Pattern: Arabesque
Emerson Arabesque
The reproduction of this late 18th wallpaper was commissioned by the curators at George Washington’s Mount Vernon to adorn the President’s Bedchamber. Fragments of the room’s original wallcovering were not sufficient in size or detail to determine a pattern, this one, from the French firm of Réveillon, Jaquemart, et Bénard was chosen. The original … Continued
Votive Goddess
Found in two front rooms of a 1777 Newburyport, Massachusetts house built for Captain William Pierce Johnson, this highly refined pattern reflects the taste for imported French papers in the early American Republic. The manufacturer has not yet been identified, although other examples of work attributed to the same maker are in the collection of … Continued
Réveillon Arabesque 600
Pattern #600, from the factory of Jean-Baptiste Reveillon, is a most unusual example of a French arabesque pattern. Not only does it exhibit finely detailed block printing but many of the colors are hand painted transluscent washes. Highlights on the allegorical figures are 23 karat gold leaf. No pattern which we have set out to … Continued
Parakeets and Pearls
Typical of French papers of the period, this delicate and highly sophisticated pattern uses naturalistic motifs in an arabesque arrangement. The term “Arabesque” refers to the placement of figures with a bilateral symmetry into a columnar format. In this case the columns are set in a half-drop of the pattern repeat. This Parisian arabesque exemplifies … Continued
Locust Grove Arabesque
During a 1962 renovation, fragments of this pattern were discovered in Locust Grove, the 1790s Federal style home of William Croghan, near Louisville, Kentucky. Though the few surviving pieces comprised only a small portion of the overall pattern, it nevertheless obvious the paper was of a higher caliber than what would have typically been used … Continued
Bacchus
This Early American pattern was probably printed in Boston or the Northeast coastal area sometime after French wallpapers had come into style in the United States. Its arabesque arrangement, neo-classical imagery and use of ribbons and peacocks are all characteristic of French papers from the mid 1780s to 1790. The somewhat naive execution leaves little … Continued
Arabesque Pigeons
From the collection of Old Sturbridge Village, the original document of this paper hung in the Lazarus LeBaron House in Sutton, Massachusetts, and is an American interpretation of the famous French pattern “Deux Pigeons” by Reveillion. This surprisingly bold design is suitable for parlors, dining rooms or entry halls; it was originally hung with an … Continued