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My History Fix

the Fun Side of History!

WALLPAPER: SIGN OF THE TIMES

March 2, 2016

I have mixed feelings about wallpaper, let’s call it a love-hate relationship.

Wallpaper can make a lovely design statement…or it can induce vertigo.

Apply with care.

It also offers a special window into the style modes of the past…and that’s really what I like best! Indeed it has always been the subject of debate: in good taste or poor?

Wallpaper was developed to mimic fabric wall coverings such as silk, damask and tapestries, and has never really been able to completely shake that “cheap imitation” reputation. Often the question of taste was a question of quality, both in material and design.

These “faux” patterns are from the 1930’s and 1940’s.

Faux surface wallpaper 1930s-40s

Early examples were hand-blocked and then colored by hand, making it an expensive commodity, and so considered high-end. By the mid-nineteenth century technological advances had made the production of large quantities of detailed wallpaper possible, in fact a good deal more detailed than (most) earlier hand-blocked papers.

making wallpaper

via Wikipedia

Wallpaper was featured prominently at the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, and the debate escalated. Aesthetics, subject matter, use in public vs. private spaces, health and cleanliness ranging from the ability to clean it, to inks made of arsenic…you name it!

So let’s fire up the Eyecandymobile and join the debate with a trip through the decades via…wallpaper…

Wallpaper is by nature ephemeral—styles go in and out of fashion, and it’s made of paper! Old specimens are hard to come by are often found in scraps and in out of the way places like closets that homeowners didn’t bother updating.

Layers of old wallpaper

via Wallpaper History Society

This example is the earliest known, an English block print from 1509.

1509 AT earliest block print English

via Apartment Therapy

A Chinese panel circa 1725.

Chinese wallpaper panel

via Apartment Therapy

Early flocked wallpaper was made by applying glue to the paper, then sprinkling bits of dyed wool over it to create faux velvet. This example is circa 1760.

Flocked wallpaper c. 1760

via Victoria and Albert Museum

We tend to associate drab colors with historic design, but this page from a sample book circa 1851 illustrates nothing could be further from the truth!

1851 Wallpaper catalog

via Victoria and Albert Museum

Wallpaper designs often commemorate an event. This one, circa 1853, fittingly celebrates the Crystal Palace from the Great Exhibition of 1851.

Crystal Palace wallpaper

via Victoria and Albert Museum

Here’s a more toned-down example, also circa 1853.

Neutral Wallpaper 1853

via Victoria and Albert Museum

This scenic print is circa 1870.

hunt scene wallpaper

via Victoria and Albert Museum

Wallpaper followed trends, and the briefly popular Art Nouveau style is no exception. This one, circa 1899, is by the famous architect/designer, C. F. A. Voysey. Along with William Morris, he is associated with the Arts & Crafts Movement, and was a prolific designer.

Voysey wallpaper art nouveau

via Victoria and Albert Museum

The Progressive Movement concern for cleanliness and health brought about the innovation of “sanitary” wallpaper—the usual paper coated with varnish.

sanitary wallpaper

via Victoria and Albert Museum

Today, if you prefer vintage wallpaper in your home, new-old rolls from the twentieth century can be found on the internet. Two great sources are Second Hand Rose and Hannah’s Treasures. These decade collage examples were all found on their sites…so they are available to hang in your home!

1930’s

1930s wallpaper

1940’s

1940s wallpaper

1950’s

1950s wallpaper

1960’s

1960s wallpaper

1970’s – Note how similar the flocked example second from the left is to the above block print from 1509!

1970s wallpaper

Wallpaper finally fell out of favor in recent decades, but has been enjoying a bit of a comeback. For the fickle there are even temporary wallpapers that just peel right off—probably the route I would go if I wanted to do a feature wall.

If wallpaper piques your curiosity I highly recommend clicking through the links in Sources below, you’ll find lots of great info and photos there!

How do you feel about wallpaper? Like it or not, we all have memories of papered spaces in the homes of our families and friends—share them in the comments below or over on the My History Fix Facebook page!

SOURCES:

Apartment Therapy, Quick History: Wallpaper, http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/quick-history-wallpaperretrosp-129500, accessed March 2, 2016.

Victoria & Albert Museum, Textile Influences on Wallpaper, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/textile-influences-on-wallpaper/ , accessed March 2, 2016.

Victoria & Albert Museum, Wallpaper: Health and Cleanliness, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/w/health-and-cleanliness/ , accessed March 2, 2016.

Victoria & Albert Museum, A Short History of Wallpaper, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/short-introductory-history-of-wallpaper/ , accessed March 2, 2016.

Victoria & Albert Museum, Wallpaper Design Reform, http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/w/wallpaper-design-reform/ , accessed March 2, 2016.

Wallpaper History Society, Repairs & Conservation, http://www.wallpaperhistorysociety.org.uk/learning-research/conservation-history/, accessed March 2, 2016.

 

 

Filed Under: Home Life, Interior Design 3 Comments

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Comments

  1. Margie Belanger says

    March 3, 2016 at 10:54 am

    I like to have wallpaper in some areas of my home since it looks good longer than paint. Fingerprints are not a big problem with paper, but paint is another story. I had some put up in 1997 and it still looks great. The paint I had done at the same time doesn’t look as fresh. Wall paper is also decorative. You can pull colors out of it to decorate a room.

    The problems I see with it are: it’s expensive, and it’s difficult finding a person who knows how to remove it and put up new paper, and you may get tired of the design. It’s always good to put up classic wallpaper so it doesn’t look dated.

    Reply
  2. Linda says

    March 6, 2016 at 11:23 am

    Wallpaper was so in in the 70’s, and my Dad showed me how put it up. I always liked the cloth back vinyl, but I got carried away with the paste! As you well know, Christina, removing it was NOT fun!

    Reply
    • Christina Branham says

      March 6, 2016 at 5:42 pm

      No it wasn’t! I don’t remember who gave us the tip to use diluted fabric softener to remove it, but it worked well, and non-toxic too.

      I was really hoping to come across one of the patterns you chose in my research!

      Reply

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