cquires in the
months which necessarily pass between her picture purchases--months in
which she has time to discover new beauties, fresh interest, deeper
meaning, in those she already has. All these new impressions she
carries with her to the selection of her next treasure, and the result
will probably be a choice of greater artistic merit than she would have
been capable of making before. So long as there is something in a
picture which impresses her, the fact that she does not fully
understand its underlying meaning need be no obstacle to its purchase;
the light of comprehension will come.

THE INFLUENCE OF PICTURES

The picturing of the home should be undertaken in no light humor, for
better no pictures at all than poor ones. Little, trivial, meaningless
nothings are like small talk--uninspiring and devitalizing--and
therefore unprofitable; battle and other exciting scenes wear on the
nerves; the constant presence of many persons is tiring in pictures as
well as out; small figures and fine detail which cannot be
distinguished across the room cause visual cramp; and the rearing horse
which keeps one longing for the rockers cannot be called reposeful.
Any picture in which one seeks in vain the rest and peace and quietude
and inspiration which the home harmony demands, is but a travesty of
art--domestically speaking. There is probably nothing more rest-giving
than the marine view, and next come the pretty pastoral and cool
woodland scenes, while madonnas and other pictures of religious
significance express their own worth--just a few choice, well-selected
photographs, etchings, and engravings of agreeable subjects, with a
painting or two; that's all we want.

OIL PAINTINGS

Really fine oils are costly, and no house can stand more than one or
two at most, because of the impossibility of giving them the correct
lighting and the distance they require, without which their best effect
is lost. Properly, an oil painting should be given a wall or even a
whole room to itself, as water colors and colored prints seem
colorless, and black-and-whites cold, by comparison. The deep gold
frame is its best setting. Gold frames and mats are usually effective
on colored pictures of any kind in bringing out certain colors, dark
ones especially, though artists are growing to use wood frames filled
to harmonize with and throw into relief some one tone in the picture,
the mat taking the same color. Gilt has no place on p