The art of decorating dry goods windows and interiors

The combination of electrical effects with mechanical devices adds to the complication of work but produces the most attractive displays yet known to the art. Such designs range from very simple effects to the most bewildering productions, and are only limited by the skill and genius of the decorator.

We explain in this chapter examples of the different grades of this work.

ILLUMINATED SCENIC BACKGROUND.

First the outlines of the trees are painted on heavy board and cut out, as are the “wings” in a scene at the theater. A village, with a pretty scene, houses and churches in the distance, etc., is then painted, and the profile of the steeples, chimneys, gables, etc., also cut out. About two inches back of this is set a frame in which is puffed a sunburst of white china silk. Behind this, again at a distance of two inches, is set another frame covered with tissue paper, as is shown in the next diagram.

A short distance back of this tissue frame is placed a window glass, as a protection to the paper from the electric lights, twenty-four of which were hung in circular forms back of all, the lights following the form of the sunburst. The effect is simply gorgeous, the silk sunburst taking all the tintings of the tissue paper screen and the colors blending in perfect harmony, from the rosy tints of the rising sun to the deep purple tones of the sky. It puzzles observers to know how this brilliant effect is created; but you know how to do it now, and can try it yourself. It will be sure to attract attention and excite admiration. This is the invention of Leonard Shogran.

This consists in cutting the form of the octopus from dark fabric, and stitching it to a white cloth. The scales can be made on the octopus with black paint. The eyes should be cut out, and pink cloth or paper pasted over the openings on the back of the cloth. Then a number of cards should be obtained from white board, and the letters of various inscriptions cut out with a sharp knife. A few suggestive cards are shown in the sketch.

The top card is simply pinned above the form of the octopus, and the several little cards are entwined in the arms. Colored paper, or cloth, is glued to the back of each card, so that, like the eyes of the octopus, a striking effect is obtained when the rear lights are put on and allowed to shine through.

The lighting arrangement is shown next.

The wood frame, to which the cloth that holds the form of the octopus is tacked, is marked a. (The view is a sectional one.) This frame is secured to a stand, d, and the latter to the floor of the window. A tinner can make the tin reflector b, which reflector serves to support brackets for the lights e. The reflector is placed just back of the frame and is supported by stand c. Electric wires, f, carry the current to the lights, and the light shining through the white cloth shows the form of the octopus, while the eyes and the lettering are most vivid. If electric lights are not available gas or oil lighting can be arranged on same. plan.

OLD DUTCH WINDMILL WITH CHANGEABLE COLORS AND FLASHER EFFECTS.

The design here submitted is one that will attract attention as far as it can be seen, and requires nothing practically of a special order, and is applicable to almost any kind of stock. The first proceeding naturally will be the frame for the mill house (see Fig. 2). For a design, say five and one-half feet high, let this be four feet high to top, eighteen inches square at the gables, two feet square at the base, made of stock say 1 × 3 inches, and strong enough to stand the weight and vibrations of the revolving wheel. About three feet from the floor put in two cross pieces for the bearings for the wheel. The frame can either be covered with painted canvas or filled in with boxes of shoes or corsets, bolts of ribbon, etc., or covered with white cloth pinned full of bunches of flowers or other millinery goods. The wheel (see Fig. 1) is made of two pieces of 1 × 3 wood, five feet long, crossed at right angles in the center, and be careful to have it securely fastened to a substantial hub, in case you cannot get the flange described further on.

The wings for the wheel can be made of lath frames, say eight inches wide at the top, six inches at the bottom, and twenty-two inches long, covered the same as you decide to cover the mill house, and provision made for the lamps projecting through when the lamp sockets are screwed to the 1 × 3-inch pieces behind. Next is the shaft, as shown in Fig. 3. Get a piece of gas pipe eight inches longer than your frame is square at the bearings, screw it securely into a 3-inch flange, which in turn is screwed to the center of the wheel and acts as a hub. Parallel with the shaft, in its center, fasten two strips of ¼-inch wood, opposite each other (see Fig. 4), and about one foot long. Next make nine rings of ¹⁄₁₆ × ½-inch brass, whose inside diameter will be such as to cause them to fit snugly over the wooden strips on the shaft, about one-quarter inch apart. Thus you will see the duty of the strips is to hold the rings away from the shaft, and allow the intervening space under the rings for drawing in the wires. To ring No. 9 connect a wire running to one side of each circuit on the wheel, and known as the return wire. (See Fig. 6.) Connect ring No. 8 to circuit No. 8 on the wheel, No. 7 ring to No. 7 circuit, etc. These wires must all be run under the rings, so as to leave their face unobstructed, and at the point of the shaft bearing they must run inside the shaft and out again at the flange. Attach a 5-inch pulley anywhere, put on a collar to prevent lateral motion, and the shaft is completed.

Next nail a 1 × 2-inch strip, covered with asbestos, across the frame (see Fig. 5), parallel with the shaft and one-half inch clearance from the rings. This is for a bridge to support the brushes, which project up and press on the rings to form a contact. Make the brushes of thin brass, three inches long, and set one opposite and in line with each ring, and screw to the bridge. Each brush will be known by the same number as its corresponding ring. Shaft brush No. 9 connects to the service main direct; shaft brush No. 8 connects to flasher brush No. 8; shaft brush No. 7 connects to flasher brush No. 7, and so on. Place your flasher in such position that you can belt direct from a 1¼-inch pulley on the countershaft of your flasher to the 5-inch pulley on the shaft of the windmill with a quarter-inch leather belt. Divide the flasher circumference into twelve parts. Arrange the lugs as shown in Fig. 7. Connect and start the motor, and the following will be produced:

1.

Red center.

2.

Add white to center.

3.

Change center to yellow.

4.

Add green to center.

5.

Red border, yellow and red center.

6.

Red border, red and white center.

7.

Red border, green and red center.

8.

Red border, green and white center.

9.

Red and white border, green and white center.

10.

Yellow and green border, green and red center.

11.

Red and green border, green and white center.

12.

Green and white border, green and red center.

It is possible, with the above, to make 1,620 combinations, but I wouldn’t advise you to try it just yet. It is also possible to use fewer circuits if you wish, and get good results; but I have chosen the above as giving the best results for the labor expended. I have previously told how lamps can be colored for this kind of work.

ELECTRIC REVOLVING CHRISTMAS TREE.

This is an excellent window feature for the holidays, or it would make a beautiful interior display for the toy department.

Instead of trimming the tree with the old style glass bells, use colored electric lights and have the tree revolving.

The cost is very small, and can be quickly constructed, and when artistically trimmed with toys, etc., makes a very beautiful feature.

How to go about it: First, secure a good shaped tree, the size you wish to use, A. Then trim off the limbs at the bottom; cut a hole through the floor in the center of window; put the bottom of tree through this hole, resting the end upon a revolving counter stool D. See that it is well oiled. If you have no stool, use any suitable pivot. Smooth around the tree below the limbs; put plenty of graphite on and nail a collar to the window floor. This will make a good bearing. Next get a split pulley B, and fix around the tree. This connects with motor. If you wish to reduce the speed, make a reducer, as shown in electric fountain drawing in last chapter. The wiring is of the simplest kind, and has already been thoroughly explained. Be careful to insulate well all connections. C shows block of wood with brushes attached. The strips of copper nailed on pulley B show the contact and cut-off. You can use as many or as few lights as you wish. To color the bulbs, use Pikron for glass, which comes in all colors.

This is so simple in construction that any amateur will grasp the idea readily. It is an excellent Christmas attraction.

A SHIP IN A STORM.

This was a prize design of Leonard Shogran’s invention, and depicts in the foreground a well-rigged ship with the name “Monarch” painted on her bow and stern was nobly laboring in the heavy seas, with a motion so accurately perfect that many interested spectators stepped on the window sash in hopes to see actual waves.

Every five or six seconds a vivid flash of lightning burst forth from the sullen, stormy clouds, with such surprising reality one would invariably wait to hear the crashing thunder.

The mechanical contrivance used to obtain the above described effect is very simple and inexpensive. A painted scene on canvas represents a storm on the water, about 5 × 7 feet in size, covered on back with cardboard, making it perfectly opaque. Then cut out streaks representing lightning, and also openings in the edges of the clouds bending them forward enough to admit the light from behind. Then paste white tissue paper back of openings representing lightning, and yellow and orange back of clouds. Then place an incandescent lamp behind, which is turned on and off every few seconds by an automatic switch.

To produce the flickering effect, wherein the real novelty consists, place a large wheel, made of cardboard and thin strips of wood, divided into eight equal open and closed spaces, between the canvas and lamp, which, when set in motion, throws a rapid string of shadows, caused by the closed space. This wheel, as will be understood, was always in motion; so that the moment the lamp was lit the effect was there; and when it went out everything seemed dead and quiet, as no trace of the revolving wheel could then be seen.

The effective motion of the ship was obtained by an equally simple device, as can be seen in the drawing. The ship was first painted on cardboard, and cut out and fastened on a rod operated by a wheel below. The different speeds necessary for these effects was obtained by a series of pulleys, the arrangement of which you will find illustrated in the drawing.

A MOONLIGHT SCENE.

This novel effect, as shown in the picture, is a pleasing centerpiece to any class of displayed goods. The background was a scene, painted in oil colors on a 7 × 9 canvas, of a rough, “choppy” sea, the water in natural colors, the sky nearly black, except where the edges of the clouds are lit up by the rising moon. At the horizon a hole is cut for moon, and beneath that, and all the way down to bottom of the canvas, little slits were cut in the crests of the waves, the width of space in which slits were cut widening while going downward. White celluloid was glued to back of moon and also all the slits, and back of celluloid yellow tissue paper was glued. On front of canvas edges of slits were tipped with gilt and silver metal flitters sprinkled liberally between. Divide the canvas into two parts by cutting through where the sky line and water meet. Each part was mounted on a frame, the water part put on very loosely, allowing three or four inches play. When set up the water canvas laps over the sky a trifle, and is set one-half inch forward to allow sail to pass through, which is a piece of cardboard painted gray, and fastened on an endless band. An incandescent light is placed back of moon, also one lower down, back of slits, and an electric fan stood back of water canvas. When set in motion the sail projects through and passes across the canvas between the two frames at the horizon, and the canvas on water frame being loose, the fan gives it a pitching, rolling motion. When seen from sidewalk no division of canvas is detected, and the illusion of the moving sail and rolling waters, reflecting the moon’s light, is perfect. This arrangement is so simple and easy that any one can do it, and it is bound to be an overwhelming attraction anywhere. This display was the invention of Oscar M. Condit.

AN ALLEGORICAL DESIGN.

In giving a description of this allegorical effect you will at once see that it is on the “theatrical” order. A great many of our merchants have ideas of their own in regard to the value of decorations of this kind—in fact, we know of a merchant who will not allow a wax figure in his windows, another who considers a landscape effect abominable, another who will not allow contrasting backgrounds, and so on without end. The fact remains, nevertheless, that the writer believes show windows were made for the purpose of showing goods, that the people may see what you have and patronize you accordingly. It is with the intention of giving you a show window distinctively attractive in itself, that can be gotten up at a trifling expense and possess sufficient animation to attract the attention of the public, that the accompanying design is presented. It is suitable for almost any line of goods, and requires no materials outside of the average property room, unless it be the flasher; but as these are now so much used we assume you have one either of your own make, such as has been previously described, or one of the many for sale on the market. Outside of this you will require fourteen red, fourteen white and seven green lamps for the figure and border, and the necessary amount of stationary lights to show off the goods displayed properly, but not strong enough to dim the colors of the figure. Next select a suitable life-size figure, mount it on a pedestal about one foot high, and drape in any filmy white material you may have. Set the figure somewhat back on the pedestal, so as to leave room for three footlights of different colors in front, which can be screened from the outside by a piece of new tin set at such angle as to reflect the colored rays upon the white figure, and properly covered up on the side toward the street. The sword may be made of a piece of lath covered with silver paper or white cloth. For the girdle use a modern stock article, and a limited amount of tinsel properly distributed will improve the looks of the entire window. For the wings take two thin sticks extending from the bottom of the wings below the hips to the extreme tip. Draw it into the shape of a bow, with a string attached to each end, the same as a small boy would make a bow. About two-thirds of the way down, at a point just behind the shoulders nail a piece of board about 6 × 12 inches. Now take a number of lath, saw them in two parts lengthwise and nail to this board, diverging in the direction shown in the cut forming the frame for the wings. They are to be covered with a transparent white material for two reasons: The lights on the wings are behind the cloth, showing through (not in front), and it must be white because there are colored lamps to be shown through it. The covering on the wings should be properly gathered and pleated to give the appearance of feathers, in the same direction as the diverging ribs. A very thin shellac (almost watery with alcohol) colored with aniline makes a very good dip for coloring lamps for temporary inside work. Use very little aniline, as deep colors do not give the desired effect. The background can be made of panels about one foot wide and eight long, all converging to the center. In this case, however, it will be found better to put the lamps studding the panels on the front side. The panels can be made of all white or alternate white and delicate pink, with lights therein to correspond. Behind the whole about two feet put a purple background perfectly plain—at least from the level of the hips up, if not entirely.

The wiring is done according to Fig. 2. Circuit No. 1 connects to each alternate light in the border which are to be red; No. 2 goes to each alternate light in the border which will be white; No. 3 to one red footlight and three red lights in each wing; No. 4 to one white footlight and three white in each wing. No. 5 to one green footlight and three green lights in each wing. While but one line is shown in the cut, it will be understood that two wires are required. Now take the left hand wire of each of the five circuits and connect them to the left hand service main, using a fuse in each. Take the right hand wire of circuit No. 1 and connect to the left hand brush of flasher, the right hand wire of No. 2 to the next brush, and so on. Connect the right hand service to the standard of the flasher.

Next divide the circumference of your flasher into six equal parts, and arrange the lugs as shown in Fig. 3. Set the speed of the flasher at about one revolution per minute, and the following effect will be produced:

First.—Red and white border, with green wings and footlight.

Second.—Red border, with red and white wings and footlight.

Third.—All white.

Fourth.—All red.

Fifth.—White border, green wings and footlight.

Sixth.—All lamps at once.

The above movements will be repeated every minute, and the current consumed is about 55 per cent of the capacity of the lamps burning steadily.

ELECTRICAL EMBLEMS.

The following designs for electrical emblems may be used for exterior, window or interior decorations. The special method of wiring for letters, as previously described may be applied to any wording.

The design for Washington’s Birthday will do likewise for July 4th, and shows Washington’s portrait surrounded by incandescents. A circle of lights is also placed around the name of each of the thirteen original states.

The Knight of Pythias emblem is an example of an illuminated device for secret societies and is made of papier mache and fitted with incandescents. A rather more elaborate design for the Odd Fellows is shown, partly painted upon a flat board and partly composed of incandescents.

The Easter Emblem is composed of close puffing through which are projected the incandescent globes. The bells are covered with artificial flowers, the tongues being incandescent lights.

ELECTRIC MILLINERY DISPLAY.

An effect showing revolving busts and millinery stands, with lightning effects, as may be seen in the illustration. The mechanism is plainly numbered in the picture of the apparatus, and is described as follows:

No. 1. A fan motor, two 32 candle power lamps used to cut down speed.

No. 2. Gear wheels, three large wheels twelve inches in diameter, small wheels three and one-half inches.

No. 3. Switch to change lights, power operates it.

Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Stands for hat stands to revolve, twist the belt line thus: One long belt does the business. Shoe strings make the best belting—won’t stretch nor slip. Use shade poles one inch in diameter, bore hole in center of wheel one inch, make a tight fit. Use shade ends for bearings. They are cheap and give good service. To make ball bearings and have very little friction, take a steel ball such as is used in bicycles, imbed it in the wood, place the socket over it, screw it down, put in your shade end and you have a perfect bearing, especially so when you wish to make a heavy wax figure revolve.

The idea of having so many wheels enables a trimmer to get any desired speed, high or low. It can be used for any purpose. Having the wheels arranged up and down economizes room, and can be arranged in a very small space. The design above explained is a creation of E. W. Softley.