House and Garden 
FIGURE 5 
City houses usually contain rooms with one long side unbroken by door or window. Such a 
surface, unless occupied by two or three very large pictures is best treated by forming a number 
of symmetrical groups of pictures with space enough between the groups to clearly differentiate 
them. A series of very small pictures on a lower level may be schemed to suggest a link 
between the groups. 
treated in groups in houses of ordinary dimensions 
except to place them side by side. That leads 
to the question of the space between pictures. In 
a group, this should always be less than the space 
between the outer edges of the group and the boun¬ 
daries of the wall. The greater extent of sur¬ 
rounding space serves to concentrate or unite the 
different members of the group as can be seen in 
almost any of the diagram illustrations. Wherever 
tor any reason it is advisable that one picture or 
one group shall be isolated from another, the result 
will be accomplished by leaving a space about 
the picture wider than the width of the picture 
itself. (See Figures 4 and 5.) 
Life-size portraits in color are of such absorbing 
interest that in the somewhat remote contingency 
of one household possessing more than two, no 
more than that number should be placed on one 
wall, and they would better be treated as single 
units, that is, with a space between them at least 
a little wider than their own width. Smaller pic¬ 
tures of quite another character may occupy the 
spaces between 
them, if desired, 
for a portrait easily 
dominates every¬ 
thing else, so there 
could hardly be a 
question of confu¬ 
sion resulting from 
equal attractions. 
In the average 
sized house a group 
of pictures of mod¬ 
erate dimensions 
will hardlv contain 
more than three or 
five. Each group 
should have a sin¬ 
gle central motive. 
so for that reason the odd number 
is preferable. Should there be some 
special reason for combining an even 
number, four for example, the tend¬ 
ency to break in two can be 
largely overcome by spacing the two 
central pictures quite near with a 
wider space between them and their 
auxiliaries. By varying the spacing, 
four pictures of equal size can be 
arranged so that the effect is that 
of a central motive with subordi¬ 
nate parts. 
No possible extension of this arti¬ 
cle could cover in detail all the 
difficulties confronting even one 
individual, but the principles laid 
down will be found more flexible than a list of 
specific rules, and it is one of the pleasures of 
working according to a principle that when some¬ 
thing unforeseen and obstinate prevents the more 
obvious application of the principle, we are often 
led by the very obstacle into an arrangement 
which, while conforming in essence, may contain 
unexpected elements of freshness and charm. 
The accompanying diagrams, dealing with a 
few of the more ordinary problems, illustrate, 
better than any description, some of the ways 
in which the principles may be applied, but 
such suggestions as are here put together could 
rarely be copied literally, and so can never be 
of use to that large class who, whatever their 
delusions may be, are at least too indifferent 
or too self-satisfied to put themselves to the 
pains to study and think about these things. 
Scolding people for their artistic shortcomings 
has been rather the fashion since Ruskin’s time. 
The resultant good is more than doubtful. 
If people are indifferent to beauty and its laws, 
vituperation will not change their mental atti¬ 
tude. 
We would better try to arouse their interest by 
pointing out that a “taste for art” is not a mysterious 
and occult gift, a thing dependent on “feeling” 
and “mood,” but that at least that side of it which 
pertains to composition and arrangement is gov¬ 
erned by laws whose foundation we may see, 
if we take the trouble to reflect, are in Nature 
herself. 
For Nature is continually striving for perfect 
symmetry and harmony in all her structures and 
growths, and all natural objects set forth these 
principles. 
It has always been one of the chief glories of man 
that either by intuition or reflection he has been 
able to grasp the essence of these laws and by them 
—' to produce a world of beauty of his own. 
The difficulty of combining pictures, dif¬ 
fering greatly in size is best met by keep¬ 
ing them on different levels and by concen¬ 
trating the small forms to give as much as 
possible the impression of a single unit. 
258 
