SKETCH BOOK
TRADE MARK COPYRIGHT
OF THE
PHILADELPHIA & BOSTON
FACE BRICK CO.
165 MILK ST-BOSTON-MASS.
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Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year
1904, by the
Phila. & Boston Face Brick Co.
in the office of the Librarian of Congress
at Washington.
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PREFACE TO THE SEVENTEENTH EDITION.
FROM time immemorial the domestic hearth has been the theme of optimists and poets, whohave lavished on it the most endearing words, and have associated it with their most delightfulthoughts. The fireplace has always been, and always will be, the happiest rallying-placeof the family. It has been aptly called the "sun in the house," and its ruddy glow, itssociable warmth, and cheering qualities have not been lost sight of in the development of æstheticart as applied to home decoration during recent years, and the chimney-piece has been made, withmost excellent results, the central part of the decorative scheme. To all home-builders there comesthe thought, "We must have at least one or two open fireplaces." How natural the thought, andwhat great pleasures in even the anticipation.
As to the choice of materials for the Fireplace Mantel, nothing has ever been used that meetsall requirements so completely as our Ornamental Unglazed Brick. The essential idea of a fireplaceis "Brick" from beginning to end, and the practice of using a brick facing with a wooden mantelaround it (a practice which is now passing by) has only been a sort of makeshift, employed becauseOrnamental Brick of new and artistic patterns were not obtainable, our Company being the first tomake them. There is always so much woodwork in a room, anyway, so why overcrowd the eye witha "mantelful" more? The glazed tiles which were formerly used in mantels were found to havesuch a cold, hard, and glassy look that they have been relegated to bathrooms, elevator shafts, sanitaryuses, etc., to such an extent that few people now care to consider their use about the fireside.
Our Brick Mantels are the best kind to have. The bricks are patterned after the most artisticGreek and Renaissance designs, and the appearance of them when set in mantels is that of carvedwork. The joints between the courses of brick serve to break up any tendency to a heavy or monumentaleffect, and the general appearance of our mantels is exceedingly soft, rich, and harmonious.They have a pleasing effect which the eye never tires of. They have the stamp of character, andtheir simplicity and modest elegance lend a particular charm to the surroundings.
The designs in this book were all prepared by a well-known Boston architect whose extendedEuropean travel rendered him peculiarly fitted for the work, and the designs embody many of the bestideas of the best brickwork of England and the Continent. Some of the designs are purposely shownin the architect's original pen-and-ink drawings, while the others are shown as photographs furnishedby our customers. We make