On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Wallpaper

ca. 1850-1851 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Place
Pugin was in charge of decorative furnishings for the Houses of Parliament in London, known at the time as the New Palace of Westminster. This is one of over 100 wallpapers that Pugin created for the Houses of Parliament. Many of these wallpapers were designed for specific rooms - in this case for the Royal Gallery.

Design & designing
The Museum also has the original watercolour design for this wallpaper, signed and dated 1850 [museum number D.791-1908]. In a pattern book of wallpapers supplied for the redecoration of the Houses of Parliament, examples of this paper are labelled as 'Exhibition Pattern', which suggests that it was shown in the Medieval Court at the Great Exhibition in 1851. The design is clearly influenced by the patterns of cut-velvet textiles from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Colour print from wood blocks, with flock, on paper
Brief description
A portion of wallpaper with a formalized leaf-and-fruit pattern on a background of basket-weave pattern; Colour print from wood block and dark-red flock, on a buff ground; Designed by A. W. N. Pugin, for the Royal Gallery of the Houses of Parliament; Produced by Samuel Scott for J. G. Crace; England; ca.1850-51.
Physical description
A portion of wallpaper with a formalized leaf-and-fruit pattern on a background of basket-weave pattern; Colour print from wood block and dark-red flock, on a buff ground.
Dimensions
  • Height: 84cm
  • Width: 57cm
Dimensions from: 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.
Style
Gallery label
24 WALLPAPER
About 1850-1851
This wallpaper is one of more than a hundred that Pugin designed for the Houses of Parliament. A sample of this paper in a pattern book is labelled ‘Exhibition Pattern’, which suggests that it was probably exhibited in the Medieval Court at the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Print from woodblocks, with flock, on paper
Designed by A.W.N. Pugin (born in London, 1812, died in Ramsgate, Kent, 1852); manufactured in London by Samuel Scott, for the firm of J.G. Crace
Given by Cole & Sons (Wallpapers) Ltd
Museum no. E.155-1976
Credit line
Given by Cole & Son (Wallpapers) Ltd
Object history
Given by Cole & Son (Wallpapers) Ltd.
Designed for the Royal Gallery of the Houses of Parliament.
Pugin's watercolour design for this paper, signed and dated 1850, is D.791-1908. In the pattern book of wallpapers (E.137-1939) supplied for the redecoration of the Houses of Parliament examples of this paper are noted as 'Exhibition Pattern', perhaps indicating that it was shown in the Mediaeval Court at the Great Exhibition.
Production
Designed for the Royal Gallery of the Houses of Parliament.
Subject depicted
Association
Summary
Place
Pugin was in charge of decorative furnishings for the Houses of Parliament in London, known at the time as the New Palace of Westminster. This is one of over 100 wallpapers that Pugin created for the Houses of Parliament. Many of these wallpapers were designed for specific rooms - in this case for the Royal Gallery.

Design & designing
The Museum also has the original watercolour design for this wallpaper, signed and dated 1850 [museum number D.791-1908]. In a pattern book of wallpapers supplied for the redecoration of the Houses of Parliament, examples of this paper are labelled as 'Exhibition Pattern', which suggests that it was shown in the Medieval Court at the Great Exhibition in 1851. The design is clearly influenced by the patterns of cut-velvet textiles from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Associated object
E.137-1939 (Version)
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.155-1976

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Record createdDecember 12, 2005
Record URL
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