Articles About Wallpaper
Online Section
A Short History of Hand-joined Wallpaper
(presented at the "Early American Wallpaper" workshop, Eastfield Village, Nassau, N.Y., July 17-20, 1995)
Decorative Methods Used at Kathrineberg
Governor's Mansion (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands)
Background on Historic Wallpaper Types
Old House Journal: Wall-Prep Primer (Jan, 2005)
Old House Journal: Six Ways To Survive A Wallpapering Project (Jan, 2004)
The Paperhanger at Mid-Century (James Arrowsmith
This article originally appeared in Wallpaper Reproduction News 8(4), (Oct. 1997).
Articles About Wallpaper
Off-Line Section
"Frieze Frame", Old House Journal (Sept/Oct, 2001). Short history of the rise and fall of the wallpaper frieze in American decoration
"Wallpaper with Netting", by Linda Whitehead, Old House Journal (Sept/Oct, 1991). A good general article about the technique of covering plank walls with paperhanger's canvas. Never mind that the term "netting" has never been seen before or since.
"How Green Was My Valance", by P. Bartrip, English Historical Review, Sept. 1994. Wins our "best title of a scholarly article: 1994" award. The author sets out to learn how much of a threat arsenic really was, what rules were put into place in the home furnishing industry in England, and what the results were, and comes up with a surprising amount of data.
"From Chinese to Goth: Walpole and the Gothic Repudiation of Chinoiserie", by David Porter, in Eighteenth-Century Life, Vol. 23, Feb. 1999, 46-58. Porter tells us a lot about what, exactly, Gothic and Chinese styles represented in England in the 18th century. He attempts to explain why it is that the Gothic eventually won out over the Chinese in the battle of bizarre styles.
"The Battle of Austerlitz: Scenic Wallpaper: New Dating and Old Politics", by Sabine Thummler, Studies in the Decorative Arts, V.4, No. 2. (1997). A masterful 40 page dissection of the iconography of the paper. Thummler is the curator at the German wallpaper museum in Kassel. Similar approach to that of Rob Emlen (Imagining America in 1834) in tracking down the sources. For example, many are prints and fine art such as oil paintings. These are shown side by side with the finished paper, to compare and contrast rendering, but, more importantly, to discuss the intended meaning.
"Monstrous Beauty: 18th Century fashion and the Aesthetics of the Chinese Taste", in Eighteenth Century Studies, Vol. 35, No. 3, 2002, pp. 395-411. Porter ponders the meaning of Chinese taste, which was widespread in popular arts such as wallpaper. Highly theoretical, only occasionally entertaining, but persuasive.
"Jean-Baptiste Reveillon: A Man on the Make in Old Regime France", by Leonard Rosenband, in French Historical Studies, Vol. 20, No. 3. Long political article with fascinating detail about the man and his interactions with his workers, fellow tradesmen, and the public.
"Between Invention and Production: The Role of Design in the Manufacture of Wallpaper in France and England (1799-1801)" , by Christine Velut, Journal of Design History, V.17, No. 1. (2004), 55-69. Rather than viewing wallpaper in terms of style, use or technology, she breaks new ground in arguing that "design" of wallpaper is not so much a thing as it is a means of communication between parties. Goes a long way toward explaining why designers of wallpaper are so poorly paid.
"Imagining America in 1834", by Rob Emlen, Winterthur Portfolio 32:2/3, 1997. This is a very complete comparison of the images in Zuber's "Scenic America" with the sources, mostly the artwork of Milbert. Straight art history.
