February, 1918 
23 
For “The Fringe of Society,” Leed, Inc., 
built up this dining room. The furniture 
is in harmony and the arrangement makes 
for case and naturalness of acting. Here 
the background is simple paneling 
A hotel corridor in “Baby Mine,” de¬ 
signed by Hugo Ballin, shows architec¬ 
tural verisimilitude which is simple and 
dignified. Pillars and arches break the 
wall expanse, with potted trees as accents 
simplicity have been applied. Because of the 
restrictions imposed by the camera a great 
variety of color was not possible; the main 
effort was to apply good taste to contours of 
backgrounds and the furnishings. This meant 
assembling furniture and draperies of precise 
period form and arranging it so that it would 
“compose” naturally in the camera focus. The 
general color scheme used by Mr. B allin is a 
green-blue-yellow scale that comes out, in the 
pictures, various tones of gray. In some cases 
where there is a large expanse of background 
the monotony is broken by pilasters, tapestries 
or pictures. These backgrounds, built of wall 
board, can be changed, repainted and cut to 
suit a number of pictures. 
The lighting used with such interiors also 
shows improvement. In day scenes the flood 
light is used; in night pictures the light is 
centered in logical spots—in lamps or sconces 
—the actors being grouped about them. The 
backgrounds are thereby kept unobtrusive. 
And in that lies one of the main secrets 
of these new settings—the play is made the 
thing, not the tawdry and imitation back¬ 
ground. Against a simple setting of furniture 
in good taste the actors play their parts with¬ 
out interruption from their surroundings. 
GARDEN BACKGROUNDS 
Photographs by Gillies and Badour 
The lattice screen forms an effective back¬ 
ground. Garden of L. Hopheimer, Esq., 
Woodmere, L. I., B. E. Stern, architect 
Vines make a pleasing wall when combined 
with garden furniture. Garden of M. W. 
Ellis, Esq., Charles City, la. 
A wattle fence is unusual and pleasing. 
From the garden of Mrs. C. P. Orvis, 
Scarsdale, N. Y. J. A. Bodker, architect 
