Plain
colored, unprinted papers were fashionable from about 1760-1820, often
hung with elaborate festoon or other borders. These papers have been
discovered in historic houses ranging from simple to grand on both
sides of the Atlantic. We know of installations in the fairly humble
Pendleton House in North Carolina, as well as the imposing Osterley
Park in England (designed by Robert Adam). Other examples include Salso
Slot in Denmark, The Governor's Palace in Williamsburg, Gunston Hall
and Kenmore in Virginia, and many others.
Blue and green were the most popular colors for
plain papers during this period. (Correspondence indicates that George
Washington purchased green plain paper for Mount Vernon, and that
Thomas Jefferson purchased blue paper for Monticello.) Adelphi Paper
Hangings offers the following traditional colors: Royal Blue Verditer,
Common Blue Verditer (Sander's Blue), Sky Blue (Prussian Blue), Green
Verditer, Scheele's Green, Pink, Dawn, Peach, Ochre, Buff, French Grey
and Grey. But, like our 18th century predecessors we can also provide
“plain paper of any colour that may be desired.”