WALLPAPER

The aim of this book is dual: to make understand by whom and how wallpapers were designed for more than two centuries, as well as to present the evolution of the main patterns until the beginning of the 20th century, a period of rupture in this field.

From the beginning of its history, wallpaper is an industrial product produced in factories which could reach 500 workers at the end of the 18th century. Each year, several dozen of new patterns are offered to customers under the leadership of an artistic director, often a distinguished artist. The designers who assist him are above all technicians who must in particular know how to repeat the motif throughout the roll without visible connection and achieve an attractive decoration using only a small number of colours. The patterns are often those used by craftsmen of furniture or textiles; wallpapers thus make it possible to imitate expensive textiles such as damask, silks, velvet and quilting at a lower cost. The architectural ornament and the arabesque were gradually replaced by antique motifs before being rejected in the 20th century. All periods have been loyal to plant ornaments in ever-changing forms: the flower can be stylized or, on the contrary, treated naturally according to the fashion of the days.

The presented choice of patterns is based on the collections of the Rixheim Wallpaper Museum, all accompanied by precise descriptions.