History Wallpaper

hand-painted chinese wallpaper showing funeral procession, made european market, c. 1780

in 1712, during reign of queen anne, wallpaper tax introduced not abolished until 1836. mid-eighteenth century, britain leading wallpaper manufacturer in europe, exporting vast quantities europe in addition selling on middle-class british market. trade disrupted in 1755 7 years war , later napoleonic wars, , heavy level of duty on imports france.

in 1748 british ambassador paris decorated salon blue flock wallpaper, became fashionable there. in 1760s french manufacturer jean-baptiste réveillon hired designers working in silk , tapestry produce of subtle , luxurious wallpaper ever made. sky blue wallpaper fleurs-de-lys used in 1783 on first balloons montgolfier brothers. landscape painter jean-baptiste pillement discovered in 1763 method use fast colours.

hand-blocked wallpapers these use hand-carved blocks , 18th century designs include panoramic views of antique architecture, exotic landscapes , pastoral subjects, repeating patterns of stylized flowers, people , animals.

in 1785 christophe-philippe oberkampf had invented first machine printing coloured tints on sheets of wallpaper. in 1799 louis-nicolas robert patented machine produce continuous lengths of paper, forerunner of fourdrinier machine. ability produce continuous lengths of wallpaper offered prospect of novel designs , nice tints being displayed in drawing rooms across europe.

wallpaper manufacturers active in england in 18th century included john baptist jackson , john sherringham. among firms established in 18th-century america: j. f. bumstead & co. (boston), william poyntell (philadelphia), john rugar (new york).

high-quality wallpaper made in china became available later part of 17th century; entirely handpainted , expensive. can still seen in rooms in palaces , grand houses including nymphenburg palace, Łazienki palace, chatsworth house, temple newsam, broughton castle, lissan house, , erddig. made 1.2 metres wide. english, french , german manufacturers imitated it, beginning printed outline coloured in hand, technique used in later chinese papers.

19th century