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Kennebunk Foliate

Remnants of this machine printed pattern were discovered in a front room of the Samuel Simpson House in Kennebunk, Maine. Though the Federal style house was built circa 1820, this wallpaper was not installed until the mid-century. Unlike similar designs which combine pin dots and foliage, this one places the dots on the foliage, rather than on the … Continued

Hermitage Maple Leaf

Wallpaper designers often strove to evoke other materials in their patterns. In this example the use of thin tone-on-tone diagonal lines was intended to suggest the appearance of silk. (Another version of this pattern from the same time period enhances this effect by printing the leaves atop a set of irisé, or rainbow colored stripes.) … Continued

Florence Place Foliate

The Florence Place house is no longer at its original site but at another location in Louisiana. It is not known in which room this paper was originally installed. What is certain is that this “papier peint” is French. Wallpapers imported from France were popular throughout America of the early 19th century and Louisiana was … Continued

Beall Foliate

Floral medallion designs began appearing in the 1820s and maintained popularity through the 1850s. This fine example was discovered in the family parlor of the Reasin Beall home, an Adamesque style brick and stone structure in Wooster, Ohio, built in 1826. Architectural evidence and the absence of hand-joined seams help date the manufacture and installation … Continued