Wallpaper
ca. 1850-1860 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
By the mid-19th century French wallpapers had reached an unprecedented level of technical expertise. As in Britain, naturalistic floral designs and designs with trompe l'oeil (‘trick of the eye’, an illusion) architectural features were very popular. However, this was exactly the kind of wallpaper pattern that dominated the displays of wallpaper manufacture at the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851. Such wallpapers appalled the design critics, who argued instead that they should be composed of flat and unassertive patterns.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
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| Materials and techniques | Colour print from woodblocks, on paper |
| Brief description | Two portions of wallpaper with a naturalistic floral stripe against a blue ground, framed by a rococo pilaster motif, intended for use together to show the complete repeat; Colour print from woodblocks, on paper; Anonymous; France; ca. 1850-60. |
| Physical description | Two portions of wallpaper with a naturalistic floral stripe against a blue ground, framed by a rococo pilaster motif, intended for use together to show the complete repeat; Design features a bunches of roses, dahlias and hollyhocks and sprays of convolvulus, on a blue ground, with borders simulating moulding; Colour print from woodblocks, on paper. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by the Curator of the City Museum, Gloucester |
| Object history | Given by the Curator of the City Museum, Gloucester. These unused specimens of wallpaper were discovered at Hardwicke, near Gloucester. |
| Production | These unused specimens of wallpaper were discovered at Hardwicke, near Gloucester. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | By the mid-19th century French wallpapers had reached an unprecedented level of technical expertise. As in Britain, naturalistic floral designs and designs with trompe l'oeil (‘trick of the eye’, an illusion) architectural features were very popular. However, this was exactly the kind of wallpaper pattern that dominated the displays of wallpaper manufacture at the Great Exhibition held in London in 1851. Such wallpapers appalled the design critics, who argued instead that they should be composed of flat and unassertive patterns. |
| Bibliographic reference | Oman, Charles C., and Hamilton, Jean. Wallpapers: a history and illustrated catalogue of the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: Sotheby Publications, in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1982. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.771-1955 |
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| Record created | March 14, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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