CHAPTER V

COLLECTIONS

Every girl can have her own gallery of famous artists’ pictures, and the searching for and finding of treasures to form a home art collection are a constant source of interest. When once the supply is started it grows rapidly, for the fascination increases as the work progresses, and the nucleus of a fine assortment is soon gathered. Daily papers furnish valuable material in this line through their reproductions of paintings, and the market is flooded with beautifully illustrated magazines giving the art of our own land and that of foreign countries; then there are unmounted photographs of masterpieces which may be purchased for a very small sum; many can be bought at a penny each.

If new magazines are not to be had, old ones can be found at bookstalls for low prices, which contain reproductions of paintings and excellent accounts of them. Carefully take the magazines apart, removing the wire fastenings by straightening and drawing them out before attempting to separate the leaves; then cut out the chosen pictures, allowing as wide a white margin as possible. Only those prints which represent the work of eminent artists should be selected.

Decide upon some definite line of art, for the field is a large and varied one. Better results can be obtained if you devote your efforts to the paintings of only one nation, such as American, English, French, or Flemish art. Again, the collection might embrace the works of but one artist or school of painting, or be restricted to famous caricaturists or mural decorators. Having made your choice and collected two or three designs, buy low-priced medium-weight card-board for

=Mounting the Pictures=

Select a kind not brittle or liable to tear; get either a soft gray tone or white, the former often harmonizing best with black and white pictures. Your material being ready, turn the pictures on the wrong side and mark the centres. The easiest way of doing this is by laying a ruler diagonally across the back of picture, Fig. 137, and drawing a line on the [Illustration: Fig. 138.] paper along the edge of the ruler. Be sure to have the ruler precisely at the corners; if placed either to one side or the other, the centre will not be found. Fig. 138 shows the first line drawn; cross this line by another running from the remaining two corners which will give Fig. 139; the point where the lines intersect is the exact centre of the picture. Cut the mounting board in portions large enough to allow a surrounding margin of four or five inches [Illustration: Fig. 139.] on each picture; then mark the centres on the right, not wrong, side of the mounting board. It will be unnecessary to extend the line from corner to corner of the mounting board; lay the ruler across and mark it merely at the centre, Fig. 140. Take the print [Illustration: Fig. 140.] you intend to mount first and carefully place it upon the blank piece of paper so that the centre of the picture will be exactly over the centre of the blank paper; lightly mark a line in lead-pencil around two corners of the picture, remove the print and the blank paper resembles Fig. 141. The last markings are a guide in pasting the picture on the sheet of paper. First dampen the wrong side of the print with a wet sponge. Have ready some strong paste and spread it lightly on the wrong side. Be careful not to get too much paste lest it smear the mounting-paper. Lay [Illustration: Fig. 141.] the mounting-sheet upon a perfectly clean, level surface and place the print on it according to the guiding marks. Have the picture absolutely smooth, without a suspicion of a wrinkle or blister, and with a clean cloth again smooth it gently, pressing it down here [Illustration: Fig. 142.] and there as seems necessary to make it adhere firmly (Fig. 142). Then place a weight upon the mounted picture and leave it to dry. After having been successful with one picture no difficulty will be found in mounting the others.

It often happens that it is impossible to separate a picture from the article treating of it, for the reason that one side of the page gives the print and the other side the description. This difficulty is remedied by

=Splitting the Paper,=

which will give two layers of uniform thickness, and if there are pictures on each side of the paper they may both be preserved. Cut two pieces of perfectly smooth muslin a little larger all around than the sheet of paper to be split. Dampen one of the pieces of muslin and lay it out smooth on an even, flat surface; cover one side of the paper to be split with a thin layer of very strong paste or glue and carefully place the paper, paste-side down, on the muslin; lay it out flat and be sure it does not wrinkle; then cover the other side of the paper with paste and place the second dampened piece of muslin over it. Be certain that the muslin adheres over the entire surface of both sides of the paper. Should it fail in places, the spots of paper not clinging to the muslin will tear out during the splitting. See that the paste extends to the outermost edges of the paper, and do not forget that muslin, paper, and paste must all be smooth. Use a rolling-pin to secure uniform adhesion. When the pasting is done, let it dry, and after it has dried perfectly, separate the two pieces of muslin at one corner, and the paper will begin to split if the work has been properly done. Continue opening the edges until all four sides are partially separated, and the fission of the paper just beginning; then a firm pull will entirely separate the two pieces of muslin and, at the same time, split the paper. If you experiment on a small piece of paper before attempting the picture you will better understand the process. To remove the muslin from the paper, soak it in hot water; place the water in a basin large enough to admit of the muslin lying out flat. Let the paper side be underneath, so that the muslin may be easily removed when it detaches itself from the paper. Should any bits of paste remain on the paper, soak them off; move the paper gently in the water back and forward, until the paste is washed away; then lift the paper from the water by placing a thin stick of wood under one edge and carefully drawing the wet picture out; it will hang like a curtain from the stick. Let the water drip off; then lay the paper down flat and smooth on a piece of blotting-paper, picture-side up. When nearly dry, place the picture between two sheets of pasteboard, and leave it under a weight until quite dry. Mount split pictures on white card-board; gray will show through the thin paper. On the back of each mounting-board fasten two small brass rings by which

=To Hang the Picture=

Slide a ring on a short piece of tape and glue the ends of the tape at one side on the back and near the top of the picture to form a hook (Fig. 143, H). Do the same with a second ring and tape. When both tapes are securely fastened on the mounting-board, paste over each a strip of tough paper or muslin (Fig. 143, P). If a wire be fastened on the rings, the pictures may hang from the picture-moulding around the room, or the collection can depend upon nails for support. If desirable, the rings may fit over tacks driven in the wall.

Fig. 144 at the beginning of the chapter gives a girl’s collection of reproductions from famous paintings. The pictures can be kept in

=A Portfolio=

made expressly for the purpose, should there be no wall-space on which to hang them. Make the portfolio of two strong, stiff pieces of pasteboard, cut large enough to extend one inch beyond each of the four sides of the mounted designs so as to preclude all possibility of damage to the edges of the work. Sew a length of brown tape at each corner of the two sides of the portfolio, making in all eight pieces of tape, four on each pasteboard; then lay each cover down on a piece of denim and mark four spots on the cloth, corresponding to the places where the tapes are fastened on the pasteboard.

Remove the denim and punch holes through the cloth at the four places designated on each piece; button-hole stitch the openings, and run the tapes through, drawing the cloth down tight and flat upon the pasteboard; smooth the brown covering out evenly and turn the four sides neatly over the edges where they can be securely fastened by long stitches of strong thread taken from edge to edge of the cloth. Cover the wrong side of each piece with heavy, rough, brown paper; paste it on carefully and put them under weights to dry; the paper forms the inside and the cloth the outside of the portfolio. In such covers any number of mounted pictures can be kept secure from harm.

It is only necessary to pile them up evenly on one cover, lay the other cover on top, and tie the two together over the pictures by means of the tapes at the four corners. The portfolio is not intended to stand on edge; it must be laid flat.

Another and different collection is very precious, though the best part is not visible. It is a collection that is sure to be always a comfort, and one with which the more familiar you grow the better you will feel. Such a collection is called the

=Sunshine Diary=

The book may be one of the usual styles of diaries sold in the stores, or an ordinary blank-book; better still, a home-made book. The latter requires forty-six sheets of writing-paper (Fig. 145), and for a cover stiff brown paper or card-board—the kind used for making passe-partouts and which comes in all colors—will be excellent. Cut the cover a trifle longer and broader than the writing-paper, so that it may extend beyond the leaves of the book on the sides, protecting the edges (Fig. 146). Fasten all together by means of a strong brown or yellow cord laced through holes made in the cover and book (Fig. 147). [Illustration: Fig. 146.] Should you be unable to cut the holes as neatly as you desire, send the book to a shoe store or a harness-maker’s to have the holes made.

Decorate the cover in gilt. Make a circle for the sun and use a ruler in marking the rays. Draw the top and bottom rays first. Begin at the top of the centre ray and run the lead-pencil down along the edge of the ruler as far as you wish the ray to extend; then raise the pencil, but [Illustration: Fig. 147.] not the ruler. Hold that down firmly with the left hand, while you again place the pencil down below the circle and draw the lower ray. Make the two horizontal rays in the same way (Fig. 148). After this it will be easy to draw the remaining rays by laying the ruler diagonally between the top and bottom and the side rays. Beneath the sun mark the title in plain lettering (Fig. 149). If you cannot make the letters even and straight, do the best you can, and they will look very well—better, in a way, than if another had made them for you, because that will be your own [Illustration: Fig. 148.] work. When the design is finished in pencil go over it with liquid gilt, painting the sun a solid gold disk, the rays mere lines of gold, and the lettering slightly heavier. On the first page of the diary write in ink your age and full name and under this the year and day of the month. Then turn over the leaf and on the right-hand page rule a line exactly across the centre with red ink. At the top of the page write in red ink the day of the week and month and under the red line write the next day of the week and month (Fig. 150). Put down all dates and divisions in red ink. The book is now ready for the record of January 1.

Before making any entry try to think of the kindest and pleasantest things said to you and done for you during New Year’s Day, and with black ink write these, and these alone, for each day must reflect only beautiful thoughts and acts—nothing else is allowed in the “Sunshine Diary.” On the second day of the month make a similar record on the lower half of the page; the third day turn over the leaf and carefully rule the next two pages as you did the first, which will make four equal divisions for [Illustration: Fig. 150.] four more days. Date each half of the page correctly and proceed with the journal. Continue in the same way until the end of the year and you will have a treasure well worth keeping all the days of your life. The very act of carrying out the “sunshine” idea will tend to strengthen all kindly feelings and cause you to be on the watch for happy items to jot down in your book.

=A Guest Book=

Another work is the “Guest Book”—one in which each friend who calls to see you can write his name, with the date and a few remarks. One boy might draw a simple little pencil sketch under his name; another could write a joke in reference to some mutual experience. From one of the girls might come an apt quotation; from another an original rhyme—in fact, anything that would be interesting. Let the grown people also have the privilege of leaving their autographs with a few remarks in the “Guest Book,” for they, too, are your friends. The book itself should be at least seven inches long and five broad; larger would be better. The common blank-book of good paper will answer the purpose; it can be covered with stiff linen, which is sold for dress lining and may be found in the shops. Cut the cover to extend beyond the book two or three inches (Fig. 151). The dotted line indicates the book. Adjust the cover evenly and crease it slightly along the edges of the book in order to know exactly how it will fit. Still holding the book in the left hand, carefully cut two flaps, in the extension at the top and bottom of the back. Remove and unfold (Fig. 152, A and B); turn down the flaps as in Fig. 152, and again place the linen on the book. Fold over the linen at the top and bottom of one side of the book binding (Fig. 155); do the same with the other side, then turn in the outer edge (Fig. 154). Again remove the cover and, after creasing the folds, cut the four corners out, as in Fig. 155, C, D, E, F. Keep the flaps (Fig. 152, A and B) folded in, and place the cover on the book (Fig. 156). Paste the corners G and H firmly to the underlying piece of linen, do the same with the other side and the cover will be finished.

Letter the outside in deep, rich red, using paint and brush. If you cannot print the letters, write the title “Guest Book” in a bold hand with the brush.

=Calendars=

Calendars are always welcome and appropriate on New Year. Make yours of twelve pieces of heavy unruled, tinted writing-paper. Decide upon twelve persons whom you would like to think of often and cut twelve slips of white writing-paper of exactly the same size. Send one to each chosen individual and ask that the friend’s name and some sentiment be written on the [Illustration: Fig. 158.] [Illustration: Fig. 159.] paper and that it be returned to you. Having received all the slips, paste one near the top of each sheet of writing-paper (Fig. 157); below paste one leaf of a printed calendar representing one month (Fig. 158). Use a Christmas card for an outside cover and through the two top corners of the calendar make round holes large enough to allow a silken cord, matching in color the tint of the paper, to pass through. Then fasten all the pieces of the calendar together in order, January being the first and December the last (Fig. 159). As each month passes by slide that leaf back on the cords, bringing after January, for instance, February to view. Hold the two loops of cord together at the top and hang the calendar where it may be readily seen.

You can also

=Begin Illustrating Books=

Do not be surprised! No knowledge of drawing and painting is necessary in order to illustrate in the new, easy fashion. Decide upon some short story you wish to embellish; then look among your scraps for appropriate pictures. Should you not find exactly what you want, make the pictures over to suit.

If the story introduces a jolly little maiden full of fun, and describes her as feeding her pet dog and laughing at his antics, and there is no such maiden in your collections, look for one with the style of face you think the girl in the story ought to have. When this is found and the body is not satisfactory, cut off the head and hunt up an appropriate body to fit it; that obtained, paste the pretty head on the new body and cut out the entire figure. Find a dog, in the correct position, in some old magazine or newspaper, cut out the animal, and before pasting the group in place try the effect of both on a blank piece of white paper. Slide the figures together and apart until you have them where they look best; then paste the girl and dog neatly in position on the white paper, and the full-page illustration is ready for insertion in the book.

Always leave a wide white margin on all illustrations; never crowd the picture up to the very edge of the page if you desire it to look well, and be sure to dampen the wrong side of each picture before attempting to paste it in your book, that it may be smooth and not wrinkle. The new leaf for the picture should be cut wide enough to allow a quarter-inch projection or more over on the opposite page, as in Fig. 160, OO, where it can be pasted down on the inner margin of the other leaf. The dotted line indicates the centre of the book.

Bound books will not admit of many extra leaves being inserted, so you can select only a few of the incidents in the narrative for illustration. Use care that the picture shall express your idea of the event or place you desire to represent. Sometimes it may happen, by lack of suitable material, that you cannot finish certain pictures for days or weeks after they are begun. In such a case bide your time until the wished-for designs appear, and in the meantime go on with the other illustrations.

If the book is paper-covered, you can take it all apart, insert as many pictures as you desire and fasten it together again. When obtainable use

=Colored Pictures and Photographs=

as illustrations. You may chance to find appropriate colored reproductions from water-color sketches, that will serve the purpose without alteration. Such would give a fine appearance to your book. Unmounted photographs can also be employed, but, if possible, avoid different styles of pictures in the same work. Keep the colored designs for one book, the prints for another, and the photographs for a third. Bear in mind that, whatever the nature of the illustrations, you are to use only such as appeal to you and express your ideas; the scheme will lose individuality—that is, it will not represent your choice—if you select what others may deem best in preference to that which you would have chosen if left unmolested. It is the individuality which gives value to the work.

Never attempt to illustrate a valuable book in this new way, though it would not injure the volume if you found a good unmounted picture of the author and pasted it on one of the fly-leaves in the front of the book. The portrait would add to the value and interest of the volume, as would also items of information on the subject of which the book treats, if pasted on an extra loose leaf and left in the back of the book.

When you have a collection of snap-shots that you wish to preserve, make

=A Photograph Book=

in which to keep them. Cut two pieces of stiff pasteboard, each 6¼ inches wide and 5¾ inches high. Use strong paste to fasten these on one side of a strip of heavy linen of a soft green color, 14¼ inches long by 6¾ inches wide. Leave a space of uncovered linen three-fourths of an inch wide in the centre, Fig. 161. This will give the foundation for the cover of your book. Draw the linen tightly over the edge of the card-board at the top and bottom, paste it down smooth and even; then paste the two end-pieces over, thus binding the four edges of the book. Cut sixteen leaves from heavy [Illustration: Fig. 162.] dull-surfaced paper, matching the green linen in color, make each leaf 6¾ inches wide and 5½ inches high. Two of the leaves serve as lining for the cover, leaving fourteen leaves or twenty-eight pages for the unmounted photographs. Paste the first leaf on the left-hand side of the cover, let it fit over the turned-in border of linen and extend across the centre onto the edge of the other card-board, LL to KK, [Illustration: Fig. 163.] Fig. 162; the dotted lines indicate the turned-over linen underneath the paper leaf which is used as a lining. Take a second leaf and turn down the left hand edge to a depth of ¾ of an inch, leaving the leaf 6 inches wide. Cover the ¾ of an inch extension with paste, then lap it over on the left-hand side of the centre and paste securely. The place where the side of the leaf should be fastened down to the lining of the cover is represented by MM in Fig. 162. Fig. 163 shows the space MM covered by the side of the leaf, the diagram giving two leaves properly glued together, the dotted line indicates the centre of the book. As each leaf is fastened in, turn it over and paste the next one on it as in Fig. 163. Continue adding leaves, always allowing the right-hand leaf to [Illustration: Fig. 164.] overlap the left three-quarters of an inch. When the last leaf is fastened in place, paste it down tight on the right-hand side of the inside of the cover, where it will form a lining concealing the raw edges of the linen and the blank pasteboard as the first leaf covered the left-hand side of the inside of the cover. This system of fastening the leaves together will cause them to fold in the back where there will be no raw edges. Fig. 164 gives four leaves, showing the back where they are folded over after each is joined to the preceding leaf. When the book is finished the back hinge part of the cover is free from the leaves, leaving an opening from top to bottom large enough to run a slender pencil through when the book is opened. If desired the cover can be decorated with the title “Snap-Shots.”