A History of Wallpapers
A history of wallpapers is not just a record of ornamental patterns and designs but also of technological ingenuity, changing patterns of consumption and domestic taste. The earliest wallpapers were used for the insides of cupboards and smaller rooms in merchants' houses rather than in the grander interiors of aristocracy, but by the end of the 19th century they were found in almost every house.
Until the middle of the 18th century all wallpapers were produced by hand using block-printing that was both labour intensive and expensive. Improvements in printing technology enabled manufacturers to produce a wide range of patterns at a fraction of the cost. The first machine-printed wallpapers appeared thin and colourless beside the richer effect of block-printing, but they were quicker and cheaper to make than their hand-blocked counterparts.
The popularity of wallpapers grew as the manufacturing industry improved. Colours could be printed in much wider palettes than those used in paint and oil-based pigments allowed the wallpaper to be washed without damaging the colours. By the early 1900s, designers and manufacturers were experimenting with new pattern ideas and styles, creating a plethora of options for those who still wanted to use traditional stylised leaf and flower patterns.
As people became aware of the dangers of arsenic in wallpapers, they began to demand products that were free of this poisonous substance. Manufacturers introduced a range of wallpapers called Patent Hygienic Wallpapers which were washable, arsenic-free and made with oil-based pigments.