Irtish India, 
 
 IahufactuR 
 
 Dealers 
 
 l0 [xporte r 
 
 "Jhe [i)d(isfngl 
 
 of fl]e 
 
 Indian Fn)pire. 
 
 THAIJK MARK . 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2016 
 
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 https://archive.org/details/industrialartmanOOsjte 
 

 Page 4, line 12, for “my” read “our.” 
 
 “ 11, after “Rajputaua,” in line 35, read “the printed muslins and 
 
 chintzes,” etc. 
 
 “ 12, line 1, for “inweaving” read “weaving.” 
 
 “ 17, line 9, for “variety” read “rarity.” 
 
 “ 21, line8, for “Lincko” read “Sindh.” 
 
 “ 21, lines 18 and 25, for “ Belgaun ” read “ Belgaum.” 
 
 “ 27, line 44, for “Aghan” read “Afghan.” 
 
 “ 29, paragraph 4, read — 
 
 “The exhibit consists of old stuffs of sorts in silk, wool and 
 cotton (embroidered and otherwise decorated) ; wrappers worn by 
 Hindoo women of all classes and castes, of original and splendid 
 workmanship and design ; shawls and kin kobs of fine designs, and 
 well fitted for draping purposes ; old arms from all parts of India (in 
 this line the collection is very extensive, and shows some rarely 
 shaped and highly decorated specimens), antique bronzes,” etc., etc. 
 
 Page 36, line 6, for “Jeypoor” read “ Jodlipore.” 
 
 Owing to the very hurried preparation of this pamphlet, the above, 
 and a few other errors of minor importance, have unavoidably crept in, 
 for which we ask the indulgence of the public. 
 

 i 
 
 
INTROD UCTION, 
 
 I HE art work of India was kept alive by the patronage of the 
 1 reigning Rajas, Princes and Noblemen of the country, whose 
 ^ absolute power and command of wealth gathered to their 
 courts skilled workmen, who created the proverbial gorgeousness of 
 the East. These artisans lived upon the bounty of their employers, 
 and at times achieved a degree of excellence in their work, which, 
 under other circumstances, would have been hardly possible to attain. 
 
 The rulers in India have from remote times enjoyed an ex- 
 clusive monopoly in this direction, and wherever this monopoly has 
 ceased the artisans have been forced, by stress of circumstances, to 
 render their services to the rich native traders, who, if they have 
 proved to be harder taskmasters, have succeeded in handing down to 
 our own time the crafts that have made cities and districts famous 
 throughout Asia and Europe. Everything made in India is hand 
 wrought, and, down to the smallest toys, the articles produced are, 
 to a great extent, works of art. 
 
 The manufacture of the best productions of Indian art work 
 has long continued to decline before the ever increasing importation 
 into the country of machine made articles from Europe, and the con- 
 stant demand for cheap wares, which has resulted in the makers 
 neglecting shape and finish and other details of the first importance 
 in their wares. In many instances the original pattern has been 
 wholly abandoned in favor of the less artistic form of article im- 
 ported from Europe. Unfortunately for the art production of India 
 the wealthy class of the country have, with the spread of Western 
 education, entirely neglected to cultivate a taste for art production, 
 but have acquired instead a taste for the flimsy and showy machine- 
 made article to the neglect of those they have been more familiar 
 with, until it seems that within a comparatively short space of time 
 the good old art manufactures once so celebrated must, unless a 
 fresh demand were created for them, have ceased to exist. The 
 government of India have, therefore, established schools of art at 
 Bombay, Madras, Calcutta, Rutnagiri and Lahore ; and the native 
 states of Jeypore, Alwar, Kutch and Kolhapore have opened similar 
 
 3 
 
institutions. These schools have not, however, served the purpose 
 for which the} 7 were intended. The government quite lost sight of 
 the fact that so long as the caste prejudices of the people continued, 
 only the sons of artisans could visit such institutions, and these 
 people are generally too poor to send their children to such centres 
 from any distance for a term of years to receive instruction. These 
 schools, moreover, cannot hope to secure, as instructors, the best 
 class of artisans, as such people do not care to bind themselves to a 
 stated number of working hours daily, and they will seldom impart 
 the knowledge or skill they possess to pupils that do not belong to 
 their caste. These institutions, therefore, which cost the govern- 
 ment a considerable amount of money, have, to my knowledge, 
 not proved a success ; but no government could embark on the 
 commercial enterprise and speculation involved in reviving the art 
 manufactures of India, and in promoting a demand for the pro- 
 ductions of the educated workers ; this is the special province of 
 private enterprise, but the wealthy natives of India are not given to 
 enterprise in the sense that the word implies in Europe and other 
 parts of the civilized world. 
 
 The European merchants and agents who have visited India did 
 so with the fixed purpose of promoting or introducing European 
 manufactures, and not one of them ever took the trouble to study 
 the manufactures of that country, as this proceeding would, no 
 doubt, have led to the clashing of their own interests by lessening 
 the importation of their goods. The number of visiting merchants 
 has constantly increased, and the influx of European merchandise 
 has swelled so rapidly that the natives were obliged to give up thei 
 manufactures, and whole districts that were formerly manufacturing 
 centres ceased to exist as such. It is only since 1888 that pur 
 business was established at Delhi, where there is now a large em- 
 porium of art manufactures collected from all parts of India. 
 Branches have been opened in Calcutta, Bombay and Simla, and we 
 intend establishing an office in New York for the purpose of enabling 
 dealers and collectors in America to procure the art manufactures of 
 India, which has been supplied hitherto with difficulty through 
 agents who know nothing about the art wares of the East. Our 
 Mr. S. J. TEEEERY, with 16 years’ practical experience, has within 
 the last few years revived several branches of those art manufac- 
 tures that were becoming obsolete, and prevented the decay of others 
 
 4 
 
most successfully, by employing on a large scale the best workers 
 and also giving them inducements by better wages, to give the works 
 a superior finish, and by assisting them in supplying good Indian 
 shapes and specimens which were collected at considerable expense 
 to the firm. 
 
 Before we were established the supplying of the Indian art 
 wares was solely in the hands of native hawkers, who naturally 
 preferred to reap the reward of palming off trash upon their custom- 
 ers to peddling genuine articles. These bazaar traders always forced 
 the artisans to adopt the cheapest mode of productions, which 
 naturally brought about the inferior quality of the wares and the 
 general deterioration of the arts in India. 
 
 During the few years we have been established our main object 
 has been to remedy past errors, and much has already been done for 
 the general improvement in the art work of the Indian Empire. 
 From the beginning we have kept strictly to the original shapes, 
 which best adapted the articles for their various purposes, rejecting 
 everything of inferior workmanship and finish. The wants of Euro- 
 pean and American buyers have also been studied, and articles are 
 now being manufactured in the forms best adapted for Western use 
 in furnishing and ornamenting houses, which wares were never pro- 
 duced by the Indian artisan. This can be seen by inspecting our 
 large and varied collection of art wares from all parts of India, ex- 
 hibited at the World’s Fair. We have made a new departure from 
 the hitherto usual plan of exhibiting articles of interest to the hunt- 
 ers for curiosities alone, the goods placed on public view by us being 
 calculated to increase their importation into America. The good 
 work that we have done in India toward the revival of Indian art 
 manufactures has been recognized by the Supreme Government of 
 the Empire in selecting our firm to represent the art works of the 
 country at the World’s Fair at Chicago. 
 
 During the few brief intervals in work since undertaking the re- 
 presentation of a vast Empire, in the section of art manufactures at 
 the great Exposition, the following few notes upon the art works of 
 India have been compiled. This work must necessarily fall short of 
 a treatise on the whole subject which would occupy so much longer 
 time and fill a large volume. 
 
 S. J. TEEEfiRY & CO. 
 
 Delhi , Bombay, Calcutta and Simla. 
 
siLvnit \\ Aitn 
 
 The manufacture of silver ware in India has greatly increased in 
 later years, and the places in which these wares are chiefly made are 
 Kashmir, Lucknow, Kutch, Madras, Poona, Kuttack and Burmah. 
 In saying that the manufacture has largely increased, we mean this 
 to apply to the export trade to Europe. The manufacture of silver 
 ware in India was always a very large one, and this is natural in a 
 country where no other means of investment is popular among the 
 inhabitants. The rich and poor alike utilize their savings in the man- 
 ufacture of some ornament either for personal adornment or practical 
 use. The poorer classes will use every spare rupee in making up 
 ornaments for their person, while the rich will convert their money 
 into Hookas (pipes), vessels for household use, horse, camel and 
 elephant trappings, and other large articles. Under these circum- 
 stances silver is used very largely, and with its artistic development 
 and the cheap labor of India, the trade in these works has naturally 
 gained the largest export of all Indian manufacturers to Europe and 
 America. 
 
 The articles made at the places named above, are not alike, and 
 are quite different from each other, although all are handsomely 
 wrought repousse work. The Kashmir articles are exclusively of 
 floral ornamentation and devoid of all animal or other figures, which 
 distinctly show its Mohammedan origin. 
 
 The raised portions of these wares are parcel gilt, which gives 
 each article a most charming effect in contrast with the dead, pearl- 
 white groundings. The shapes used are mostly Central Asian, and 
 are beautiful throughout. The artisans there have been most suc- 
 cessful in applying purely original designs for European use. The 
 designs in the Kashmir wares are mostly taken from the shawl pat- 
 terns, and nothing could be more attractive and effective. 
 
 Kutch Silver articles are mostly of floral design, and also of 
 birds and animals. It is said that this industry was encouraged by 
 the Dutch while in India, and this influence is greatly visible in 
 their wares, which is to be regretted, as the forms and shapes are not 
 always desirable so far as purely native art is concerned. This ware, 
 however, is in much demand, and makes a larger export than any of 
 the others. Originally the industry was carried on in Kutch, Bhuj 
 and Alnnedabad, but it is now almost extinct in these places, as 
 wealthy dealers in this article have made Bombay their centre, where 
 the bulk of the industry is now to be found. 
 
 6 
 
Lucknow Silver work is particularly distinct from the others 
 as they bear shikar (shooting) designs, and are not only character- 
 istic, but handsome in their own way. 
 
 Kuttack Wares are of fine drawn wire, and most delicately 
 wrought, and the articles are a perfect fac simile of Maltese work- 
 manship. We have only a few exhibits in this class, as we do not 
 think that the trade in this article admits of expansion, since, as only 
 trinkets are manufactured, they are less useful, but of an artistic 
 character. 
 
 Poona and Madras wares were originally from Triehiropoly 
 where silver was largely manufactured even so late as twenty years 
 ago, but the art is now quite extinct in that place, the artisans, like 
 the Kuteh workmen, having found it more convenient to emigrate to 
 larger commercial centres. At Madras over 400 persons are con- 
 stantly employed in the manufacture of this ware, chiefly for 
 European wants, only a small portion of that number being engaged 
 in making articles for the natives. The Madras and Poona wares 
 are all decorated with raised mythological figures releived by floral 
 ornamentation, which gives the articles a most pleasing effect. 
 
 Burmese highly artistic repousse work on silver, is the best of its 
 kind, and by far in advance of all similar wares manufactured in India. 
 The artisans, however, are not many, and no large out-turn can be 
 produced at present. The shapes unfortunately are not original, 
 but we are now assisting the workmen in that country, and shall in 
 a very short time be able to show good and original shapes, finished 
 with the most wonderful execution. 
 
 Our exhibits had to be made in a hurry and the articles are con- 
 sequently in the usual forms, but of the finest finish of any made in 
 Burmah. 
 
 Our collection from all the centres is a very large one, and con- 
 sists of every variety of article that is made from this metal. These 
 are tea and coffee sets, wine jugs, sugar bowls, candle sticks, bread 
 baskets, photo frames, cream and milk jugs, salt cellars, pepper cas- 
 tors, card and other trays, cigarette and card cases, umbrella handles 
 and stick tops, buckles, toilet sets, and boxes of sorts. The 
 prices for such exquisitely finished and hand wrought articles will be 
 found very cheap in comparison with similar wares made in Europe 
 and America, and we are sure that the Indian ware will create for 
 itself a large demand in this country. 
 
 America produces exceedingly handsome silver ware, but labor, 
 owing to its prohibitive rates, cannot be freely applied to this manu- 
 facture. The Indian silverware has as perfect a polish and finish as 
 any made in the United States, but it is quite of a different character 
 and more artistic. 
 
 The number of articles which can be manufactured from this 
 
 7 
 
metal is almost indefinite, and jewelers as well as dealers in this 
 ware will be able to introduce the same in a great variety of shapes 
 and designs, which will no doubt be largely sought for. 
 
 MB TA.L WA MIS- 
 
 Water vessels, dishes, bowls, candlesticks, oil lamps, temple 
 bells, sacrificial spoons, censers and other sacred and domestic uten- 
 sils, in brass and copper, are made all over India. These metal 
 vessels in native Indian households supply the place of the porcelain 
 and glassware used by Europeans. The Hindoo artisan has attained 
 great excellence in decorating base metal, as our large collection and 
 comparative cheap prices for such work will show, and it is thought 
 that the mere introduction of these goods will create a great demand 
 for them in America. 
 
 The various exhibits in brass (chiseled, embossed, engraved and 
 encrusted) from Jeypore, Poona and Benares, the champ-leve in cop- 
 per from Kashmir, the artistic encrusted ware from Tanjore, the 
 copper champ-leve enamels from Kashmir and the Bidri works from 
 Lucknow and Bidar, will be found most useful, not only for decorative 
 purposes, but for domestic use, such as afternoon tea tables, fire 
 screens, trays, toilet sets, vases, lamp stands, smoking sets, writing 
 requisites, powder boxes, jewel caskets, and various other articles. 
 
 Enameeeing on base metal is done only at Kashmir, and this is 
 confined to copper, and the art is known as champ-leve. No cloisone 
 enamelling is done in India. The Kashmir enamel ware is very 
 handsome. The engraving consists of floral designs and the en- 
 graved portion is enameled 'with a turquoise blue. Sometimes it is 
 done in cherry red and other colors, but only the first two are really 
 good and lasting. The raised part is parcel gilt which relieves the 
 design and gives the article a grand effect. The specimens exhibited 
 are trays, bowls, jugs, frames and vases. This also is an art industry 
 which, once introduced into America, should lead to considerable 
 importation, as the articles can be made use of for decorations and 
 other purposes. 
 
 Bidar Ware. — Bidar ware is a different kind of encrustation 
 to that made at Tanjore or Koftgari. Originally this ware was 
 made at a village named Bidar, in the Decean, in the Nizam of 
 Hyderabad’s dominions, but now it is extensively made at Lucknow 
 and at Purneah in Bengal. The metal ground is a compound of 
 copper, lead and tin, made black by dipping into a solution of sal- 
 ammoniac, saltpetre, salt and blue vitriol. This alloy, after being 
 cast, is turned in a lathe to complete the form. The pattern is then 
 graven on it and this is inlaid with silver. This is the highest art 
 in India next to enamelling in metal works, and should, after its 
 
 8 
 
introduction into the United States of America, create a great 
 demand. The articles exhibited are mostly cups, card trays, goblets 
 and scent bottles. 
 
 In Lucknow there is another kind of Bidar ware of an inferior 
 description called Zarhuland, but this is much cheaper than the real 
 Bidar ware. There are some specimens of these also on exhibit. 
 
 Brass and Lac inlaid ware is manufactured at Moradabad in 
 the Northwest Provinces. We have a very large collection of ex- 
 hibits, of all shapes and designs, such as trays, vases, lamp stands, 
 frames, candlesticks, bowls, smoking sets, shields, brush backs and 
 various other articles. This work has a pleasing effect, and we 
 have greatly improved upon it in later years, by having articles 
 made in forms suited to the Western requirements. A few years ago 
 when we started business, this industry had much deteriorated. 
 Artisans almost invariably adopted one conventional style, but, as 
 will be seen from our display, there are now a great number of vari- 
 eties of different designs, and this enables us to place before the 
 public the handicraft in this art in a variety of forms, feeling sure 
 that there will be a demand for the article in America similar to 
 that recently raised in all European countries. 
 
 The process of manufacture is almost the same as that of enam- 
 elling. The article is first engraved, and the cuts are then inlaid 
 with red, blue, or black lac ; it is then polished. These articles are 
 not only handsome, but cheap and durable. 
 
 Kashmir Copper Ware. — We have done a great deal to im- 
 prove the class of the wares that are bohght by Europeans, and 
 have succeeded in obtaining articles of less weight and better shape 
 and finish than any that were previously made. 
 
 We are exhibiting samples of the finest copper work that has 
 ever been made in Kashmir. These are all champ-leve. Tea sets, 
 caudle sticks, photo frames, tablets, jugs, bowls, vases and trays are 
 made from this ware. 
 
 Inlaid damascening is the art of encrusting gold or silver, or 
 both these metals, and there are several methods of doing this in- 
 laying, each process having a separate name. The ordinary Koft- 
 gari , is made by making the surface of the article rough like a file, 
 and by hammering thin gold or silver wire into it, which is finished 
 by being burnished. The superior Koftgari. is prepared by deeply 
 cutting the design into the steel, iron, etc., and hammering and 
 welding the gold wire into the cut pattern, the work being finished 
 as usual by burnishing. ‘This is called the Tainishan. Kofi work 
 is made at Kashmir, the Punjab, the Nizam’s dominions and Jeypore. 
 
 Brass. — Articles made of brass are more largely made and 
 used in India than those fashioned from any other metal. 
 
 !) 
 
The repousse work done by Jejqaore artisans at our works in 
 Delhi, is far in advance of similar work done in other parts of India. 
 
 Large vases, shields, trays and fire screens, exhibited by us in 
 this line, are mostly decorated with the minutest repousse designs, 
 representing scenes from mythology, and the signs of the zodiac, 
 some of which are partly silver-plated to give the greater effect and 
 relief. We are also exhibiting a large assortment of brass ware 
 from Jevpore and Benares. The Jevpore style of engraving is more 
 expensive than that of Benares, but the general appearance of the 
 article from the latter place, is for all that, exceedingly good, and 
 we are confident that its importation into America has a great future 
 before it. We have done much to induce the Benares artisans to 
 keep to the original Indian shapes and to make such articles as may 
 be of practical use to Americans. 
 
 The articles exhibited in this department are principally trays, 
 vases, bowls, boxes, smoking sets, flower pots, etc., etc. 
 
 The Poona made brass ware consists of repousse and engraved 
 articles; also of very good castings, all hand engraved and in a most 
 characteristic style. Candle sticks, paper weights, boxes and temple 
 bells are the chief exhibits. 
 
 Encrusted Metal ware from Tanjore is superior to all and is 
 the finest in India in its old form and elaborately enwrouglit orna- 
 mentations. These are most deeply cut and the articles are en- 
 crusted all over with mythological figures and diapered with a leaf 
 pattern in silver on copper, copper on brass, and mixed, producing 
 an effect of quite regal grandeur. 
 
 The articles exhibited are mostly trays, bowls and lamp stands. 
 There are others which may be of use domestically, as well as for 
 decorative purposes. We have also done much in recent years, in 
 reviving this art manufacture, and in extending the trade very 
 largely to Europe, and we feel assured there will be a great demand 
 for these wares in America. 
 
 Painting. — The manufactures in this art are carried on at 
 Tilliar, a small village in the Northwest Provinces, and are mostly 
 trays, which on account of their cheapness and attractive appear- 
 ance, are in great demand as wall decorations. 
 
 Idols and Statuettes. — Idols and figures in metal are made 
 at all places of pilgrimage in India and Burmali. For Europeans 
 these have no further interest but as curios. The articles exhibited 
 are chiefly idols and animals from Muttra, Tirupati, Madura and 
 Burmah, the manufactures of the last-named place being the most 
 artistic. 
 
 India has more artisans engaged in the manufacture of artistic 
 and hand-wrought articles in base metal, than any other country in 
 the world, and no other nation could compete with the Hindoos in 
 
 10 
 
producing such high art wares at so little cost. Since we have made it 
 our object to get Indian art works made into useful articles for orna- 
 mentation of Western homes, there is no limit to this art industry. 
 Besides vases, tables, lamp stands, fire screens, trays, frames, smok- 
 ing sets, and other similar articles, both useful and ornamental, 
 this kind of work might be applied by art furniture makers, to 
 mountings, fittings, etc. These articles are also well adapted for 
 door and window furniture, and for various other purposes in archi- 
 tectural decorations. The matter deserves the consideration of pro- 
 fessionals who are required to furnish the dwellings of the wealthy 
 and highly educated classes of America, who like those in Europe, 
 are tired of having their homes ornamented “ a chablon,” and would 
 not mind spending a little extra money for something more artistic 
 and hand wrought, which is not at present to be found in either 
 mansion or hut. 
 
 Like so many other things, fabrics often derive their name from 
 the places that first became celebrated for their manufacture, and 
 when that is the case, the generic title thus derived, applies to those 
 goods for all time without distinction, and regardless of the place of 
 production. In this manner we have damasks which were origin- 
 ally from Damascus, calico from Callicut, muslin from Mosul, etc. 
 Sometimes the stuffs are named after some peculiarity in their man- 
 ufacture, as “bandanas,” which is derived from the word “bandu,” 
 bound or tied. 
 
 The fabrics in India are of a great variety in silks and cotton, 
 as well as in a mixture of silk and cotton, both printed and embroi- 
 dered. Cotton goods are manufactured all over India, almost every 
 kind of fabric being made in all the large towns of the Punjab, Lahore, 
 Amritsar, Multan, Ludhiana, etc., the last-mentioned town giving 
 a special name to its drills, checks, etc. Printed and hand-made 
 drills are made to a very large extent in Multan ; finer cottons being 
 manufactured at Hoshiarpur, Jullundhur and Katigra. The diapers 
 of Rahun and the muslins of Bajwara are known all over Ilindoostan. 
 Tinsel muslin is made at Delhi, Dangaris are made at every village 
 in Sindh, cotton is woven at every town in Rajputana, and printed 
 muslins (the chintzes of Jeypore and Jodhpore being prized all 
 over the Empire for purity, fastness and brilliancy of dyes). In the 
 Northwest Provinces, coarse cotton fabrics are chiefly manufactured, 
 a superior quality being made at Jhansie a sort of muslin at Jalaun, 
 turbans at Sikanderabad, gold-figured muslins at Benares the 
 sacred gold cord and sacrificial thread of the Brahmins at Bijuor. 
 In Oudli every village has its weavers of cotton fabrics, but the art of 
 
 11 
 
in-weaving at the time of manufacture, at Lucknow, is declining. 
 In Bengal, Behar, Assam and Orissa, the manufacture of cotton 
 fabrics is universal, but the industry is not now what it once was. 
 Even the Dacca muslins are not made so perfectly as in former times. 
 In Southern India there are many large centres of cotton manufac- 
 tures. The chintzes of Masulapatam are very famous, and so were 
 once the Salampores of Nellore, which were so largely used at one 
 time in the West Indies. 
 
 In Vizagapatam there is a large cotton manufactory. In 
 Mysore cotton goods are made in almost every town, and indeed the 
 Southern part of India produces many fine fabrics manufactured 
 from the excellent cotton that is cultivated in every district. The 
 Bombay Presidency is famous for its cotton goods ; and of the pro- 
 cesses of manufacture, the most interesting is the dyeing of fabrics in 
 Guzerat and Rajputana, which is called “bandana.” The new 
 fabric is marked in a pattern of small squares or spots ; the knotter 
 then picks up the corners of the squares and ties them with thread 
 in such [a fashion that the part tied will not be affected in dyeing. 
 After the cloth thus knotted has been to the dyer, the knots are all 
 untied, giving white square spots (not round ones as in the English 
 made article), on a ground of red, blue or any other color. The 
 white square spots generally have their centres hand-painted 
 in yellow. This is the “similar” pattern, and gives its name to 
 the old bandana pocket handkerchiefs, which originally came from 
 the East. 
 
 In the more complicated process, a variety of colors is used, 
 and the process is called “phul-wadi,” or flower garden. The fabric 
 is dipped in dye for each color, the first time many squares being 
 tied and left white, some of which are untied at every dipping, ac- 
 cording to the pattern required 
 
 Wax Printed cloths of Peshawaur and Deesa, and the tinsel 
 and glass decorated stuffs of Poona and Satara, are the most interest- 
 ing, as these manufactures are not done elsewhere. These stuffs are 
 not only interesting, but cheap and characteristic. They are effective 
 and most suitable as drapings for atteliers and ball-rooms, and are 
 also adapted for draping artists’ studios. 
 
 The wax printed cloths are made by applying a mixture of 
 melted lac and beeswax with a wooden stick. The operator does 
 not design the prints, but merely the pattern, with a free hand. 
 After the mixture has been applied, finely powdered mica is sifted 
 over the design and the stuff is then left to dry. The mica gives the 
 cloth a striking appearance and full lustre. It stands rough usage, 
 and can be washed. 
 
 Poona and Satara stuffs are gold leaf prints, studded with 
 small square-cut mirror glasses, which give a unique and splendid 
 
 12 
 
effect. Considering the amount of labor spent in the process of man- 
 ufacture, it is astonishing that these stuffs can be brought into the 
 market at the cheap rates at which they are sold. 
 
 Another most interesting manufacture in cotton goods, are the 
 Surat razais, or bed covers, which are worked in small squares, the 
 cotton being inserted during the weaving. In cotton goods we have 
 taken special care to select articles most suitable for drapings and 
 decorations of houses, and from the collection exhibited it will be 
 seen that there is a great variety which, as novelties in the drapery 
 line, may create a change in Western ideas similar to that in 
 European countries in more recent years. 
 
 Our purely cotton-stuffs exhibits consist mostly of printed 
 curtains, portiers, dados, strips and table covers, of large variety and 
 purely characteristic designs, from all parts of India. The collection 
 is so immense that a detailed description is simply impossible. 
 
 Silk. — From the remotest antiquity a trade in silks between 
 India and the West has existed. In India the manufacture of silk is 
 one of the largest and oldest industries. Large quantities of raw 
 silks are produced in Assam, Bengal and the Himalayas, called 
 “tassar. ” Other silk stuffs are woven largely from imported raw 
 silks from China and Bokhara, the material from the latter place 
 being the most valued in India. 
 
 A large export trade in raw, or “tassar,” silks is in existence 
 between India and the United States of America, and we are sure 
 that the cheapness of these stuffs will create a great demand, and 
 that the trade in them will greatly expand. The varied collections 
 of articles exhibited in this line will help dealers in these wares, 
 who have no opportunity of visiting India, in adding considerably 
 to their stock. The lmlf-eotton and half-silk stuffs so largely manu- 
 factured in India are due to Mohammedans, who are prohibited by 
 their religious doctrines from using articles purely silk. The Mashroo 
 and Amroo stuffs exhibited by the Hyderabad State are proofs of 
 the excellence of design and quality the Hindoo weavers are able to 
 produce from a mixture of these materials. The brocades or kin- 
 kabs (so called by the Hindoos) from Benares, Surat and Amliedabad 
 have been known for centuries for their excellence. The richer 
 classes use this as wearing apparel. We have taken special care to 
 have this class of goods manufactured into articles suitable for 
 decorations and drapings, and we are confident that our piano covers, 
 table centres and covers, cushions, chair backs, fans and strips will 
 find a large demand in the United States of America. 
 
 Our silk sarees from Surat and Madras, with silk and brocade 
 edgings, worn by Hindoo ladies as dresses, are admirably suited for 
 fancy ball dresses and gowns as well as for draping purposes. The 
 half-silk and half-cotton tafets, from Surat, in various shades, will 
 be found most suitable for all purposes. 
 
 13 
 
Loom-worked Kashmir shawls and Dacca stuffs, which have 
 never been previously described correctly, we include under the 
 brocade works, and not, as often has been done, under embroideries. 
 It will be interesting to many to know that the more expensive and 
 most artistic Kashmir shawls are not embroideries, but are dong on 
 looms, which is the more difficult work of the two, and is actually a 
 brocade, in silk and wool. We have some of the finest specimens of 
 the kind on exhibit, which are in no way inferior to those usually 
 purchased for crowned heads only. Although those now exhibited 
 are not all intended for shawls, they are still excellent and magnifi- 
 cent specimens of the art. These are suitable as piano and other 
 covers, for which purposes they are now generally bought. 
 
 Embroideries. — Nowhere in the world has embroidery been 
 in more demand, and in no place has it been brought to greater per- 
 fection than in India. Embroideries are done in almost every Pro- 
 vince, but the most famous are those of Kashmir. The phulkaries 
 or silk embroideries, done in coarse cotton stuff in the Punjab and 
 on the Hazara frontier, are famous for their excellence of stitch and 
 coloring. Embroideries are worn by all classes in India, by the 
 peasant as well as the prince, and are made in varieties for this pur- 
 pose, from the coarsest cotton to the finest of silks and velvets, the 
 embroider}’ in the more expensive kinds being done with real gold 
 and silver threads. 
 
 The phulkaries made in the Punjab and Hazara, are much in 
 demand by Europeans for draping purposes, being effective and 
 cheap in comparison with the cost of the embroideries worked by 
 any other than the cheap Indian labor. These phulkaries , although 
 embroidered on coarse cotton stuffs, are most effective and pretty. 
 This is an industry peculiar to women only, and is not engaged in 
 by men, as is the case in all the other manufactures. These cloths 
 are used by the females as sarees (head dresses) and petticoats, and 
 only the spare pieces are sold by them. 
 
 The Kutch phulkaries are strikingly pretty in their shades of 
 silk, on which the embroidery is done. 
 
 Tinsel. — This art is also practiced all over India, but the 
 Delhi, Agra and Madras manufactures are the best. Those of Delhi 
 and Agra are done in real silver, and silver-gilt tinsel, while the 
 Madras articles are made of baser tinsel. We exhibit ladies’ ball 
 dresses, gowns, belts, strips, portiers, bed and table covers, cush- 
 ions, tea cosies and curtains. We also have some very fine speci- 
 mens of Madras embroideries, which will vie with any in the world. 
 
 Herat Sozinees . — We have been unable to exhibit many of 
 these owing to the border troubles in Afghanistan, as few were 
 brought into the Indian market. These are embroidered bed covers 
 in coarse cotton stuffs. The silk used for the embroidery is not, as 
 
 14 
 
in the phulkari , of one or two shades only, but of various shades, 
 the design being generally very good. They make handsome por- 
 tiers. The Sozinees are mostly made in central Asia, bordering on 
 Afghanistan, and in Afghanistan itself. Mohammedan girls com- 
 mence their work at a very early age, and consider it good luck if 
 they marry before the completion of their first Sozinee, in which case 
 the ineompleted article is kept in the house as a talisman, and is 
 only sold after her death. All our Sozinees on exhibit are unfinished 
 ones, and are superior to those made for the market. 
 
 Kashmir Shawls are the non plus ziltra of embroideries, and 
 eclipse all other embroideries of the world in intricacy of work and 
 fineness of stitch. 
 
 It has been so often described, and must be so widely known, 
 that it will be sufficient to say that on some of the shawls exhibited 
 by us, whole families have worked for years. Whole families, i. e. 
 husband, wife and children, of many Provinces in Hindoostan, such 
 as Kashmir, the Punjab, Bombay, Surat, Sindh, Mysore and Hyde- 
 rabad are still largely occupied on nothing but embroideries on 
 various stuffs, as also in silk and kin-kob weavings. Hand printed 
 cloths are made in almost every Province. Considering the great 
 demand for artistic embroidered and hand printed hangings and 
 drapings, we are certain that dealers in such goods will find a 
 greater variety of novelties in India, than in any other country in 
 the world. Although most of our embroidered stuffs for hangings 
 are not quite large enough for the doors and windows of American 
 houses, and perhaps not exactly the size for furniture coverings, we 
 are in a position to arrange with dealers to have this class of goods 
 made in any shape, design and color suitable for this' country, by 
 which means inexhaustible new styles could be created. The em- 
 broideries on woolen stuffs and silks, which are suitable for ladies’ 
 useful wearing apparel, and ball and evening dresses, will doubtless 
 be a study to the leaders of fashion in America, as w r ell as to dealers 
 in “ les mode pour les dames.” 
 
 The plain Rampore shawls, and Kashmir pure woolen stuffs 
 (suitable for ladies’ dresses and gentlemen’s suits), which already 
 have a world-wide reputation, will, w r e are sure, be greatly admired. 
 Nothing like them for wear is manufactured elsewhere. We are 
 confident that the dealers in dry goods will find these goods a novelty 
 greatly admired by their patrons. 
 
 Woolen Stuffs, plain. — Rampore Chadders , or ‘‘ring shawls,” 
 are plain woolen articles made from the finest ( Paslnnina ) wool from 
 Kashmir. They are white, grey and natural wool colors, and have 
 become famous in recent years for their fineness and softness. They 
 are called ‘‘ring shawls” because an article measuring ‘2x4 yards 
 can easily be passed through an ordinary sized finger ring. 
 
We exhibit plain and pure woolen stuffs from Kashmir and the 
 Punjab, suitable for clothing for both ladies and gentlemen. We also 
 show the coarse woolen stuffs known as puttoo , which will be found 
 exceedingly good for ordinary wear. We invite the attention of 
 dealers in woolen stuffs to an inspection of these goods, which we 
 are assured will create a great demand in this country when once 
 they are introduced. 
 
 woof.iiA pijlb cwrrbts. 
 
 Carpets have always been manufactured in India, but they have 
 never equalled the excellence of the Persian ones. Since the downfall 
 of the Mohammedan reign, this industry has declined, and would no 
 doubt have died out entirely if the Government of India had not 
 taken an interest in it, and so revived the art in several prisons, 
 where the greatest care has been taken to copy the good, old patterns 
 only. During the past twenty years many private factories have 
 sprung up, and we have no doubt that the Government will cease to 
 compete against private enterprise, as soon as it is assured that the 
 factories are capable of keeping this interesting and useful industry 
 alive. The Nizam’s Government have also done much during re- 
 cent years to revive the manufacture at the factor}^ at Warangal, 
 where it was once carried on, on a large scale. 
 
 The chief private factories are at present located at Srinaggar 
 in Kashmir, Amritsar and Delhi in the Punjab, Mirzapore in the 
 Northwest Provinces, Ahmedabad in the Bombay Presidency and 
 Warangal in the Nizam’s Dominions. 
 
 Similar carpets are also manufactured at government and native 
 state jails, but these we do not exhibit, as they are not permitted to 
 enter American ports. 
 
 Although most of the Indian carpets are copies of the old Per- 
 sian ones, they are far superior to the present manufacture from that 
 country, as all Indian workmen keep strictly to good and fast vege- 
 table dyes, which in the Persian article is seldom the case. The 
 Indian carpet industry has without doubt an excellent future in 
 store, as no carpet in the world of equal quality in respect of price, 
 and few in regard to fastness of color, can compete with it. Those 
 desirous of adorning a house cannot do better than use Indian 
 manufactured woolen pile carpets, as those of an ordinary quality 
 will not cost much more than the European made article, and will 
 last a life time. 
 
 Some very fine carpets are manufactured in India, one of which 
 from the Nizam’s dominions is on exhibit and contains 600 knots to 
 the inch, and we have seen some in other native states of a finer 
 quality, but it is a mistake to suppose that the extra number of 
 
 16 
 
knots add to the quality or durability of the article. A carpet with 
 40 knots to the inch is all that is required for ordinary use, and an 
 article of from 50 to 80 knots is a fineness that should not be ex- 
 ceeded, as it only adds to the cost without being more durable. 
 
 We have a large collection of these wares from Kashmir, Amrit- 
 sar, our own firm at Delhi, the Deccan, and from Kabul — in all sizes, 
 qualities and designs. We also exhibit a specimen of silk pile car- 
 pet from the Nizam’s dominions, which is of interest on account of 
 its variety, as very few of these are now manufactured. 
 
 We invite dealers in these articles to test the quality of our 
 Indian carpets, and to compare them with those of Persian and Turk- 
 ish manufacture, to satisfy themselves as to which are the best and 
 most durable. 
 
 We also exhibit a few cotton pile carpets made at our works at 
 Delhi, which are in every way equal in appearance to the woolen 
 manufactured articles, but hardly as durable. They are, however, 
 cheaper and quite lasting enough for buyers who prefer a less costly 
 article to last them a certain number of years. There is much trade 
 in this article to Europe. There are also on exhibit a few specimens 
 of check woolen carpets from Mir'zarpore and the Deccan, which are 
 from 16 to 20 knots to the inch. These will be useful to buyers who 
 consider their own purse. They are more pleasing to the eye than 
 the European made articles, and have the advantage of being cheaper 
 and more lasting. 
 
 COTTON CNHUHTS JINIJ HUGS. 
 
 Cotton carpets and rugs ( durries ) are greatly used in India. 
 These are woven and not knotted like the pile carpets. They are, 
 however, very durable, and the large export of this article to Europe 
 and America is, therefore, not surprising. They are manufactured all 
 over India, in varied and handsome patterns, and are well suited for 
 halls, corridors, bedrooms and offices. We exhibit them chiefly in 
 the sizes of rugs, and have some of exceedingly pretty and com- 
 plicated patterns, which we are sure will be admired. We anticipate 
 a large export trade with the United States, as the low prices at 
 which they are made in India cannot be competed with by any other 
 country. 
 
 WOOUBN UULT HUGS. 
 
 These can hardly be known in America. They are manufac- 
 tured from woolen felt, and are handsomely embroidered with woolen 
 thread. The colors are very pleasing; they are suited for studios and 
 for hearthrugs. 
 
 17 
 
WOOD WORK, 
 
 Carvings. — The art of wood carving has flourished in India 
 from time immemorial, and even to-day the work of the wood carver 
 is one of the largest industries, the demand for it being universal by 
 the Hindoos. In ancient times the carvers of wood ornamented the 
 thrones of kings and princes and the chariots of warriors, and 
 adorned the buildings of all classes. In these days carved facades, 
 doors, windows, balconies and partition screens, etc., are made in the 
 Punjab, Northwest Provinces, Central India, the Bombay and 
 Madras Presidencies, Rajputana, Kashmir and Nepaul, in which last 
 named state wood carving is the most important manufacture. In 
 Burmah the Buddhist monastries and temples are mostljr of wood 
 elaborately carved. 
 
 Until within the last few years carved black wood was used for 
 manufacturing furniture throughout the Bombay Presidency, and 
 many exceedingly fine specimens are to be obtained ; the art of wood 
 carving, especially in black wood, having been brought to perfection. 
 The work that is now done surpasses the old style in finish, and 
 most of the woods grown in India are now being carved in the 
 finest style. Only samples of the best have been collected for 
 our exhibition, and we have taken infinite pains to employ in our 
 own workshops the best men to be found for making only the best 
 articles. The Tarkashi work, which combines the inlaying of brass, 
 with carved wood, wrought in our own shops, is the best that has 
 ever been made, and is most highly prized by connoisseurs. Teak 
 wood carving is more common, and the black wood (or seesum) of 
 Upper India is fast becoming a favorite wood with those who collect 
 artistic furniture ; but where there are so many good woods it is 
 difficult to decide which should have the preference. 
 
 Some of the most wonderful carving is done in sandal wood, 
 which industry is peculiar to many places in the Madras and Bom- 
 bay Presidencies, Burmah and Mysore. The carving is usually in 
 high relief, and varies more or less in style according to the district 
 in which it is made, the panels of boxes being the most remarkable 
 illustrations of the art. Chauris, fans, combs, rosaries, paper 
 knives and a large number of other articles are made of sandal wood 
 and elaborately carved. 
 
 The wood carving of Burmah is of an elaborate and bold sym- 
 bolic description, which makes it appear weird to the eye of a 
 European, and there can be no doubt the innumerable lambent points 
 directed upwards and all the most prominent details originated in a 
 religious significance. 
 
 With the number of artists at hand it has been our chief aim 
 from the starting of cur business to utilize this craft for the purpose 
 
 18 
 
of producing furniture of quite a unique style, and we are proud to 
 say that we have greatl 3 r succeeded in our object. We have now at 
 our works at Delhi upwards of 200 of the most skilled carvers from 
 all parts of India in constant employ, and we engage hundreds more 
 at their homes and districts. We have made it a special study to 
 design furniture in the most novel styles, according to Saracenic 
 and Hindoo forms, and copied from the best Indian 'architectural 
 buildings. 
 
 Our exhibits consist of the best dining and drawing - room 
 suites as well as of single pieces. In the handsome Manipuri 
 Tarkashi wood furniture, quite unique in its style, we have drawing- 
 room tables and centre pieces, large and small picture frames, which 
 latter, we Ifeel sure, will quite revolutionize the present mode of 
 framing valuable pictures in gorgeous, but common looking, gilt 
 frames. 
 
 In sandal wood rve have the finest specimens of carving ever 
 shown either in Europe or America. In this branch we have con- 
 fined our selections chiefly to the smaller articles, such as caskets 
 and jewel, glove, work and other boxes of sorts. The Mysore 
 State exhibits in this class are the best, and some of them the most 
 perfect marvels of art in wood carving. 
 
 Inlaid. — The inlaying of metal as well as ivorj r and colored 
 wmod into carved wood work is another old art in India ; indeed, 
 w r ood carving and inlaying is most commonly found together in the 
 highest class of work. In many parts of the Madras and Bombay 
 Presidencies, in Kutch and Northern India, inlaid wood work is 
 manufactured. In Bengal the industry has almost, if not quite, 
 become extinct, but in the Northwest Provinces and the Punjab it 
 flourishes to a considerable extent, having been reeentty helped for- 
 ward by us. In the Punjab, ivory and brass are freely used in 
 decorating carved furniture. The most remarkable inlay work being 
 done in this part of India, is the inlaying of thin brass wire into 
 sisarn and other dark-colored woods. This work is termed Tar- 
 kashi ware, and was at one time only done at the town of Mainpuri, 
 but we have introduced the manufacture into Delhi. 
 
 The ivory and brass inlaid works of Hoshiarpur exhibited by 
 us are mostly articles of use, such as arabesque tables, book-stands, 
 screens and boxes, all of which will be found artistic and original 
 and suitable for any drawing room. The Hoshiarpur manufacture 
 is the only inlaid woodwork of the East which stands rough usage 
 under any climate, and on this account, as well as for its quality 
 and artistic designs, will be most desirable as furniture. 
 
 In Bombay and Surat a good deal of ornamental inlaid furniture 
 is also made in the more familar articles of boxes of sorts, book- 
 stands, blotting pads, chess boards and tables, as exhibited by us. 
 
 19 
 
These are made in sandal and other woods (similar to sandal in- 
 color) the latter of which is said to be an art introduced from Persia. 
 This inlaying work is done with thin wire and ivory (white and 
 stained) which is tastefully mixed in geometrical designs. It is to 
 be regretted, however, that this handsome ware, cannot be success- 
 ful^ preserved in all climates. We are, however, doing our best to 
 get articles that will be lasting, i. e. manufactured from seasoned 
 materials, and we have every hope of succeeding in this most 
 desirable improvement. 
 
 The sandal wood inlaid ware of Vizagapatam, although not so 
 old an industry as that of Surat, has greatly developed in later 
 years. We exhibit in this class, boxes of sorts, jewel caskets and 
 writing desks, all handsomely covered with tortoise shell and bison 
 horn, and with ivory and black graphite mythological figures, which 
 gives the articles a most handsome appearance, The prices, con- 
 sidering the highly artistic work, are strikingly cheap. 
 
 The Mysore rosewood and ivory inlaid tables, music stands, and 
 frames exhibited by us are very much like the Hoshiarpur manufac- 
 tures, and undoubtedly show that their origin is traceable to that 
 place. The only difference is that in the Mysore work the etching 
 in ivory is done in black graphite, like that of Vizagapatum, which 
 gives it a pleasing relief. 
 
 Those desirous of using artistic furniture instead of filling their 
 mansions with machine made articles that are manufactured by the 
 thousands, all more or less of the same style and without any artistic 
 pretensions, as well as dealers in art furniture, will find our exhibit 
 of great interest. Owing to the great space required for packing 
 of furniture we shall not be in a position to satisfy all in- 
 tending purchasers, but our object is not merely to transact business 
 with the visitors to the World’s Fair. We are sure that art furniture- 
 makers and dealers, as well as architects, will be eager enough to 
 introduce novelties in their works and decorations, different from the 
 ready made furniture now exhibited. Carved panels in a great 
 artistic style can also be made, which art furniture makers can 
 utilize for inlaying and ornamenting furniture manufactured in this 
 country. A still larger supply of such carvings and inlaid works 
 can be made use of by architects and decorators in paneling, dados, 
 cornices, balconies, etc., etc. 
 
 Lacquered. — Wherever inlaid work is done in India, the art 
 of lacquering articles is commonly practiced. As a rule it is the 
 turned articles that are lacquered or coated with lac and called 
 “ lacquered ware.” The process of manufacture is very interesting 
 and very simple. After the article to be lacquered has been 
 thoroughly cleaned it is replaced upon the lathe and rapidly turned 
 against sticks of colored lac which are melted by the heat generated, 
 and uniformly distributed over the surface. Layers of many different 
 
 20 
 
colors are laid on in this manner, the one over the other, and the pat- 
 terns are cut by hand with a chisel, the graving or cutting being only 
 down to the surface of the lac, the color of which is wanted to form 
 the pattern. The best class of Indian lacquer work is very beau- 
 tiful and largely bought. Besides woodwork-metal, stone, slate, 
 pottery, shields, leather work, glass, papier-mache, ivory and articles 
 made from cocoanut shells, are extensively lacquered. 
 
 The lacquered boxes of Tincko and Jeypore are very handsome 
 and interesting, and well suited for use on ladies’ toilet tables. The 
 lacquered toys of India should create a great demand in America, 
 as, apart from their cheapness, the excellent lacquer work and harm- 
 less coloring matter makes it a very desirable article for children to 
 play with. Considering the dangerous and poisonous toys made 
 elsewhere, and the large amount of money spent on them, we anti- 
 cipate a large export of lacquered articles from India, once they are 
 introduced into this country. 
 
 We exhibit these largely from Benares, the Mysore State, Bel- 
 gaun and Sawantwadi. The toys from the latter place are the hand- 
 somest, most artistic and best. They are fitted in neat, hand painted 
 boxes which make nice presents, for the bigger children. 
 
 The Kashmir papier-mache and wood wares which we exhibit 
 in screens, photo frames, tables, boxes, brackets, panels and trays 
 will be found excellent ornamentations. They are not only artisti- 
 cally and thoroughly hand painted originals, but cheap and lasting, 
 
 The lacquer work from the Madras schools of art, Belgaun, Til- 
 har and Kurnul, which we exhibit in tables, brackets, trays, fans 
 and imitation fruits, are each peculiar, and different to the Kashmir 
 wares, but equally suitable for decorating and ornamenting drawing 
 rooms. 
 
 The Burmese lacquer and basket ware is very much like that 
 of the Japanese and has very likely been introduced from that 
 country. Of these we show boxes and baskets, each useful in 
 their way. 
 
 IVORY CARVING. 
 
 Ivory is carved all over India and Burmah, the work of the 
 latter place being quite different to that of the former, and the art 
 appears to have been introduced into the latter country 7 from China. 
 In India, carvings are done at Armitsar, Patiala and Delhi, all in the 
 Punjab; at Murshedabad and Benares in Bengal; at Ahmedabad, 
 Surat and Satara in the Bombay Presidency and at Mysore, Tra- 
 vaneore, Vizagapatum and Vizianagrum in Southern India. Since 
 the establishment of our headquarters at Delhi, where the ivory 
 carvers have not only the opportunity of disposing of their wares. 
 
 21 
 
to our firm, but receive our advice as to the manufacture of the 
 articles that will meet with ready sale, the industry in this place has 
 considerably increased, and in regard to artistic execution and the 
 quality of the wares, it has left other places behind, and we might 
 confidently claim that Delhi is now the main centre of this art. 
 The subjects we exhibit are mainly richly caparisoned elephants, 
 camels, bullock carts, tigers, cows and other animals, all carved as 
 statuettes ; also hunting, festive and ceremonial scenes, ijiythological 
 subjects carved in relief, and other little trinkets, such as coral 
 cases, napkin and curtain rings and paper knives. Of the latter the 
 Delhi perforated articles are the most interesting and artistic. The 
 ivory fans from Delhi exhibited by us are not in the usual form 
 made elsewhere, but are on the contrary manufactured from thinly 
 sliced woven ivory which is most interesting and a marvel of art. 
 
 The Burrnah carvings excel those made in India. The intricate 
 w 7 ork done on whole pieces of ivory, are perfect marvels of skill, 
 and shows the patience of the artist. 
 
 POINTING ON IVORY. 
 
 The paintings on ivory in water colors are exclusively from 
 Delhi. These are also done at Lucknow and Bombay, to which 
 places pupils, who received their training at Delhi, emigrated. The 
 art was introduced during the Mogul Empire, most likely from 
 China. 
 
 The exhibits are mostly miniatures of the Mogul Emperors 
 and the members of their family, also copies of the Taj and other 
 monuments which are painted in all sizes. In later years the paint- 
 ings have been done small enough to make them suitable for ladies’ 
 Brooches and gentlemen’s shirt studs and links, as well as in plaques 
 for the inlaying of furniture. These latter have been very popular 
 with visitors to India from America, and we feel that from personal 
 knowledge thus gained, this industry will meet with a great de- 
 mand. Photographs in colors are also most successfully done by 
 these artists. 
 
 CJLJLY Monnvs. 
 
 Sir G. Birdwood, (who is the only living person who ever 
 thoroughly studied the industrial arts of Hindoostan), so late as 
 twenty years ago wrote as follows : 
 
 " It is very surprising that a people possessing, as is proven by 
 their ivory and stone carvings, so great a taste in the appreciation 
 and delineation of natural forms, should have failed to develop the art 
 
of figure sculpture. Nowhere does their figure sculpture show the 
 inspiration of true art. They appear to have no feeling or taste for 
 it, and only attempt a literal transcription of the human forms and 
 figures of animals. Their very Gods are distinguished only by 
 their attributes and symbolic monstrosities of body, and never by 
 any expression of individual or personal character. It is owing, I 
 believe, to the very fact of their being condemned to a strictly rit- 
 ualistic representation of their Gods, that the feeling for the higher 
 forms of sculpture has been destroyed in them.” 
 
 In view of the above remarks, the large and artistic collection 
 of clay models exhibited by us, prove conclusively what enormous 
 strides have been made in this art within the last few years. Our 
 exhibits in this line will, it is thought, prove one of the most in- 
 teresting that will be on view at the Fair, not only on account of 
 its artistic merit, but because it represents Indian life in almost 
 every phase, and it has been correctly designated by a gentleman 
 who examined it before it was shipped, “ India in a nut-shell.” 
 
 The models exhibited embrace specimens of architecture in the 
 different Provinces of the Indian Empire as well as the interior fit- 
 tings of the houses, mode of living of the natives, noted monuments 
 throughout India moulded to scale, streets and scenes of street life, 
 bazaars (markets), with shops and vendors of all the commodities 
 therein displayed, burial grounds and processions of Hindoos 
 and Mohammedans, kheddas, showing the process of capturing wild 
 elephants, temples, mosques, religious ceremonies, wedding proces- 
 sions, betrothals, satti (a wife sacrificing her life on the funeral 
 pile of her husband, a practice now discontinued by law), Indigo, 
 lac and other raw produce, factories, carts, boats and other means 
 of transport by land and water, soldiers and officers of the British 
 and native armies, castes and tribes of Hindoostan. These models- 
 consist of several thousand small clay figures most artistically ex- 
 ecuted, and dressed and painted in the colors actur.ll) 7 worn by the 
 people whom they represent. 
 
 13NA.MI3LS ON GOL1J \NJJ 
 SIJLV1S1 
 
 The articles exhibited are mainly from Jeypore in gold, and 
 from Kashmir and Multan in silver. 
 
 Enamelling is the master art craft of the world, and the 
 enamels of Jeypore in Rajputana, rank before all others and are of 
 matchless perfection. Nowhere, not even in Paris, can enamelling 
 in ruby red, be done as at Jeypore. 
 
 The people engaged in enamelling at Jeypore are but few in 
 number, and are v Sikhs, whose ancestors were brought to Jeypore 
 
 23 
 
from the Punjab by Maharaja Jeysingh. These people are very 
 jealous of the secret of giving the brilliant and transparent red to 
 their enamels, and will not instruct outsiders. 
 
 We were once offered by a Paris firm a large amount of money 
 to obtain for them the formula of the process, but all our efforts 
 were futile, as the Sikhs, though poor, were independent and would 
 not part with the secret of their trade. 
 
 All Je3 T pore enamels are champ-leve and are done on pure gold, 
 •only in different shades of red, green and blue. The articles ex- 
 hibited are small plaques suitable for inlaying into caskets, watch 
 cases, lockets, chains and brooches. They are also made in card 
 trays, boxes and flasks, but the out-turn is so small that these 
 things cannot be got unless orders are given twelve months in ad- 
 vance, and so much time was not at our command in preparing for 
 the Fair. 
 
 MAHULH, ALAnA&TIiD AND 
 &TONI3 MANUFACTURE S. 
 
 The best illustration of the antiquities of art, and manufactures 
 of the highest order, in India, are preserved to us in the extensive 
 remains of the magnificent structures that were built centuries ago. 
 
 Many places in India have been celebrated for producing first- 
 class stone carving, and countless are the superb edifices that are to 
 be found throughout the country, on which the artisans have lav- 
 ished all the resources of their skill. But only models and pictures 
 of some of. the fine buildings in India can be exhibited. These, 
 however, will suffice to show the excellence of the skill with which 
 stone is sculptured in India. 
 
 Wherever stone is abundant, there will be found Indian work- 
 men engaged in cutting out vessels for domestic purposes, “Gods ’’ 
 for temples and oratories, toys, handles for weapons, knives and 
 paper cutters, etc., etc. 
 
 A soft gray soap-stone is used for the children to work upon 
 while learning their craft, and it is surprising to note the skill with 
 which even little children turn out artistic plates, dishes, boxes, 
 paper weights, models of houses and animals, etc. 
 
 The white, black and colored marbles of Rajputana are the 
 most famous of the Indian stones. The idols, elephants, camels 
 and other animals made at Jeypore which we exhibit are the iden- 
 tical images used in the temples all over India. 
 
 In Burmah the idols are carved in alabaster, which material is 
 also used in making images of animals. In Agra the mosaic work 
 in marbles are inlaid in a variety of patterns most of them being 
 
 24 
 
copies of those in the Tajmahal. Eapis-lazule, Jasper, Cornelian, 
 Chalcedony, etc., are used in this work. 
 
 The demand for articles so inlaid has greatly increased since 
 we succeeded in persuading the makers to shape them for the use of 
 Western nations, and they are now being sent regularly to Europe 
 and America in the form of table tops, trays, boxes, plaques, vases, 
 lamp stands and paper weights. The trays and screens of alabaster 
 that are made in Agra are remarkable for their beauty. Models of 
 the Tajmahal are also made in alabaster. 
 
 The plaques are much used for inlaying furniture, and the 
 alabaster screens for mountings on velvet, as well as for decorations 
 and photo-frame covers. 
 
 The model of the famous Tajmahal, in alabaster, is a handsome 
 ornament for an}' drawing room or study. Of these articles we have 
 exhibited round and square table tops, chess boards, card and large 
 trays, bowls, lamp stands, paper weights and plaques for inlaying 
 furniture — all in mosaics of semi-precious stones inlaid in marble — 
 idols, such as are used in all the temples, exquisitely painted and 
 plain ; models of animals ; alabaster screens, suitable for album or 
 photo covers, and wall decorations from Agra, Burrnah and Jeypore. 
 
 1KAIS, 
 
 In India, as in the rest of the world, weapons have always been 
 used; and the history of the country is merely a record of the wars 
 of Princes of the larger states, and a detail of the invasions of 
 stronger enemies, until at last the Empire has settled down under 
 the Pax Britannica to cultivate the arts of peace. 
 
 Apart, however, from the chronicles of the kingdoms that have 
 long since passed away, and the tales silently told by the ruins of 
 temples and palaces created and destroyed by the hand of man, 
 there are to be found in India innumerable specimens of arms, 
 showing that the armorer’s work was of the first importance. The 
 shapes of these weapons are very varied, each nation adopting a 
 fashion and changing it after a time, and a detailed classification of 
 them, and the peculiarities of their manufacture would certainly fill 
 a book larger than this. 
 
 There are the swords, spears, and bows and arrows of the Raj- 
 puts, who are Hindoos, and the arms of the Mohammedans, all of 
 which are different from the weapons of the Rohillas, Mahrattas, 
 large Gurkhas, Burmese, etc., as can be seen by inspecting our 
 Sikhs, collection. 
 
 Damasking is the peculiar process which unites the opposite 
 qualities of toughness and hardness in the one steel blade, and for 
 this the old swords of the East were famous. Damascus was the 
 
place celebrated for making these weapons, but it is said that the 
 steel used came from India. Twenty miles south of Nirmal and a 
 few miles south of the Shisha Hills is the place where the magnetic 
 iron used for ages in the manufacture of sword blades is still ob- 
 tained. The Dimdurti mines, on the Godaveri river, were another 
 source whence the steel used in Damascus came. 
 
 Damascus steel is still made at Samandrum near Dimdurti. We 
 have a large collection of old arms of various shapes and are also 
 exhibiting new arms of Jeypore, Kutch, Patiala and Plyderabad, 
 which although of original shape and handsomely decorated and 
 encrusted with gold and silver, are useful only ,for decorative 
 purposes. 
 
 The collection exhibited consists of swords, battle axes, match- 
 locks, powder horns, bows and arrows and shields, which are admir- 
 ably suited for trophies and for decorating wall spaces in halls. A 
 considerable export of these arms is made to various parts of the 
 world, and help to effectually fill up, at a little expense, empty 
 places which otherwise would have to be covered with costty oil 
 paintings. 
 
 POTTERY. 
 
 The best and most interesting description of Indian Art Pot- 
 tery ever written, is that by Sir Geo. Bird wood, and we can afford 
 no better guide to those who intend inspecting our large exhibit in 
 this line, than to quote from that gentleman’s work on the subject. 
 
 “ Truest to nature, in the directness and simplicity of its forms, 
 and their adaptation to use, and purest in art of all its homely and 
 sumptuary handicrafts, is the pottery of India. 
 
 “ It is impossible to attempt any enumeration ot the places where 
 unglazed pottery is made, for its manufacture is literally universal, 
 and extended oyer the whole, and to ever}'- part of India. The 
 principal varieties of Indian fancy pottery made purposely for 
 exportation, are the pottery of Multan, Delhi, Bombay, Sindh, 
 Khurja, Azimguhr, Madras and Chunar; the painted pottery of 
 Bikanir and Kota, and the gilt pottery of Atnroha and Lucknow, 
 and in all these varieties of Indian pottery an artistic effect is con- 
 scientiously sought after. In almost all Indian pottery, we find a 
 reverent subjection of color and ornamentations to form, and it is in 
 attaining this result, that the Indian potter has shown the true 
 artistic feeling and skill of all Indian work-masters, in his handi- 
 work. The correlation of his forms, colors, and details of orna- 
 mentation, is perfect, and without seeming premeditation as if his 
 works were rather a creation of nature than of art. The potter’s 
 art is of the highest antiquity in India, and the unglazed water 
 
 26 
 
vessels, made in every Hindoo village are still thrown from the 
 wheel in the same antique forms represented on the Ancient Budd- 
 hist sculptures and paintings. Some of this primitive pottery is 
 identical in character with the painted vases found in the tombs of 
 Etruria, dating from about B. C. 1000. I do not suggest anj r con- 
 nection between them; it is only interesting to find that pottery is 
 still made all over India, for daily use, which is in reality older than 
 the oldest remains we possess of the ceramic art of ancient Greece 
 and Italy, 
 
 1 ‘Tiles made in India are in general character similar to, although 
 not so carefully made as, the Oriental tiles known as Persian, which 
 adorn the old mosques of Egypt, Syria, Turkey and Persia. The 
 colors used upon them are a rich copper green, a golden brown and 
 dark turquoise blue. The antiquary, the artist, and the manufacturer 
 will do well to study these wares. As in their silk and woolen 
 fabrics, their metal work and other manufactures, an inherent feeling 
 for, and a power of, producing harmony in the distribution of color, 
 and in surface decoration, exists among the Orientals, which we 
 should study to imitate, if not to copy. It is not for Europeans to 
 establish schools of art in a country, the productions of whose remote 
 districts are a school of art in themselves, far more capable of teach- 
 ing than of being taught. 
 
 The great skill of the Indian potter may be judged from the 
 size of the vessels he sometimes throws from his wheel, and after- 
 wards succeeds in baking. Ahmedabad and Baroda, and through- 
 out the fertile pulse and cereal-growing plains of Gujarat, earthen 
 jars for storing grains, are often baked five feet high; and on the 
 banks of Dol Samudra, in the Dacca division of the Bengal Presi- 
 dency, immense earthen jars are made of nearly a ton cubic capacity. 
 The clay figures of Karttikeya, the Indian Mars, made for his 
 annual festival by the potters of Bengal, are often twenty-seven feet in 
 height. There is an immense demand for these water jugs, cooking 
 pots, and earthen frying pans and dishes. The Hindoos have a reli- 
 gious prejudice against using an earthen vessel twice, and generally it 
 is broken after the first pollution, and hence the demand for com- 
 mon earthen ware in all Hindoo families. There is an immense 
 demand also for painted clay idols, which also are thrown away every 
 day after being worshipped; and thus the potter, in virtue of his calling, 
 is an heriditary officer in every Indian village. 
 
 “The glazed pottery of Sindh and the Punjab is a sumptuary 
 and not a village art, and is probably not older than the time of 
 Chingiz Khan. In all the imperial Mogul cities of India where it 
 is practiced, especially Multan and Delhi, the tradition is that it 
 was introduced from China through Persia by the Aghan Moguls, 
 through the influence of Tamerlane’s Chinese wife, and it is stated 
 by independent European authorities, that the beginning of orna- 
 
meriting the walls of mosques with colored tiles, in India, was con- 
 temporary with the Mogul conquest of Persia. 
 
 “ The Bombay school of art pottery we owe chiefly to the exertions 
 of Mr. Geo. Terry, the enthusiastic superintendent of the school, 
 who has quick sympathy with the native art. He has introduced 
 some of the best potters from Sindh, and the work Mr. Terry’s pupils 
 turn out, in the yellow glaze, in Bombay, is now with difficulty distin- 
 guishable from the indigenous pottery of Sindh, and it is only to be 
 identified by its greater finish.” 
 
 Mr. Terr}- has taken great interest in obtaining for us, for this 
 exhibit, the very best specimens of his wares. The exhibits are pro- 
 fusel}- decorated with scenes from the Ajunta and Elora caves, and 
 with paintings representing all kinds of ceremonies in actual Hindoo 
 life. 
 
 Our collection in this line is a very extensive one, consisting of 
 specimens from all parts of India, and we are confident that the ex- 
 hibit will prove not the least interesting ixr our large display of the 
 art industries of India. 
 
 HORN WORK. 
 
 Manufactures from Bison Horn are of quite recent date, intro- 
 duced at Vizagapatum, Ratnagiri and Sawantwadi. We exhibit 
 little trinkets, such as card cases, trays, ink-stands, paper knives 
 and carved animals. 
 
 RJINS 
 
 © 
 
 These articles have always been in use in tropical climates, such 
 as India, and naturally fans were, and are, manufactured in every 
 part of the country. The richer and well to do classes of Hindoostan, 
 having always been accustomed to being fanned by their servants 
 and never by themselves, it follows that the personal use of the 
 article was confined to the inferior class of people, and naturally 
 those of a plain and unartistic shape and finish only were manufac- 
 tured. It is clear, therefore, that the fans now offered for sale, are of 
 quite recent date and specially made for the use of ladies, and for house 
 decoration. Our choice collection, in peacock feathers, from Poona, 
 in talck from Tanjore, and scented kus-kus from Sawantwadi should 
 create a large export trade to this country, and the artistic and most 
 interesting and grotesque hand-painted silk fans from Burmah, as 
 well as the kin-kob articles from Surat, should also be in much de- 
 mand, as they are most suitable for use in ball-rooms and other places 
 of recreation . 
 
 28 
 
SIIOJSS 
 
 We are exhibiting a fair collection of the shoes worn by the 
 native men and women of India, which is, however, of very little im- 
 portance, except viewed as a curiosity. 
 
 AATJQUmBS AND CURIOS. 
 
 These are being constantly sought for and collected visitors 
 to India from Europe and America, and are now becoming so scarce 
 that in a few more years there will be none left. 
 
 Historic objects of interest have always been eagerly bought up 
 by museums, and most of those now left are in the hands of wealthy 
 families who will not part with them for any amount of money. We 
 have, at our several establishments in India, more orders registered 
 for articles of this nature than we can fill for years to come. We 
 have, however, made successful efforts to secure for the exhibit here 
 a number of articles which must prove of paramount interest to 
 historians and students, as well as to those who take pleasure in col- 
 lecting things of this nature. 
 
 The exhibit consists of old stuffs of all sorts, in silk, wool and 
 cotton, embroidered and otherwise decorated, wrappers worn by 
 Hindoo women of all classes and castes, of original and splendid 
 workmanship and design. Shawls and kin-kobs of fine designs and 
 well fitted for draping purposes, old arms from all parts of India. In 
 this line the collection is very extensive and shows some rarely 
 shaped and highly decorated specimens. Antique bronzes consisting 
 mainly of vessels and idols used in temples and generally for pur- 
 poses of worship. Amongst these are some rare specimens of orig- 
 inal shape and design from Thibet and Nepaul. There is also a fair 
 collection of old manuscripts and pictures of great interest, and of 
 antique musical instruments. We have a collection of old coins sec- 
 ond to none in India, comprising the whole collection of the late Dr. 
 C. R. Stulpnagel, arranged by Mn Chas. J. Rodgers, Honorary 
 Numismatist to the Government of India, consisting of gold, silver 
 and copper coins, such as, 
 
 Greek. — Alexander the Great, Seleukus. 
 
 Greek Bactrian. — Diodotus, Euthydemus, Pantaleon.Agath- 
 okles, Sophy tes Demetrius, Antemachus Theos, Ewkratides Heliokies, 
 Antialkodas Eysias, Diomedes Archebius, Apolodotus Strato, 1st 
 and 2d Menander, Epander Zojlus, Antemachus Philoxenus Nikias, 
 Amyntas Ilermalus, Hermalus and Kalliope. 
 
 Indo Scythian. — Manes, Azesaud Aspadarma Azilises, Vonones 
 and Spalahores, Vonones and Spalajadames, Spalyres and Spalaga- 
 dames, Gondopharres Abdagases, Pakores Zeionises, Soter Megas, 
 
 2 !) 
 
Hvkrodes, Phseigacharis, Hermaeus Kadphises one, Kadphises 
 two, Hooerkes Bazodes. 
 
 Gupta.- — Coins allied to Yand Legas Tassemian. 
 
 Brahmin Kings of Kabul. — Samanta Deva, Syalapati Deva, 
 Khvadvayaka Vanka Deva, Samanta Deva. 
 
 Gazni. — Subaktagin, Mahmud, Masaud Mandud Abd ur Rashid, 
 Ferrukhzad, Ibrahim, Malik Arslan, Bahrain Shah, Khusran Shah, 
 Khusran Malik. 
 
 Sultans of Delhi. — Muizz-ud-din Mahammad bin Sam 
 Shams-ud-din Altamsh, Ala-ud-din of Klivarizm, contemporary with 
 Altamsh. Jalal-ud-din Mankbarnin. 
 
 Contemporaries of Altamsh.- — Husan Kurlagh, Muhamad 
 Kurlagh, Kubacha, Razia Begam, Muizz-ud-din Bahrain Shah, 
 Ala-ud-din Masand Shah, Nasir-ud-din Mahmad Shah, Gyas- 
 ud-din Balban, Muizz-ud-din Kaiqubad, Jalal-ud-din Firoz 
 Shah, Rukum-ud-din Ibrahim, Ala-ud-din Mahamed .Shah, 
 Kliwaja Qutlugh, Outb-ud-din Mubarak Shah,Gyas-ud-din Tuglaq 
 Shah, Muhammad bin Tuglaq, Firoz Shah Tuglaq, Firoz Shah and 
 Fathkhan, Gyas-ud-din Tuglaq, 2d Abu Bakr, Muhammad Shah, 
 son of Firoz, Sikandar Shah, Mahmud Shah, Nasrat Shah, Mubarak 
 Shah, Muhammad Shah, son of Farid Shah, Alam Shah, Balol Dod- 
 lii, Sikander Rodlii. 
 
 Kashmir — Copper and white metal coins of twenty, known Ma- 
 harajas of Kashmir. Silver and copper coins of Sultans of Kashmir 
 (these are the rarest in the entire collection), Shams, Sikundar, Zam- 
 ul-abidin, Haidur Shah, Hasn Shah, Muhammed Shah, Fafth Shah, 
 Ibrahim Shah, Nadir Shah (Nazuk in history), Ismail Shah, 
 Humayun, Islam Shah, Mahmud Shah, Gliazi Shah, Husain Shah, 
 Ali Shah, Yusuf Shah, Yakub Shah, Akbar. 
 
 Suri Dynasty — Slier Shah, Islam Shah, Muhamed Shah. 
 Mogul Padshahs — Baber Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjehan, 
 Aurangzeb Shah, Alam Bahadur Shah, Jahandar Shah, Furrukh 
 Siyar, Rafia-ud-Darajat, Shahjhan 2d Muhamed Shah, Ahmad Shah, 
 Bahadur, Alamgir 2d, Shahjehan 3d, Shah Alam 3d, Akbar 2d, 
 Bedar Pakht, Bahadur Shah. Sikh Rupees, Ahmad Shah Durraiu 
 (struck in India), Afghan Rupees, Taimur Shah, Zaman Shah, 
 Shah Shuja, Mahammed Shah, Ayub Shah, Mahammid Azim, 
 Mahammed Afzul, Dost Mahomed, Shir Ali, Sahibi Zaman, Ma- 
 homed Yakub, Shir Ali. 
 
 Coins on Western Satraps and other miscellaneous coins not 
 catalogued. 
 
 We will also show a valuable collection of old china, which was 
 formerly in possession of the Mogul Emperors, by whom the china 
 was received as presents from the Punperors of China. This collec- 
 tion was received by us from the family of an old impoverished 
 
Mohammedan nobleman, who was the descendant of an official of 
 high standing during the reign of Akbar the Great. 
 
 We also exhibit a collection of Burmese Pagodas Goutamas and 
 other Buddhistic temple relics, which are now very difficult to pro- 
 cure. Those we have were secured by our agents in the disturbed 
 districts during the recent war in Burmali. 
 
 NATIVE, STATE EXHIBITS. 
 
 Only the following chiefs have taken any interest in arranging 
 with our firm for having specimens of their art industries properly 
 exhibited at the World’s Fair. 
 
 H. H. the Nizam of Hyderabad (Decean), H. H. the Maharaja 
 of Mysore, H. H. the Maharaja of Jeypoor, H. H. the Maharaja of 
 Patiala, H. H. the Maharaja of Kapurthala, H. H. the Maharaja 
 of Karauli, H. H. the Raja of Jhiud, H. H. the Maharaja of Travan- 
 core, the Sawantwadi chief and His Highness the Rao of Kutch. 
 
 It is to be regretted that the rulers of other large native states 
 such as Jeypoor and Kashmir, having a large population engaged in 
 the manufacture of various art productions, did not see fit to afford 
 their subjects the same opportunities of bringing their handicraft to 
 the notice of the visitors of the exhibition, particularly as we offered 
 them the easiest possible terms for bringing their exhibits and show- 
 ing them together, i. e. a separate group for each native state. 
 
 We have not, however, left the industries of those states entirely 
 unrepresented, as it was to our interest, as also in furtherance of our 
 engagement with the government of India, to procure and exhibit a 
 thorough and representative collection of all the art industries of the 
 Indian Empire. 
 
 We have given the description of the exhibits of the native 
 states, under the respective headings to which they belong in this 
 pamphlet. The following particulars will, however, be of interest to 
 many who judge the Indian reigning Princes of to-day only from the 
 impressions formed of them by the reading of novels of the stamp of 
 the “Arabian Nights,’’ etc. 
 
 H. H. the Nizam of Hyderabad took especial interest in seeing 
 that the art industries of his state were fairly represented and the 
 state officials made every effort to carry out His Highness wishes 
 in the matter. 
 
 The industries of that state are especially great in fine weaving 
 and carpets. The Nizam has recently established, and very wisely 
 too, not a school of art, but a department in connection with that of 
 agriculture and revenue, to revive such of the old arts as can be 
 found to hold their own against machine made goods. 
 
 A most striking evidence of the existing confidence in the 
 
 31 
 
British rule in that state, is that the}' have recently opened carpet and 
 shawl manufactories for the education of the children of the Arabs 
 and Rohillas, who until lately embraced no profession but the 
 military one. 
 
 The carpets of Warangal were once famous all over India, but 
 the}- have fast declined in repute during the last fifty years, since the 
 introduction of aniline colors, as the main element in the coloring of 
 these carpets. The state authorities are now, however, using their 
 best endeavors to see that only vegetable dyes are used. We have 
 not accepted, and will not exhibit, a single carpet in which aniline 
 colors have been used. Very fine silk pile rugs are also manufac- 
 tured at Warangal. The next important manufactures in the 
 Hyderabad State are silk and stuffs, and really handsome bidri ware, 
 also koft works in metal, which in all will form an interesting feature 
 in our exhibit. 
 
 The Exhibits from Mysore are of particular interest, as this 
 is the only state in India that has exhibited its agricultural, eco- 
 nomic, mineral and forest raw products, and H. H. the Maharaja’s 
 government have considered it advisable to be well represented at 
 the World’s Fair. The chief industries of Mysore are sandal wood 
 carving, carpets and kumbli (coarse woolen homespun) manufacture, 
 carvings in rosewood and ebony inlaid furniture, silk and cotton 
 .stuffs and lacquer ware. 
 
 • Colonel C. Bower, R. E., gives us the following information : 
 
 “Sandal Wood Carving in Mysore. — The tendency of in- 
 digenous Indian industries to localize themselves within narrow 
 circles, is well exemplified in the case of sandal wood carving in My- 
 sore, an art which is entirely confined to a few towns in the north- 
 western corner of the Province, and in the adjoining districts of Bom- 
 bay. Saugor is the headquarters of the few families that practice 
 this art, which has apparently been handed down for generations 
 from father to son; it has never extended beyond this locality. 
 Caste prejudices may have contributed to some extent to the reten- 
 tion of the craft in this particular district. As the skill and delicacy 
 of touch required can only be acquired by training from early boy- 
 hood, it is perhaps strange that the art did not die out altogether 
 during the centuries of chronic disturbance under the Pallegar chiefs, 
 stranger still that it survived the period of Mohammedan supremacy. 
 
 ‘ ‘ It is not known with any certainity when sandal wood carving 
 was first introduced into Mysore, but there is a tradition amongst the 
 Gudigars , as the carvers are called, that their ancestors came from 
 Sapakoti, Narway and other places in the Goa country/ and that 
 their original language was Konkani. They believe themselves to 
 be descendants of Kshatriyas . 
 
 “ In India, as elsewhere, the art instinct of the people first found 
 
expression in the decoration of its temples, and when the instinct 
 grew into desire for decoration of dwellings or of articles in ordinary 
 use, the figures, columns and carvings of temples were naturally 
 adapted for purposes altogether outside of religion. So we find that 
 from the beginning the sandal wood carvers followed the models 
 before them on the walls of their shrines. 
 
 “When we come to the technique of his art, we find that the 
 tools of the sandal wood carver are simple and rude, all locally 
 manufactured ; his modes of working primitive in the extreme. He 
 works exactly as his forefathers worked, his method and means are 
 precisely those of centuries ago. 
 
 “The apprentice is always a member of the family, begins by 
 simply watching continuously and with close attention the various 
 stages in the work of the master, then he is put to practice on pieces 
 of waste wood, after which he is promoted to the actual carving of 
 inferior articles. He never actually assists the master, who never 
 even guides his boyish hand or shows him how to select and handle 
 his tools ; he learns simply from patient watching and imitation. 
 
 “Such is briefly the history and description of this interesting 
 industrial art, in which Mysore claims distinct pre-eminence.” 
 
 J. Cameron, Esquire, of Mysore, writes the following on Ebony 
 Carving Inlaid with Ivory: 
 
 “In Mysore this art is at present confined to a very narrow 
 circle, being practically in the hands of a small Mohammedan firm 
 employed in the city of Mysore, under the immediate auspices of His 
 Highness the Maharaja. But there is evidence that the art flour- 
 ished to some extent in former times, and not improbably the orig- 
 inal craftsmen were adventurers from the North who followed suc- 
 cessful leaders in the fortunes of war, in view to practicing their craft 
 during the intervals of peace. 
 
 “ It can easily be imagined that an expensive industry, such as 
 inlaying, could only be developed under the patronage of successful 
 rulers and wealthy chiefs, to whom it was a luxury quite beyond the 
 reach of the masses, and hence the desire for its possession. The 
 Mohammedans enjoy the credit of having introduced tlie art to 
 Mysore, but there is no data to show, when or how this happened, 
 while on the other hand, we possess relics showing that the orna- 
 mental application of ivory was well known to the early Hindoo 
 kings. But Mohammedan emigrants may have worked under the 
 latter from a very early period, as there can be no question of their 
 hereditary skill in this class of work. The inlaid doors of the 
 Mausoleum at Ganjam, the gift of Lord Dalhousie, and a fac simile 
 of the original doors which had decayed, is a fair sample of work done 
 in Tipu’s time. The late Maharaja Ktishnaraja Wadiar, Bahadur, 
 K. G., G. C. S. I., occasionally employed a few skilled workmen 
 
in the palace at Mysore, but with this exception the art of inlaying has 
 been steadily on the decline for more than half a century. With 
 the true instinct for progress, happily possessed by the present 
 ruler, and his able minister, a rigorous effort is being made to 
 resuscitate and improve the art so as to place it on a sound commer- 
 cial footing. The advent of railways and tourists, will help the cause 
 tremendously, and Indian artisans will have themselves to 
 blame, if they cannot utilize the foreign market to obtain remunera- 
 tive sales for their art wares. The local industry of this art is in its 
 infancy, as regards the requirements of the outer world, and a word 
 of caution or advice may not be out of place. To command a steady 
 market for expensive, artistic and luxurious articles, such as the 
 factory at Mysore aims at producing, the proprietors must possess 
 themselves of the best materials, the best designs in harmony with 
 the fashions of the day, and the most finished workmanship, while 
 their prices should compare favorably with those of similar work in 
 other parts of India. In short the work must be genuine in sub- 
 stance and cleverly executed. It will then take in Europe and else- 
 where and the promotors will have their hands full of orders. 
 
 “The factory at Mysore is the property of Messrs. Ahamed Ali & 
 Mahomed Makdum. It employs a permanent staff of about fifteen 
 workmen, including, we believe, both Mohammedans and Hindoos. 
 It is not known to the writer which class possesses the highest talent, 
 but as they work amicably together for the common good, it is un- 
 necessary to draw an invidous distinction. That excellent work has 
 been turned out during the past eight or nine years, is testified by 
 the awards made to it at the different exhibitions. ’ ’ 
 
 Kumblis (Woolen Cloth) is largely manufactured in, and 
 exported from, the Mysore State and throughout Southern India. 
 Most of the factories are found in the Chitaldroog district in Mysore. 
 Mr. Ram'aswamy Iyer gives us the following information as to the 
 manufacture of kumblis • 
 
 “ Here, as elsewhere throughout India, a profession means 
 a caste. From time immemorial special industries have been 
 followed by special castes. Accordingly we find the craft of 
 Kumbli weaving almost exclusively in the hands of men known 
 as Kumbari , the word being derived from 1 Kumba, ’ a shepherd. 
 In former times the labor was confined entirely to the male members 
 of the family. Now, however, a division of labor is recognized, and 
 the females of the house take an active part in spinning the yarn, as 
 in other processes in completion of the kumblis. They are made to 
 imitate cotton stuffs, and even European tweeds, being in appearance 
 and character very much like Scotch home-spun, some of the designs' 
 well adapted for ladies’ wear. Many of the kumblis are woven in 
 wool and cotton and silk mixed, which makes them rather expensive, 
 but more suitable for wear by ladies. 
 
 34 
 
“Sandal Wood Culture. — Sandal wood is the product of a 
 small evergreen tree (Santalum Album) of the Bast Indies. It is 
 abundant in Mysore, where the finest sandal wood is grown, and 
 where it is a state monoply. In fertile land with good rainfall, the 
 trees attain the size represented by the specimen exhibited. But 
 large development is usually accompanied by a reduction of the 
 volatile oil which gives fragrance and durability to the wood; there- 
 fore a slow, stunted growth, on poor soil, is usually productive of the 
 finest wood. Sandal wood is at present the chief source of forest 
 revenue in the Mysore country, and as the merits of the product 
 become better known the demand for it will proportionately increase. 
 Anticipating such a demand in the near future, the local government 
 has taken measures to encourage reproduction by artificial methods, 
 and by conserving tracts of natural growth more completely. At 
 present the annual revenue from sandal wood is not less than 900,000 
 rupees ($300,000). Annual auction sales are held at several depots 
 (khotius) during the months of November and December, after which 
 the bulk of the wood gravitates into the Bombay market. The uses 
 of sandal wood are summarized in the following list recently drawn 
 up by an officer of the forest department : 
 
 1 . For extraction of oil for medicinal purposes and as a per- 
 fume. 
 
 2. For carving. 
 
 3. For fire worship by Parsees. 
 
 4. For burning and temple use by the Hindoos. 
 
 5. For scenting articles to be kept in its proximity. 
 
 6. For scenting carvings in inferior wood, and then passing 
 them off as sandal wood carvings. 
 
 7. The outer bark is used by the natives of poorer classes to 
 chew with ehunam, as a substitute for betel leaf. 
 
 ‘ ‘ For scenting articles, the saw powder is extremely effectual. It 
 is also, on account of the oil it contains, useful to preserve from rust 
 any steel instruments which may be kept in it, and it is used by 
 ladies as stuffing for pincushions. 
 
 “The sandal trees of Mysore are highly oliferous and aromatic, 
 and consequently they command the highest prices in the Indian 
 market. 
 
 “Tanners’ Bark. — (Cassia Auriculata) Twigs and bark of 
 Cassia Auriculata, Finn, is commonly known by the English denizens 
 as tanner’s bark. The shrub which affords this product is indigenous 
 to the scrub tracts of the maidan (plains) of Mysore, where it is a 
 pleasant feature of the landscape while in flower, the latter being 
 produced in ample yellow clusters at the ends of the branches. There 
 is a brisk local demand for this bark. As analyzed by Profess, sor 
 J. J. Hummel, Director of the Dyeing Department of the Yorkshire 
 
College, Leeds, the bark of Cassia Auriculata contains 20.5 per cent, 
 of tannic acid. It is, therefore, one of the very richest substances 
 for tanning. Being a natural product of waste laud the shrub is not 
 cultivated in any part of Mysore. ’ ’ 
 
 Although there are but few manufactures carried on in the 
 Jeypoor state in Rajputana, H. H. the Maharaja of Jeypoor, was 
 verv eager to have them fully represented at the Fair. Phulcari 
 embroideries, ranking with any in India for texture, coloring and 
 quality, are the only exhibits from this state. There is, however, 
 every likelihood of this manufacture being developed into a great 
 industry. 
 
 II . H. the Maharaja of Patiala, whose reign has only extended 
 over a few years, has from the commencement taken a great interest 
 in developing the industries of this State, and our Mr. S. J. TeixLry 
 has been personally consulted by him as to the best means of further- 
 ing this object. Phulcaris are largely made by all village women. 
 Embroideries, carvings in ivory and wood, as well as filigree silver 
 are all done in great excellence throughout the state, and it is to be 
 hoped that by the aid of the powerful interest of the Maharaja, the 
 working people of this state may continue to compete with the 
 machine manufactures of the same line of goods. 
 
 The entire collection of art works and heirlooms in possession of 
 the young Maharaja of Patiala was offered to us as an exhibit, and 
 would, no doubt, have proved of great interest to sightseers, but as 
 it was not considered that it would tend to assist the development of 
 the native art manufactures, it was not deemed advisable to accept 
 them. 
 
 We are informed that other states have sent into our firm at 
 Delhi a few exhibits for the Columbian Exposition. These will be 
 noticed in the second edition of this pamphlet. 
 
 Personally we are confident that the industrial art manufactures 
 of India will not suffer by the Government of India not being 
 officially represented at this Exhibition, as experience has shown 
 that at previous Exhibitions most of the money granted has been ex- 
 pended more in cosily showcases for the careful display of the curios 
 and valuables in possession of the native states than in the exhibition 
 of industrial art works, which could be made articles of export from 
 India, to the bettering of the condition of the working people. 
 
 Our attention is altogether centred in the latter object, and we 
 feel the greatest confidence that we shall at the close of this Ex- 
 hibition be in a position to report to the Government of India that a 
 great future lies before the Indian artisans in the export of industrial 
 art manufactures from that country to America. 
 
 36 
 
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