Vigo County Historical Society

Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - April 6, 1986
By David Buchanan
Executive director, Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley

Frames focus our attention on art--decoratively

There is no way of knowing how long frames have been used by mankind, but they've probably been around almost as long as the decorative arts.

They are used to focus the viewer's attention while magnifying the importance of the subject enclosed within the frame's border. More practically, frames have been used to protect the artwork they surround.

Depending upon the whim of fashion, frames may be very simple, little more than lines bordering the object, or they may be an art form in themselves, almost rivaling the object they frame.

Frames have been made from a variety of materials. The earliest probably were just simple painted borders surrounding painted murals in the homes of the wealthy. When paintings became movable, the artists also had to develop frames that would be able to travel with and protect the paintings. Carved wooden frames, some simple and others elaborate, answered the need.

Early frames were custom-made to fit the specific painting, but the industrial age allowed frames to be mass produced. Long runs of wood were machine carved in various forms and then given a thin coating of smooth plaster. This plaster then was painted to resemble a more expensive finish. Examples may be found that resemble walnut, oak and burled woods. Others were ebonized and had thin, geometrical lines carved into the plaster.

The gilding of frames became especially popular in the 18th century, a popularity that has remained to this day. Originally the frames were gilded with gold leaf, a long laborious and expensive process.

Science and chemistry have allowed us to create the appearance of gold without having to actually use it, but the restoration of fine antique frames often involves specialists who lovingly apply the thin coat of actual gold.

In the Victorian era, when tastes delighted in a profusion of decorative details, framers witnessed an explosion of heavy elaborately carved and gilded frames.

No truly well-decorated Victorian parlor could be found that didn't have one of these heavy, elaborately carved and gilded frames. Often these actually were frames fitted within other frames. Sometimes up to five were joined together to create one large frame.

By the 1920s frames again were becoming more simple and far more shallow. Gentle curves at the corner, rather than sharp mitered edges, were also to be found. Gilding remained popular, both in gold and, as the Modernist movement gained popularity, in silver combined with black.

In the 1960s frames were losing their popularity. Artists and exhibitors began to believe that frames were competing with the works they surrounded. Many paintings were separated from their frames and hung on the wall by themselves. The frames were consigned to storage or to the trash heap.

The frame that's the historical treasure of the week was carved from a block of marble by John Oswald Weber, a German immigrant who came to the United States in 1853, received his naturalization papers in 1860 and eventually settled in Terre Haute in 1867.

He set up a stone-cutting business and was commissioned to do much of the elaborate stone work that was so popular on buildings at the latter part of the 19th century. His was the shop that carved the decorative stones for the entrance to the original Indiana State Normal School. He also carved the stone lions and carriage steps for Preston Hussey at Seventh and Mulberry.

The bill for the lions and steps states the two lions are "valued at one hundred and fifty dollars" and the "carriage steps delivered--valued at twenty dollars and thirty dollars--for a total of two hundred dollars." Weber took a piano in trade for his bill.

Frames have enjoyed a resurgence in their popularity. Many of the elaborate frames that had been consigned to the attic or basement have been cleaned, repaired and rehung. Smaller frames again are appearing on mantles, pianos and shelves. Old paintings with original frames now are proudly displayed in homes, museums and offices.

Examples of various types of frames from different eras and made of different materials are now displayed in an exhibit titled, "The Framing of a County."

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St, is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.