Type: Wallpaper
Robbins Ashlar
Ashlar papers – decorative schemes imitating cut stone – were a fashionable choice for larger public spaces like entry halls and staircases from the early through mid-nineteenth century. Over that period the form grew more elaborate, with imitation stonework eventually incorporating columns, cornices, and panels. Found in an East Lexington, Massachusetts home associated with the … Continued
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
Lilac and Catkin Vine
This botanically vibrant vine is superb representation of the type of wallpaper which were being produced in late 18th century New England. While the historical document is in poor condition, a smaller, but more intact sample is housed in the archives of Strawbery Banke, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It was from this fragment that the … Continued
Pope Villa Snowflake
This delicate pattern was discovered in one of the most important and ground breaking examples of American domestic architecture, the Pope Villa in Lexington, Kentucky. The house was designed in about 1815 by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, one of America’s first professional architects, and built for Senator John Pope and his wife Eliza, who was a … Continued
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
Bon Fire
The enigmatic nature of this design, though created over 200 years ago, hints of more modern sensibilities. Printed in an assertive colorway, it was produced by the French company Manufacture Bon in the late 18th century. The company of Richard Bon – or Jean Richard Bon – was responsible for a number of well documented, … Continued
Jay Moire
There is a long practiced tradition of wallpaper imitating other decorative materials: stone, wood and, most notably, textiles such as drapery and lace. Jay Moire, depicting a fine silk, is another such example. In 1844 in his diary William Jay noted about his visit to the Palace de L’Elysees: “Some of the apartments are hung … Continued
Gore Place Sprig
Gore Place Sprig , a surprisingly modern rendition of the always popular sprig-type design, belongs in relatively sparsely populated design category: the major negative area of the pattern – the background – is the block printed portion. It is the “tree” shape which is the color of the ground paint, showing through the holes in … Continued
Cone Vine
Very little is known about this rather fanciful pattern. A near pristine example was discovered lining the inside of a domed topped, faux-mahogany grained box. While drafting a pattern from the interior of a container was tricky, the colors were fairly true and easy to match, having not been exposed to light. Our sources have … Continued
Tussie-Mussie Trellis
Designed and printed with the ever popular format of light color mirroring dark on a medium ground – white and black on grey in this case – Tussie Mussie Trellis creates a striking sense of structural depth, primarily in the shadows of the honeycomb trellis. Fragments of this pattern were discovered in the hall of … Continued