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Design by W.B. Olmsted.

As decorative treatment Mr. Olmsted's design is in many respects the most masterly of the lot, and if the personal choice of the judges had been the only consideration upon which the award was to be made, this would have been placed first, for it is remarkable for careful and intelligent arrangement, subtle balancing and proportion of parts, and especially for what may be called the decorative sense by which just the right relation of black to white is preserved. It is seldom that any but the most accomplished designers succeed in obtaining this just proportion, which gives a sparkle to the design such as is seen in the best of the Japanese stencil patterns used on printed stuffs. The clever use of motives connected with the business advertised and the idea of presenting the Boynton apparatus in attractive form and other heaters thrown about in confusion is commendable. The only reason for passing over this design in the award is the advertising value of the attractive appearance of some of the more ornate designs.

LXXXVI.
Manoir d'Ango, Normandy.

Design by F. Chouteau Brown.

One other drawing, that of Mr. Brown, deserves particular notice for its intrinsic excellence. It is especially praiseworthy for its grace of line and general arrangement. The figure is well placed and, although faulty in drawing, is particularly effective in treatment. It is essentially a poster design, but none the less appropriate for the present purpose on this account. It lacks only in those qualities of draughtsmanship which come with practice and experience.

Design by Chas. F. Hogeboom, Jr.

The remaining drawing which we illustrate is a very interesting although not especially forcible treatment of the class of ornament adopted by Mr. Louis H. Sullivan, and in his hands having a wonderful charm, but seldom used with entire success by others.

The result in this first series of designs is especially satisfactory in the intelligence shown in grasping the essentials of the problem. All of the remaining six drawings have points of excellence to commend them, and if we had space to reproduce them would prove instructive in showing the diversity of treatment possible while fully meeting the conditions imposed.

Reviews.

Beautiful Houses. A study in house building. By Louis H. Gibson. Illustrated. Boston T.Y. Crowell & Co. 1895. pp. 346. $3.

This book is in many respects very attractive, and will be found useful to architectural readers as well as to the general public.

It is divided into two parts, the first under the heading "The World's Houses" and the second, "Some House Plans" and "Materials and Details."

The first part is that which will be of most value to the architectural reader. In it are described the principal types of domestic architecture, giving most prominence to the work of France. The illustrations of this portion of the work are well chosen and very well