6.7 
September, 19 2 2 
significant, it would seem natural that we 
should also develop furniture and fittings 
of a kind closely in harmony with these 
beautiful, modern American homes. But, 
as a matter of fact, we are not doing this to 
any extent. As yet we have no furniture 
except the Colonial that is in any way 
original and typical of a period of archi¬ 
tecture. Neither have we devised hardware, 
silver or fabrics that could be grouped to¬ 
gether and called “typically American”, a 
product of this generation. 
Although our Colonial architecture, fur¬ 
niture, decorations and wrought iron may 
carry a hint of a beauty that was originally 
England’s, it is, nevertheless, a product of 
a certain type of civilization in this country. 
The fine design, the beautiful simplicity of 
the houses, the warmth of color on the walls, 
the severe grace in the furniture and the ut¬ 
most simplicity with good form and pro¬ 
portion in the hardware, are all characteris¬ 
tic of the social, political and spiritual lives 
of those very charming ancestors of ours. 
As we acquired more money and came in 
closer touch with Europe, this type of civil¬ 
ization seemed to disintegrate; we began 
importing things that did not relate to our 
lives. We became, if not ashamed, a little 
reticent about our Americanism. We either 
copied Europe—corners of it that we 
liked—or we did atrocious, original things. 
In that Victorian era, we developed that 
shocking vogue for “invisible mechanism”. 
Everything had to appear as though it did 
not exist. We hid our locks and latches; 
doors that were a noticeable entrance to 
another room or a hallway were regarded as 
an indiscretion. AVe could not tell how a 
window opened or a picture was hung, 
woodwork was flat and painted, everything 
was veneered. All of life seemed to be a 
flat-footed, bare-faced secrecy, as though 
nothing were really fine or interesting ex¬ 
cept it pretended to be some¬ 
thing else. Those were sad 
days for art and architecture, 
for all craftsmen, for mental 
and spiritual development. It 
was at this time that imitation 
velvet was born and imitation 
(Continued on page 92) 
(Above) A group of 
Colonial drawer pulls 
and an interesting cab¬ 
inet hinge of the same 
period. At the right 
above an intricately 
beautiful Louis XVI 
latch for a casement 
window 
Solid wooden shutters of the old Colonial type 
had wrought iron strap hinges and wrought 
iron dogs. This kind of window finish has 
come again into fashion for the best modern 
Colonial houses. At the right are detail draw¬ 
ings of hinge and . dog 
fplfii 
Mii! 
r?. ""TV 
At the left center, a richly de¬ 
signed drawer pull and below 
it a window lift and door han¬ 
dle with elaborate escutcheon 
in the manner of the Italian 
Renaissance, interes ting in 
wrought iron 
(Above) An elaborate and 
ornamental copper lock plate. 
Left of this, a delicately de¬ 
signed Louis XVI lock for 
casement window and below, 
a simple but very graceful 
Colonial door plate 
