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On display

Mickey Mouse

Wallpaper
ca. 1930 (made)
Artist/Maker
Arthur Sanderson & Sons Ltd. (manufacturer)
The Walt Disney Company (artists)
Place of origin
England (made)

The first film starring the cartoon character Mickey Mouse appeared in 1928. It was made by the Walt Disney studio. This wallpaper was produced only two years later, which shows how quickly Mickey Mouse became popular. It is also a very early example of commercial products linked to films for children. Wallpapers designed specifically for children first appeared in the1850s and became an increasingly important part of the wallpaper market.

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Discover more about this object
read Wallpapers for children Thanks to the separation of workplace and home, British middle-class houses in the early 19th century had, for the first time, sufficient space to dedicate rooms, and even whole floors, to the accommodation of children and their carers – the nursemaid (later nanny) and the governess.

Object details

Category
Wall Coverings
Object type
Wallpaper
TitleMickey Mouse (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Hand-painted, with flock, on paper
Flock
Paper
Hand Painted
Flocking
Colour Machine Print
Brief description
Portion of 'Mickey Mouse' border and frieze, with Mickey and Minnie Mouse waving at multiple versions of Mickey Mouse flying in aeroplanes; Colour machine print, with flock and hand-painting; Produced by Arthur Sanderson & Sons Ltd; English; ca. 1930.
Physical description
Portion of 'Mickey Mouse' border and frieze, with Mickey and Minnie Mouse waving at multiple versions of Mickey Mouse flying in aeroplanes; Hand-painted, with flock and hand-painting.
Dimensions
  • Frieze height: 29.6cm
  • Frieze width: 53cm
  • Border height: 23.7cm
  • Border width: 53.3cm
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.
Credit line
Given by the Arthur Sanderson & Sons' branch of the Wall Paper Manufacturers Ltd. Design © Disney Enterprises Inc.
Object history
Given by Arthur Sanderson & Sons' branch of the Wallpaper Manufacturers Ltd.
Subjects depicted
Aeroplane
Mickey Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Summary
The first film starring the cartoon character Mickey Mouse appeared in 1928. It was made by the Walt Disney studio. This wallpaper was produced only two years later, which shows how quickly Mickey Mouse became popular. It is also a very early example of commercial products linked to films for children. Wallpapers designed specifically for children first appeared in the1850s and became an increasingly important part of the wallpaper market.
Bibliographic references
  • 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.
  • Saunders, Gill. Wallpaper in Interior Decoration. V&A Publications. London, 2002. pp. 138. pl 123.
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.3100-1930

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Record createdMarch 3, 2003
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O75742/mickey-mouse-wallpaper-arthur-sanderson/
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