schools of art.—a knowledge of drawing is required in so many of the employments open to women that i think it advisable to give some information as to how it can best be acquired.
in connection with the national art training school at south kensington, metropolitan district schools of art are established at the following places:—
1. the female school of art, 43, queen square, bloomsbury.
2. blackheath, lee, and lewisham (bennett park).
3. blackheath hill, 13, lansdowne place.
4. chelsea, onslow college.
6. chiswick, bath road, bedford park.
6. holloway (camden school).
7. hornsey.
8. islington, barnsbury hall.
9. lambeth, miller's lane, upper kennington lane.
10. north london, sandringham road, kingsland.
11. st. martin's-in-the-fields, castle street, long acre.
12. st. thomas charterhouse, goswell road.
13. stoke newington.
14. stratford, maryland point.
15. west london, 155, great titchfield street.
16. westminster, royal architectural museum.
i give the rules of the south kensington school; the others differ slightly, but further particulars can always be obtained by application to the head masters; as a rule the expense of studying at the local schools is less than at south kensington, but the same system48 of instruction is pursued. the second grade certificate, so often mentioned in these pages, is by no means difficult to obtain. as will be seen by the rules, it is necessary to pass the examination for it before joining the art classes.
there is a large number of free studentships; for particulars of these application must be made to the secretary, science and art department, s.w.
the south kensington rules are as follows:—
i. the courses of instruction pursued in the school have for their object the systematic training of teachers, male and female, in the practice of art, and in the knowledge of its scientific principles, with a view to qualifying them as teachers of schools of art competent to develop the application of art to the common uses of life, and to the requirements of trade and manufactures. the instruction comprehends the following subjects:—freehand, architectural, and mechanical drawing; practical geometry and perspective; painting in oil, tempera, and water colours; modelling, moulding, and casting. the classes for drawing, painting, and modelling, include architectural and other ornament, flowers, objects of still life, &c., the figure from the antique and the life, and the study of anatomy as applicable to art.
ii. these courses of instruction are open to the public on payment of fees. these are as follows:—
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fees for classes studying five whole days, including evenings:—
￡5 for five months, and an entrance fee of 10s.
evening classes.
male school, ￡2 per term.
female school, ￡1 per term, three evenings a week.
the classes for male and female students meet separately.
governesses in private schools or families may attend the day classes for not more than three months, on payment of ￡1 per month, without payment of the entrance fee.
iii. no students can be admitted to these classes until they have passed an examination in freehand drawing of the second grade. examinations of candidates for admission will be held weekly at the commencement of each term, and at frequent intervals throughout the year. these examinations are held at the school on tuesdays at 10.30 a.m. and 6.45 p.m. candidates should bring their own lead pencils and indiarubber. unsuccessful candidates cannot be re-examined until after a month's interval. the examination fee is 2s. 6d. for day students, and 6d. for evening students, to be paid at the time of examination.
iv. the annual session consists of two terms, each lasting five months, and commencing on the 1st of march and the 1st of october, and ending on the50 last day of july and the last day of february respectively. one week at christmas and one week at easter or whitsuntide are also vacations. the school is open every week-day except saturday. hours of study are—day, 9 to 3.30; evening, 7 to 9. evening classes for females on tuesdays, thursdays, and fridays.
classes for modelling have been lately formed at the lambeth technical school of art, 122, kennington park road. practice in modelling from drapery, the antique, and the human figure nude and draped. on monday, wednesday, and thursday evenings, from 7 to 9.30. fee, 5s. per month.
modelling from casts of ornaments:—the practice will be adapted to the technical wants of the individual students. this class meets on tuesday and thursday evenings, from 6.30 to 9. fee, 2s. 6d. per month.
there is an annual examination for prizes in all schools of art, and a national competition.
royal academy.—free instruction is given for a period of seven years at the royal academy of arts, burlington house, to any one who shows sufficient talent. applicants for admission must have attained a certain proficiency, and must deliver specimens of their work, with a printed form duly filled in, at the academy51 on or before the 28th of june, or the 28th of december, to be submitted to the council. this form can be obtained from the registrar through the written request of a member, or some artist or person of known respectability.
the hours of work are from 10 to 3. students are required to provide their own materials.
designers.—there is a great demand for skilful and original designers, but only for really clever ones, as so much of the ordinary work is done by pupils. mr. sparkes, the head master of the south kensington school of art, tells me any one with natural taste and invention can be trained thoroughly in designing, including a knowledge of the human figure, in two years, if willing to work hard; after that time it would be necessary to give some months to become acquainted with the possibilities of the material to be designed for, such as glass, table-linen, cretonnes, dress materials, wall papers, &c. after a few months' study, i should advise pupils to ask their head master's candid opinion as to their chances of success, as he would be better able to tell them than any one else.
many of the large manufacturers employ designers permanently, at salaries not lower than ￡100 a year, and in many cases the work can be done at home. the authorities at south kensington have frequent52 applications for designers, and recommend the most deserving amongst the students. before offering designs to manufacturers it is advisable to ascertain what style they require, as sometimes a prejudice is created by unsuitable work being offered, which is never overcome. many of the large upholsterers employ girls to design furniture. it requires a good knowledge of drawing, including perspective, but not so much talent as other kinds of designing. the salaries vary from 25s. to 30s. a week.
at the lambeth technical school of art, 124, kennington park road, classes for the study of design meet on tuesday, wednesday, and friday evenings. the course is adapted for the use of all students engaged in the practice of ornamental art, and is specially designed for the use of those occupied in pottery painting and surface decoration. the fee is 2s. 6d. per month, except to those students who have already joined the art school, who will pay 6d. additional fee.
wood carving.—a school of art for wood carving has recently been established at the albert hall, south kensington, where ladies can receive the thorough training which is essential to their success in this branch of art labour. three years is the least time in which a fair knowledge of the art can be acquired by capable and industrious students,53 but at the end of the first year those who are clever may earn as much as ten or twelve shillings a week; when proficient, their earnings would probably be from ￡2 to ￡3 weekly, though in cases of exceptional talent, no doubt, considerably more might be occasionally earned.
there are very few highly skilled wood carvers in england, so there would be no difficulty in disposing of really good artistic work. the best plan for those unable to obtain permanent employment is to make small articles, such as blotting-books, photograph frames, glove-boxes, paper-knives, &c., take them to the large fancy shops, and offer them for sale. upholsterers and picture-frame makers give regular employment to many; and when that can be obtained it is doubtless more satisfactory than anything else.
the rules of the school at the albert hall are as follows:—
both day and evening classes are held in the school. the day classes are held from 10 to 1 and 2 to 5 on five days a week, and from 10 to 1 on saturdays. the evening classes are held from 7 to 9 on four evenings a week, viz., monday, tuesday, thursday, and friday. the fees for day students are ￡2 a month, or ￡5 a quarter. the fees for evening students are 15s. a month, or ￡2 a quarter.
there are at present twelve free studentships,54 viz., six in the day and six in the evening classes. candidates must have passed the second grade art examination of the science and art department in freehand drawing at least. those who have some knowledge of wood carving, or have passed in the other subjects of the second grade art certificate, or in drawing from the antique and the figure, architectural drawing, or designing and modelling, will be preferred. applications for these studentships should be addressed to the secretary, at the school.
all students are required to provide their own tools, and work done in the schools by free students cannot be taken away. students paying their own fees may take away work executed by themselves on their own materials, but all work on materials provided by the school remains the property of the school. students who have been in the school not less than twelve months may, on the recommendation of the instructor, receive such payment for their work as the committee may determine.
the tools students are required to provide themselves with, during the whole time they attend the school, cost about ￡2, but for 15s. they can procure enough to carry them over the first few months. the free studentships are for periods of six months, and are renewed to promising students. a taste for55 designing, and a considerable knowledge of drawing, are so desirable that i cannot conscientiously recommend any one without them to adopt wood carving as her profession, for although a certain degree of mechanical excellence might be obtained, it would not be sufficient to ensure a livelihood.
mr. donaldson, a member of the firm of messrs. gillow and co., oxford street, takes a very great interest in the school, and kindly allows me to say that he intends to do all in his power to give employment to ladies competent to undertake it; but, of course, as the work required by his firm is of a superior kind, those anxious to obtain it must study until they can produce excellent work.
wood engraving.—to learn the art of wood-engraving thoroughly a long apprenticeship is absolutely necessary. all authorities agree in saying that students must not expect to earn anything at all for the first three years; after that time they may probably earn ￡1 a week, but should still continue their course of study for two years at least. there is not the slightest reason why women should not rival men in this branch of art, if they will give the necessary time to acquire it.
the work can very frequently be done at home, which is usually considered an advantage; but in56 that case ladies must make up their minds to work as steadily and for as many hours a day as they would under the eyes of a master; for certainly only those who could be depended upon for punctuality would be likely to obtain remunerative work.
at the expiration of the five years, when the pupil may be expected to have become a skilled engraver, her earnings would be from ￡1 10s. to ￡4 or more a week, according to her industry and ability.
the city and guilds of london institute has established a technical class of wood engraving at 122 and 124, kennington park road, under the care of mr. c. roberts.
the hours of practice are from 10 to 4, and from 6 to 8 in the evening, daily, except saturday; and all students are expected to attend regularly and punctually.
on tuesday and friday evenings the work of the class will be examined. at all other times students will be responsible to an assistant teacher, or senior student, who will be always present.
all members of the class must have taken the second grade certificate of the science and art department, or must be prepared to do so.
four scholarships, each consisting of a free studentship for one year, will be awarded annually after the first year's practice. these may be renewed in the57 following year on proof of industry and progress, and on the recommendation of the master. the fee will be ￡3 3s. a year, payable by half-yearly sums of ￡1 11s. 6d. in advance. no student can be admitted for a shorter period than one year.
the vacations are six weeks in the summer two weeks at christmas, and two at easter or at whitsuntide.
the cost of the tools each student is required to provide herself with is 22s.
for those students who at the expiration of two or three years are sufficiently advanced in their practice to be able to execute work for publication, mr. roberts has, with the co-operation of the society for the employment of women, established a work-room in connection with his own offices at lonsdale chambers, chancery lane.
at this work-room all those advanced students that mr. roberts is able to accommodate and employ will continue to have his supervision, and receive work, and be advanced according to their ability.
mr. paterson, an engraver, who has been a most successful teacher for fourteen years in both edinburgh and london, holds a class for ladies every monday and thursday, from 2 to 3 o'clock, at 3, east temple chambers, whitefriars street. no pupil will be received for less than two quarters.
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as his is a private class, he of course cannot compete in price with the one under the patronage of the city and guilds of london institute. his terms are:—
engraving ￡2 2 0 per quarter.
drawing on wood 2 2 0 "
both, inclusive 3 3 0 "
a small charge is also made for the wood used by the pupil; it never exceeds 7s. 6d. a quarter. the cost of the tools is 21s., but they are highly finished and ready for use. many of mr. paterson's pupils are now earning considerable incomes. a knowledge of drawing, though very desirable, is not essential, especially as in all probability no one who was entirely devoid of the artistic faculty would care to attempt to become an engraver, as it is doubtless a long and arduous task, though the success which may be attained would, when it came, be, i think, a full recompense for all the time and trouble that had been expended.
china painting.—painting on china has been considerably overdone of late years, and now only really good work can be at all certain of finding a market. the best way for amateurs to dispose of their work is to send it to messrs. howell and james's annual exhibition, as they allow each exhibitor to send three small or two large pieces of work, and last season59 ￡3,000 worth of ladies' paintings on china were sold. each piece of work should be marked the price at which it is to be disposed of, a commission of 15 per cent. being charged on the published price of all works sold, to defray the expenses of advertisement and exhibition. only strictly original works are eligible for prizes, but adaptation and copies are not inadmissible for exhibition if approved by the judges, to whom all works are submitted. all works must be sent in by the end of march.
before taking lessons in painting on china, it is essential that ladies should have a good knowledge of drawing. with that, a few months' lessons will make them proficient china painters; without it, they will never do anything worth buying. classes for pottery painting are held at messrs. howell and james's, regent street, every day excepting saturdays. terms:—the course of ten lessons of two hours each, ￡3 3s.; six lessons, ￡2; three lessons, ￡1 1s.
messrs. doulton and co., lambeth, employ about 120 ladies permanently in painting on china. the work is paid by the piece, so the amount earned depends on the workers. a class for pottery painting is formed on tuesday and friday at the lambeth school of art, miller's lane, upper kennington lane; fee, 10s. 6d. per month. i believe this class was formed at messrs. doulton's request principally60 to prepare ladies to execute their work, as they found teaching ladies who had no previous knowledge of the art took up too much of their time. the head master of the lambeth school of art told me he thought it useless for ladies to join the class who had not a considerable knowledge of drawing, such, for instance, as they might acquire by two years' study at some school of art.
painting on leather.—this branch of decorative art is well suited to women, but there is but a small demand for it. some of the large upholsterers are willing to employ ladies, but they must have a good knowledge of drawing, and be willing to give two years to learn the technicalities of the art, and to gain experience of the different styles, especially spanish and italian, at the south kensington museum and other places. at the expiration of that time wages would begin at from 6s. to ￡1 a week, according to ability; and the probable eventual earnings would be from ￡2 to ￡3 weekly.
mosaic.—women have frequently been employed in manufacturing mosaic; but it is so little used in england that at present i can hear of no place where they would be likely to obtain work. but when the decoration of st. paul's cathedral in mosaic is commenced—if it is entrusted to an english firm,61 as i sincerely hope it will be—there will be employment for hundreds of women for some years. the usual pay mosaic workers obtain if they have no knowledge of drawing is about ￡40 a year; if they can undertake the more difficult parts, such as the human figure, their salaries are proportionately higher. the mere technical knowledge is easily acquired in a month.
painting on glass.—it is a great pity ladies are not more extensively employed in painting on glass. messrs. powell and co., of the whitefriars glass works company, whitefriars street, employ a few. these ladies work in a separate room, six hours a day, and four on saturdays; these are obviously very short hours, and mr. powell has no objection to increase them if he finds the ladies he employs are willing; of course their work is paid by time. he intends to increase his staff of lady workers as occasion arises. only a very slight knowledge of drawing is required for the lower branches of this art, and it is necessary to give perhaps three months, certainly not more, to acquire it. the average earnings are from ￡60 to ￡70 a year; any one capable of copying figures and painting them on glass would obtain a higher salary, probably ￡100 a year.
decorative work.—messrs. simpson and co. em62ploy a large number of ladies in various kinds of decorative work, such as painting tiles, glass, decorating enamelled iron, &c., at salaries beginning at ￡40 a year, and rising according to the value of their services. the hours of work are from 9 to 6, with the usual interval of an hour.
a good knowledge of drawing is required, such as might be obtained by two years' hard work at a school of art, and it is desirable that the human figure should have been carefully studied; but messrs. simpson and co. prefer that the ladies who come to them should be without any special knowledge of the work they will be employed in, as they would rather impart it themselves.
miss collingridge, 9, beaumont street, portland place, n.w., undertakes all kinds of art decorative work, and receives pupils; the hours of study are from 9.30 to 4 o'clock. many of her pupils have been very successful in obtaining engagements as designers, china painters, &c., and two are now employed in drawing for costumiers. to obtain constant work at the conclusion of a course of study, miss collingridge thinks versatile invention and refined feeling essential, as is also business capacity.
the misses rhoda and agnes garrett were in business as house decorators, cabinet-makers, and designers of all the details of household furniture and uphol63stery, at 2, gower street (corner of bedford square), london, and i understand they were very successful. they attributed their success entirely to the thorough training they went through, and their strict attention to business. miss rhoda garrett has unfortunately lately died, but miss agnes garrett still carries on the business. miss garrett takes pupils or apprentices for a not shorter time than three years, at a premium of ￡300. the hours of work are from 10 to 4. after the apprenticeship industrious ladies of ordinary intelligence would be prepared to start in business on their own account, but for this capital is of course required. if two sisters or friends went through the course of study together, and into partnership afterwards, as the misses garrett did, they would be much more likely to succeed than one would alone.
plan tracing.—it has been thought that women might very well be employed in tracing the plans of builders, architects, and engineers, and an office for the purpose has been established, through the agency of the society for the employment of women, at 8, great queen street, s.w. it is going on very satisfactorily; several ladies are employed; they give three months to learn the work, and after that time their pay commences at threepence an hour, rising to six64pence; they work seven hours a day. ladies who wish to learn the work, without desiring employment, can be received on payment of a premium of ￡10; but it is requested that all inquiries should be addressed to miss king, secretary to the society for the employment of women, 22, berners street, oxford street.
i think many of the large firms might be induced to employ women permanently in copying their plans, if personal application were made to them and specimens of work taken. the great requisites for success in this work are neatness and accuracy; the merely technical knowledge is easily acquired.
although they do not actually teach plan-tracing at the schools of art, their architectural classes would be found to give most of the necessary information, sufficient to enable a careful student to apply for work with the full consciousness of being able to do it.
photography.—the following particulars respecting the employment of ladies in photography have been kindly given me by mr. elliott, of the firm of elliott and fry, photographers, baker street, london. he requested me to warn ladies against wasting their time in learning to tint photographs, as the fashion for these has almost entirely died out, and he has innumerable applications from ladies anxious to65 tint them. a considerable number of women are employed by the trade in spotting photographs; their wages usually begin at 6s. a week, rising, when they have learnt their business, which can easily be done in two months, to 15s. or ￡1. the hours of work are from 9 to 5. many are employed in mounting photographs on cards; it is work that requires great neatness and accuracy; the pay varies from ￡1 to ￡1 5s. a week.
re-touching negatives is the most difficult and consequently the best-paid branch of photography open to women; it requires some knowledge of drawing, and, mr. elliott says, considerable common sense; a few lessons in the technicalities should be taken from some re-toucher before applying for work, a month would be quite long enough to acquire them, and the fee would probably be small. a re-toucher willing to give the necessary instruction could usually be heard of at the leading photographers'. the salaries vary from 30s. to ￡3 a week.
art needlework.—the royal school of art needlework in the exhibition road, south kensington, is by far the best of all the work societies, and the only one where ladies who are once admitted can be certain of constant employment; so it is the only one of which i shall give a description. these are the rules:—
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i. application for admission as qualified workers for the school must be made to the manager by the applicants in person, and they must give two references to prove their position.
ii. applicants must fulfil the following requirements:—
(a.) they must be gentlewomen by birth and education.
(b.) they must be able and willing when employed to devote seven hours a day to work at the school.
iii. every applicant is required to go through a course of instruction, for which ￡5 is charged.
iv. the course of instruction consists of nine lessons in art needlework, of five hours each. if after the first two lessons, in the opinion of the teacher, the applicant is not likely to be successful as a needle worker, she will be recommended to retire, and on so retiring the ￡5 will be returned to her.
v. the school enters into no engagement to give employment to any lady.
this last rule is practically not carried out, as ladies are never allowed to take the preliminary lessons unless there are vacancies for qualified workers.
it is difficult to give the probable earnings, as all work is paid by the piece; but i have been able to gather that the average earnings are from 20s. to 30s.67 a week. this sum is practically only exceeded by very quick and clever workers.
during the holidays given by the school, ladies are allowed to take work home, so their incomes are only limited by their own industry, or perhaps i should say lack of it. about 120 ladies are employed, and i understand there are a considerable number of candidates for each vacancy as it occurs.
painting on silk and cards.—all the paintings on silk, satin, or cards, for fans, valentines, scent packets, and christmas cards, sold by mr. rimmel, 36, strand, and at his various branch establishments, are executed by ladies and gentlemen at their own homes. the paintings must be of a superior character, and not mere repetitions, as anything original is sure to sell. some of the ladies who paint regularly for him earn as much as ￡3 or ￡4 a week. i have no doubt many other firms employ ladies in the same way.
medical drawings.—doctors frequently require careful drawings of different diseases, and ladies who are good draughtsmen are usually employed to make them. application should be made at the different hospitals, and specimen drawings taken. it would be good practice to make copies of the drawings of diseases to be found in medical works. i understand ladies are now making as much as ￡2 to ￡3 a week68 in this way. of course the demand is somewhat fluctuating.
tapestry painting consists of painting with specially-prepared liquid colours on a woven textile fabric. messrs. howell and james sell all the necessary materials, and classes for instruction are held at their art studio, 5, regent street. terms:—the course of ten lessons of two hours each, ￡5; the course of six lessons of two hours each, ￡3 3s.
