Pattern: Medallion/Rosette

The Georgian style home of Frederick Van Cortlandt, in The Bronx, was commissioned in 1748. However, the dining room wallpaper reproduced here was a later, 19th century addition. By this time American clients viewed France, rather than England, as the preferred source for high end wallpapers. The original Jacquemart et Bernard pattern (#5063) is an … Continued

Although found covering an American made bandbox, the Urns & Medallion pattern was most likely printed in France between 1790 and 1810. Not only does this mid-scale paper include the neoclassical motif of urns placed in a formal frame, typical of French patterns of the period, but it employs a cross diagonal structure not unlike … Continued

Medium-scale medallions used as a central motif were found in patterns from the 1820s to the 1840s. Most likely of American origin, this paper is quite representative of the period; it was found in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Its relatively modest size suggests that it would have been used for a bedroom or parlor, perhaps augmented by … Continued

This relatively modest pattern was uncovered during the renovation of a home in Georgetown, Delaware. Originally machine printed, it contains elements of both an earlier aesthetic and hints of the direction in which wallpaper design was to develop. The use of highly defined imitation plaster or stucco motifs echoes neoclassical devices of the early 1800s, … Continued

The source for this pattern is a wallpaper fragment discovered beneath a 19th century cornice in the Thomas Everard House in the historic 18th century town of Williamsburg, Virginia. The diamond shaped design is formed by four slender scrolled leaves surrounding a foliate medallion. The scrolling and symmetry of the leaves are typical of the … Continued

Architectural patterns such as the Coffered Rosette, which today might seem to be intended for a ceiling, were, in the 19th century, typically used as a sidewall paper for a large public space, such as a hall or stairway.The original document for Adelphi’s reproduction of this pattern was found covering the lid of a well-used … Continued

A very few fragments of this medallion pattern were discovered pasted directly to the wood sheathing of a second floor room at the Bull’s Head Inn in Cobleskill, New York, just 14 miles from our workshop in Sharon Springs. The building was originally constructed as an inn for Lambert Lawyer; it was transformed into a … Continued