Pattern: Foliate
Parrot Tulip Foliate
This fierce, yet restrained depiction of an arrangement of Parrot Tulips was discovered in the front hall of “The Evergreens” in Amherst, Massachusetts. Constructed in 1857 for Emily Dickinson’s brother Austin and his new wife Susan, the home is located on a lot adjacent to the Dickinson Homestead. Although the original wallpaper was a machine … Continued
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