Festoons
and fabric swags in composition ornament are shown from a manufacturer's catalog.
The company, established in 1893, is still in business today. Photo: Courtesy,
Decorators Supply Corporation.
|
The 19th Century. During the early decades of the
nineteenth century, Neoclassical--encompassed in America by the
terms Federal, Empire, and Greek Revival--was in the ascendancy.
Composition makers continued to increase and also to find new
uses for their material. Composition picture and mirror frames
became common and some makers advertised the suitability of composition
ornaments for casting iron firebacks and stoves. Composition ornament
was explicitly advertised for exterior use as well, although very
little has survived. The interiors of houses and public buildings
in every prosperous American city were decorated with composition.
When the classically derived Federal and Empire styles gave way
to the various revival styles-Rococo, Gothic, Renaissance, and
Italianate-composition makers simply made new molds to accommodate
them. (Although Rococo and Renaissance styles were not common
for architecture in America, they were common for furnishings
and interior decoration and, in consequence, for composition ornament.)
Along with a proliferation of styles in the mid-to-late decades
of the century, there was a parallel growth in the number of moldable
and castable materials that shared some features of the composition
craft, such as carton pierre, gutta percha, fibrous
plaster, shellac compositions and, eventually, celluloid
and hard rubber. Composition continued to be the preferred
material for detailed decoration on wood where the size of the
ornament did not make its cost prohibitive. The publication of
practical books by and for craftsmen, beginning in the 19th century,
disseminated recipes and procedures to a broad audience and de-mystified
the craft. Period composition ornaments called "imitation
wood carvings" were widely advertised in manufacturers' catalogs. Balls of
prepared compo became available from some
art supply shops in large cities for use by small volume craftsmen.
During the later years of the century, the Arts and Crafts Movement-as
preached by William Morris and his associates and followers-became
increasingly important in design and philosophy. Morris stressed
honesty to the material in design, exalted spirituality of hand
work and rejected manufacturing, mass production and the distinction
between "high" art and craft. These trends were to affect
both technology and design in the 20th century. Composition ornament
would have been anathema to Morris and his elite clients; most
composition production during the last years of the century is
best described as Victorian Eclectic.
"Applied Decoration for Historic Interiors" an Historic Preservation Brief
