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See more objects with the tag domestic, wallcovering, floral, decorative, silhouette, vining.

Object Timeline

1972

  • We acquired this object.

2006

2012

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2024

  • You found it!

Sidewall (France)

This is a sidewall. It is dated 1840–70 and we acquired it in 1972. Its medium is block printed on satin ground, continuous paper. It is a part of the Wallcoverings department.

French wallpaper manufacturers were the masters of block-printing realistic-rendered floral and architectural designs. To achieve the high degree of realism seen in this wallpaper, each of the different elements required about six different shades to create a sense of roundness, with each color necessitating a separate woodblock. This design required about twenty blocks to print.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Wallpaper in Bloom.

This object was donated by Josephine Howell. It is credited Gift of Josephine Howell.

  • Sidewall (France)
  • block printed on handmade paper.
  • Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.
  • 1931-45-10

Its dimensions are

87 x 49.5 cm (34 1/4 x 19 1/2 in.) b) 87 x 49.5 cm c) 276 x 49.5 cm d) 557 x 49.5 cm

Cite this object as

Sidewall (France); block printed on satin ground, continuous paper; 87 x 49.5 cm (34 1/4 x 19 1/2 in.) b) 87 x 49.5 cm c) 276 x 49.5 cm d) 557 x 49.5 cm; Gift of Josephine Howell; 1972-42-202-a/d

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18476557/ |title=Sidewall (France) |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=19 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>