Presto
Issue: 1925 2013 - Page 4
PRESTO
M E E T M E A T T H E FOUNTAIN
February 21, 1925.
PRE=CONVENTION FROLIC
OF CHICAGO PIANO CLUB
Interesting Details of a Busy Piano Manufacturer's Vision of a Village
Beautiful, as Seen in the Latest Decorative Fancy of William
Tonk, and Described by Himself
During the period in which I was engaged prepar-
ing matter for my 1923 Christmas Decoration, I had
no idea that another would follow. It required time
to chronicle the matter I had in hand and to prepare
for a large number of cuts; the reason for this was
that I had to do all work after business hours. It
was during this time that the picture for 1924 came
to my mind, which I have named "Meet Me At The
Fountain," although it really represents a town,
which appears in the background, a park with a large
fountain in the foreground, and a playground between
the two.
I am often asked "Where do you get your ideas?"
Well, some have come to me while resting before
retiring; others from observation of park scenes, and
they would be hard to obtain even at a considerable
higher cost. This particular one is about twelve feet
long; the others mentioned are about the same
length; the part of the picture not appearing is rolled
up on both sides, and forms the two columns which
are covered with green paper, and which are
crowned by gilt balls; the latter are of rubber, such
as children play with. The columns are decorated
to take away their plainness.
The decorations over the picture are made of
crinkled paper rope, alternating in red and green and,
furthermore, ornamented with poinsettias.
Finding the Parts.
The table, upon which the objects are placed, is
of wood about eleven feet long and from three to
Event at Trocadero Gardens Is First of a
Series of Entertainment Features
Prior to the Convention.
The Piano Club of Chicago staged a frolic at the
celebrated Trocadero Gardens on Monday evening,
February 16th, which was the first of a series to be
given by the club prior to the coming convention
of the music trades in Chicago in June.
If the convention will be a follow-up of the pre-
convention frolic there will be no question about the
entertainment features of that big event.
Anyone who has ever attended any function given
under the auspices of the Piano Club realizes the
contact of this organization with artists in all music
lines, and the party last Monday evening was no
exception. Artists appeared from leading theaters,
and music publishing houses, who gave their time
and talent in entertaining the guests of the club,
numbering about two hundred.
SENATE COMMITTEE FAVORS
SIMPLIFYING PATENT LAWS
Measure, if Passed, Would Make Procedure Easier
in Securing Trade-Marks.
A favorable report has been made by the patents
committee of the Senate on a bill to simplify the
trade-mark laws. The bill if passed would modernize
procedure in the Patent Office and reduce the time
required for that operation.
Under the bill a certificate would be issued to an
applicant within three days after the filing of his
application, which would be valid until the full regis-
tration is accomplished. The measure also would
greatly facilitate the registration of American trade-
marks in such foreign countries as we have trade-
mark treaties with. The legislation would make
trade-marks more effective in protecting their regis-
trants from infringement and make litigation less ex-
pensive and more speedy by reducing the number of
legal moves which now are possible under the present
statutes.
ANGELUS WEEK PLANNED.
An "Angelus Week" will be celebbrated in Cleve-
land, O., beginning March 6, according to plans an-
nounced by the Muehlhauser Bros. Piano Co. A con-
cert by the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra will begin
the series of events. A guest soloist will be Beryl
Rubenstein, the concert pianist, who will use the
Angelus reproducing piano. Miss Hernia Menth will
also be heard in Angelus concerts throughout the
week.
NEW COLUMBUS MANAGER.
THE VILLAGE BEAUTIFUL.
the idea of the picture entitled "Village Beautiful"
came to me from an article which appeared in one
of the daily papers. The idea of the columns, used
in the present picture, I copied from those adorning
the Plaza at the entrance to Central Park at Fifth
avenue and Fifty-ninth street, New York.
Realization of the Dream.
I first made a drawing of one of them, from which
a carver, John Mauer, who at the time did the piano
carving for my firm, made a wooden pattern which
was used in casting a number of the columns in
plaster-paris.
The brackets on the sides, which hold the electric
lamps, are metal tubing taken from the mechanism
of a playerpiano action; the lamps, which are wired
for electric lighting—done by my son, William H.—
I have used on several occasions, and they produced
a charming effect.
The Picture Described.
Thinking it may be of interest, I will make a brief
description of the principal parts of the pictures
which will, at the same time, in a measure serve to
briefly describe the construction of some of my other
productions of similar nature.
The background is a "frieze"; an oil print on
heavy paper, done in imitation of oil painting called
"Chromo," and represents the Church of St. Trinity
in Rome. I bought this and two others (The "Bay
of Venice" and the "Rocky Mountains") from the
firm of Thibout, a prominent wall-paper manufac-
turer in New York, some time before the world war.
I was told they were made in Germany. Today
four feet wide. It is covered with green plush to
represent sod, except the walks, for which coarse
sand-paper is used. The bases, or pedestals, upon
which the "Statue of Liberty" and bisque figures rest,
are of wood ornamented with embossed wall paper
selected so as to represent panels, moulding, bases,
etc. The settees, benches, etc., are ornamented in the
same manner. The residential buildings came partly
from Germany and partly from Japan (the latter
are far inferior to the other).
The trees are partly taken from toy sets, but most
of them are pine-cones painted green and fastened to
a base to keep them erect. The cones were gathered
by me during outings, principally in the Adirondack
Mountains; they make quite a nice little tree when
colored. The square flower pots are of porcelain and
are marked as coming from France; I bought a
number of them at a bargain, for they are indeed
very fine. The large flower vases are of plaster-
paris, which I caused to be cast from a porcelain
sample to which I had taken a fancy.
Building the Fountain.
The fountain, prominently in the foreground, is
made in parts; the base is of wood; the upper mem-
bers are pie-plates and cake-forms, capable of hold-
ing water, which may be carried to the top basin and
then made to overflow, so as to produce a miniature
water falls, and the effect is very pretty. I am not
using the water this year because of the extra
work its preparation entails. The small figures and
statuary are of bisque, and come from several parts
of Europe (I would say this class of art objects are
J. E. Baldwin is the new general manager of the
Columbus, O., branch of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.,
succeeding Roy Riegler. Mr. Baldwin was formerly
general sales manager for the Smith Piano Co., in
Chicago, and just prior to joining the Wurlitzer Co.
was retail manager for Steger & Sons Piano Co.
MRS.
SOELTER IN CHARGE.
The W. C. Munn Company, of Houston, Texas,
has transferred its music department to Mrs. Isabelle
H. Soelter who had been running that branch of
the business for over a year previously. Mrs. Soelter
is determined to make her department a music center
in Houston.
not made in this country); the stairways, swings, etc.,
are made of wood and are of my own making.
Last, but not least, I would describe the flower
beds. The large ones, in front and rear of the foun-
tain, I made for table decorations for Mrs. Tonk, and
find them very appropriate for the present picture;
the flow T er beds proper are made of wood, colored
brown, convex in form and pierced with small in-
dentations into which the stems of artificial flowers
may be placed; the base, also of wood, about one
inch in thickness, is covered with green plush, except
the path, or walk, around the bed, which is covered
with flint sand-paper; and on the end of the green
plush, small pebbles are placed, so as to outline the
path. The effect is very pretty.
There are other unimportant details, but it is fair
to add that if it is a good investment for every man
to indudge in hobbies—as we are so often told—
then this one of mine may interest many others
whose love of music and art has led them into the
various lines to which my own life has been so
largely devoted. And this is excuse enough for the
space which, at the request of Presto, is given to
details of my latest Christmas decoration fancies.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
M E E T M E A T T H E FOUNTAIN
February 21, 1925.
PRE=CONVENTION FROLIC
OF CHICAGO PIANO CLUB
Interesting Details of a Busy Piano Manufacturer's Vision of a Village
Beautiful, as Seen in the Latest Decorative Fancy of William
Tonk, and Described by Himself
During the period in which I was engaged prepar-
ing matter for my 1923 Christmas Decoration, I had
no idea that another would follow. It required time
to chronicle the matter I had in hand and to prepare
for a large number of cuts; the reason for this was
that I had to do all work after business hours. It
was during this time that the picture for 1924 came
to my mind, which I have named "Meet Me At The
Fountain," although it really represents a town,
which appears in the background, a park with a large
fountain in the foreground, and a playground between
the two.
I am often asked "Where do you get your ideas?"
Well, some have come to me while resting before
retiring; others from observation of park scenes, and
they would be hard to obtain even at a considerable
higher cost. This particular one is about twelve feet
long; the others mentioned are about the same
length; the part of the picture not appearing is rolled
up on both sides, and forms the two columns which
are covered with green paper, and which are
crowned by gilt balls; the latter are of rubber, such
as children play with. The columns are decorated
to take away their plainness.
The decorations over the picture are made of
crinkled paper rope, alternating in red and green and,
furthermore, ornamented with poinsettias.
Finding the Parts.
The table, upon which the objects are placed, is
of wood about eleven feet long and from three to
Event at Trocadero Gardens Is First of a
Series of Entertainment Features
Prior to the Convention.
The Piano Club of Chicago staged a frolic at the
celebrated Trocadero Gardens on Monday evening,
February 16th, which was the first of a series to be
given by the club prior to the coming convention
of the music trades in Chicago in June.
If the convention will be a follow-up of the pre-
convention frolic there will be no question about the
entertainment features of that big event.
Anyone who has ever attended any function given
under the auspices of the Piano Club realizes the
contact of this organization with artists in all music
lines, and the party last Monday evening was no
exception. Artists appeared from leading theaters,
and music publishing houses, who gave their time
and talent in entertaining the guests of the club,
numbering about two hundred.
SENATE COMMITTEE FAVORS
SIMPLIFYING PATENT LAWS
Measure, if Passed, Would Make Procedure Easier
in Securing Trade-Marks.
A favorable report has been made by the patents
committee of the Senate on a bill to simplify the
trade-mark laws. The bill if passed would modernize
procedure in the Patent Office and reduce the time
required for that operation.
Under the bill a certificate would be issued to an
applicant within three days after the filing of his
application, which would be valid until the full regis-
tration is accomplished. The measure also would
greatly facilitate the registration of American trade-
marks in such foreign countries as we have trade-
mark treaties with. The legislation would make
trade-marks more effective in protecting their regis-
trants from infringement and make litigation less ex-
pensive and more speedy by reducing the number of
legal moves which now are possible under the present
statutes.
ANGELUS WEEK PLANNED.
An "Angelus Week" will be celebbrated in Cleve-
land, O., beginning March 6, according to plans an-
nounced by the Muehlhauser Bros. Piano Co. A con-
cert by the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra will begin
the series of events. A guest soloist will be Beryl
Rubenstein, the concert pianist, who will use the
Angelus reproducing piano. Miss Hernia Menth will
also be heard in Angelus concerts throughout the
week.
NEW COLUMBUS MANAGER.
THE VILLAGE BEAUTIFUL.
the idea of the picture entitled "Village Beautiful"
came to me from an article which appeared in one
of the daily papers. The idea of the columns, used
in the present picture, I copied from those adorning
the Plaza at the entrance to Central Park at Fifth
avenue and Fifty-ninth street, New York.
Realization of the Dream.
I first made a drawing of one of them, from which
a carver, John Mauer, who at the time did the piano
carving for my firm, made a wooden pattern which
was used in casting a number of the columns in
plaster-paris.
The brackets on the sides, which hold the electric
lamps, are metal tubing taken from the mechanism
of a playerpiano action; the lamps, which are wired
for electric lighting—done by my son, William H.—
I have used on several occasions, and they produced
a charming effect.
The Picture Described.
Thinking it may be of interest, I will make a brief
description of the principal parts of the pictures
which will, at the same time, in a measure serve to
briefly describe the construction of some of my other
productions of similar nature.
The background is a "frieze"; an oil print on
heavy paper, done in imitation of oil painting called
"Chromo," and represents the Church of St. Trinity
in Rome. I bought this and two others (The "Bay
of Venice" and the "Rocky Mountains") from the
firm of Thibout, a prominent wall-paper manufac-
turer in New York, some time before the world war.
I was told they were made in Germany. Today
four feet wide. It is covered with green plush to
represent sod, except the walks, for which coarse
sand-paper is used. The bases, or pedestals, upon
which the "Statue of Liberty" and bisque figures rest,
are of wood ornamented with embossed wall paper
selected so as to represent panels, moulding, bases,
etc. The settees, benches, etc., are ornamented in the
same manner. The residential buildings came partly
from Germany and partly from Japan (the latter
are far inferior to the other).
The trees are partly taken from toy sets, but most
of them are pine-cones painted green and fastened to
a base to keep them erect. The cones were gathered
by me during outings, principally in the Adirondack
Mountains; they make quite a nice little tree when
colored. The square flower pots are of porcelain and
are marked as coming from France; I bought a
number of them at a bargain, for they are indeed
very fine. The large flower vases are of plaster-
paris, which I caused to be cast from a porcelain
sample to which I had taken a fancy.
Building the Fountain.
The fountain, prominently in the foreground, is
made in parts; the base is of wood; the upper mem-
bers are pie-plates and cake-forms, capable of hold-
ing water, which may be carried to the top basin and
then made to overflow, so as to produce a miniature
water falls, and the effect is very pretty. I am not
using the water this year because of the extra
work its preparation entails. The small figures and
statuary are of bisque, and come from several parts
of Europe (I would say this class of art objects are
J. E. Baldwin is the new general manager of the
Columbus, O., branch of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.,
succeeding Roy Riegler. Mr. Baldwin was formerly
general sales manager for the Smith Piano Co., in
Chicago, and just prior to joining the Wurlitzer Co.
was retail manager for Steger & Sons Piano Co.
MRS.
SOELTER IN CHARGE.
The W. C. Munn Company, of Houston, Texas,
has transferred its music department to Mrs. Isabelle
H. Soelter who had been running that branch of
the business for over a year previously. Mrs. Soelter
is determined to make her department a music center
in Houston.
not made in this country); the stairways, swings, etc.,
are made of wood and are of my own making.
Last, but not least, I would describe the flower
beds. The large ones, in front and rear of the foun-
tain, I made for table decorations for Mrs. Tonk, and
find them very appropriate for the present picture;
the flow T er beds proper are made of wood, colored
brown, convex in form and pierced with small in-
dentations into which the stems of artificial flowers
may be placed; the base, also of wood, about one
inch in thickness, is covered with green plush, except
the path, or walk, around the bed, which is covered
with flint sand-paper; and on the end of the green
plush, small pebbles are placed, so as to outline the
path. The effect is very pretty.
There are other unimportant details, but it is fair
to add that if it is a good investment for every man
to indudge in hobbies—as we are so often told—
then this one of mine may interest many others
whose love of music and art has led them into the
various lines to which my own life has been so
largely devoted. And this is excuse enough for the
space which, at the request of Presto, is given to
details of my latest Christmas decoration fancies.
Enhanced content © 2008-2009 and presented by MBSI - The Musical Box Society International (www.mbsi.org) and the International Arcade Museum (www.arcade-museum.com).
All Rights Reserved. Digitized from the archives of the MBSI with support from NAMM - The International Music Products Association (www.namm.org).
Additional enhancement, optimization, and distribution by the International Arcade Museum. An extensive collection of Presto can be found online at http://www.arcade-museum.com/library/
Future scanning projects are planned by the International Arcade Museum Library (IAML).