SWEATING IN ART.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 2581, 26 January 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

SWEATING IN ART.

As immense ileal lias been written about the sweating system in tailoring and other trades, ami a ltoyal Commission has published its report; but perhaps one of its worst features lias not been made public ; and to nine people out of ten the idea of a middleman in the fabrication of works of decorative art (so called is) ignored. Yet it is a fact. I do not allude to picture dealers, who occupy the position of publishers, nor to the wholesale or retail salesmen, but to decorative " artists," who farm out their superfluous orders to ladies in want of work. A few days ago 1 happened to be visiting a friciul wiio finds employment for what may be called a society of poor gentlewoman. Talking over prices offered for needlework of all kinds, she aslced me what I should call a fair price for painting upon satin ; and she showed me some pieces, about half a yard long, which had to be decorated with a flower in water color, or rather in gouache. The patterns were badly executed, and of course the copies were worse ; but for this questionable embellishment the handsome sum of (id per dozen was paid. " How long would it take your workers to do a dozen 1 asked. " The sweater says a fair worker can earn 12s a week. Now, although I am a quick worker, I am certain I could only do three per hour so that to earn my 2s per day I must work eight hours ; and a charwoman earns "2s (id and gets her food." And now note how these things are done, and the artistic feeling and skilful hands which are required. A number of pieces of satin are placed upon a board. Each one is dotted where the flower and leaves are to go ; then the "artist" (save the word I) takes a brush full of green and dashes a leaf down each piece of satin from top to bottom ; next she fills her brush with light red or blue for tlvj flowers, then with dark for the shadows, anil so on, till the whole mass is completed and she has earned her (id for twelve—one halfpenny each. Process the second. These scraps of satin are lined, filled with scented wool, and jorded round, and become sachets sold at is or as a piece, lint how much, think pou is given for this part of the work? Fhe same price —namely, Gd per dozen, ir one halfpenny a piece. Now, I ask, s Is lid for fifteen hours' work at tailoring, given the fact that the Eastender las many fewer expenses, worse [jay han 2s to the Westender for teu hours' vork ? The poor woman turns out shirt 3 ' finished '' for 2d a pair, or " machines "

twelve shirts for 10 s dozen, which are sold for 10s 6d ; while the gentlewoman, for having paid dearly for her education and having acquired a certain amount ot' culture, gets Gd a dozen for daubs, called painting, which are sold for Is or Is Gd a piece. In these happy times every young lady learns to dabble in painting. Instead of treating drawing as a branch of a lib'-ral education, like foreign languages, sli3 looks upon it as a moms of becoming an artist ; and as she linds plenty of opportunities of selling artistic rubbish at bazaars for fabulous prices she fondly hopes she may add to her income by sending similar tilings to shops. She sells a badly painted plate for £2, ami so she argues, "If one plate why not twenty?'' £-10 per annum would be a nice increase to her income; and so she offers her wares to the tradesman. Naturally she gets much smaller prices than she thought; but it is not likely, the public being utterly ignorant of art, that the. shops will prefer paying 5s a dozen for well painted sachets, when they cm get get badly painted ones for 6d ; and" so the young lady ''artist " gets the work, and the art student goes to the wall The work is not worth the halfpenny ; but if the buyer sets no difference between it and one for which the seller paid 2s, can we wonder that he prefers putting the extra Is G;1 into his own pocket? I know of an instance of an employer who paid 3s to one person and MO shillings to another for the same things; but T also know nil art student who was told that the price was ; Od, and, good or had, no more could be given. Let ine quote briefly a few handsome pries ollered for various ''artistic" trilles : A " lady having too large an onlar for menu cards to execute herself, farmed them out at Ms per dozen. Frequently these are paid 15s per dozen, so that the sweater takes a fair proportion. For cards painted with figures upon ivory, iis per dozen. For eats which havs gone through four processes—namely, tracing, sizing, painting, and varnishing (think of the time all this involves), (is per dozen. Flowers, 2s per dozen. Porcelain slabs, Is 6d and 3s Gd per dozen. Ivory Tablets (small), Is per dozen. Let all who buy handpainted goods bear these figures in mind. But what is the charm of hand painted cards, when the execution is so inferior to an honest chrome? Suiely the cirds which are printed from good designs executed by artists are vastly superior to all those miserable amateurish daubs. In tin old days, an artist was paid a fair price ; the design was executed in the best style of printing ; the work was well turned out, and sold for perhaps fourpcnce, Now people must have a hand-painted card for Gd or Is, which is nevertheless as badly done as it can be. As if the print were not vastly its superior as a work of art ! — A correspondent in the Tall Mall IJudget.