colors
upon his palette. A stretch of pale blue silk, with outlined hills lying
against it, made for her a sky and background, while a middle distance
of flossy white stitches, advancing into well-defined daisies, brought
the foreground to one's very feet. Flower-laden apple branches against
the sky were lightly sketched in embroidery stitches, like the daisies.
It was a delicious bit of color and so well managed as to be as
efficient a wall decoration as a water color picture.

In what may be called pictorial art in textiles Mrs. Holmes was not
alone, although her work probably incited to the same sort of
experiment. Miss Weld of Boston sent a picture made up in the same way,
of a background of material which lent itself to the representation of a
field of swampy ground where the spotted leaves of the adder's tongue,
the yellow water-lily, with its compact balls, and the flaming cardinal
flower are growing, while swamp grasses are nodding above. This was as
good in its way as any sketch of them could be, and affected one with
the _sentiment_ of the scene, as it is the mission of art to do. Miss
Weld, Miss Carolina Townshend of Albany, Mrs. William Hoyt of Pelham and
Mrs. Dewey of New York, each contributed very largely to the formation
of characteristic and progressive needlework art in America. There were
other individuals whose work was inciting many, who have also, perhaps
unknown to themselves, helped in this progress. Indeed, I remember many
pieces of embroidery, loaned for the Bartholdi Exhibition of 1883, which
would have done credit to any period of the art, and each piece
undoubtedly had its influence.

The work of schools or societies had been much less marked by original
development. During the ten years of their existence the four largest
societies, those of New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago, have
been under the direction of English teachers, and have followed more or
less closely the excellencies of the English School. Even in Boston,
where, owing to the decided cultivation of art and the early
introduction of drawing in the public schools, one would have looked
for a rather characteristic development, English designs and English
methods have been somewhat closely followed.

In attempting to account for this fact one must remember that it is
against the nature of associated authority to follow individual or
original suggestions. There must be a broad and well-trodden path for
committees to wal