonstration that “pattern is beauty .” The painting is 
keyed in sunshine yellow. The zinnias are lightly painted in lavender, 
yellow and crimson, the tlowerholder gray-black, while the water is green- 
blue. Background patterns are seji-green , chrome-yellow and pale crimson. 
The frame is silver and blue 
IS PATTERN BEAUTY? 
A Question Raised by the Decorative Handicraft 
of Salome and Ralph Helm Johonnot 
MAUD A. O’HARROW 
