The Eldorado series was first produced by Zuber in 1849, and was so popular that it was reissued in 100 copies every two years until about 1870. It continued in production at intervals and is still available today. It pictures a sequence of lush exotic un-peopled landscapes in which each of the four (then-) known continents - Europe, Asia, Africa and America - is represented by its native plants and characteristic architecture. El Dorado, a mythical region or city of great wealth and opportunity, often thought to be located in South America, had come to stand as a symbol for riches and abundance. To buy such a decoration, which was itself expensive, was an overt display of the owner's wealth. This wallpaper (and similar decorations from other French wallpaper manufacturers, such as Defosse) was a seductive illusory equivalent of the conservatories and winter gardens that were features of the grandest houses at the time.