Discovered in the parlor of an 1803 Federal house in Blue Hill, Maine this dramatic pattern is an excellent example of  the melding of two motifs: one, a set of stripes and the other a dense, overall foliate. The concise interplay between these two components, plus the bold use of colors, strongly suggest a French origin.

The paper may have been installed by the original owner, Nathan Hartford, but it is perhaps more likely that the subsequent owner, Matthew Ray, hung it sometime after 1812.

In any event, the paper was covered during an 1840s renovation and not seen again until a re-wiring project in the late 1980s. It is particularly fortunate that the paper was used in conjunction with a border since it was from beneath this border that the undiminished colors of the historic colorway were discovered.

Repeat 9 1/4 inches
Width 19 inches
Straight Match

The historic colorway image above shows two widths of the pattern installed.  Alternate colorway images show one complete width of the pattern.