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Object Timeline

-0001

1986

  • We acquired this object.

2013

2014

2016

2017

2024

  • You found it!

Object ID #18806073

This is a Sidewall and attached border. It is dated ca. 1792 and we acquired it in 1986. Its medium is block printed on handmade paper. It is a part of the Wallcoverings department.

This is a paper from the French Revolution, wood block-printed ca. 1792. The citizens of France felt that the Revolution could not be won just by fighting in political circles or on the battlefield and had to also occur in the ordinary citizen’s everyday life. It was believed that symbols had a powerful effect on the spirit and could reinforce the validity of the new principles. The domestic nature of wallpaper as well its repetitive aspect made it an ideal medium for portraying such motifs, and bringing these ideals into the home. This paper contains numerous symbols of the Revolution including the red Phrygian cap, cockade, and a banner with the words liberty and equality, which are all combined in this rather beautiful format. Unlike posters or flyers used today for the spread of information, these are block-printed wallpapers, made by some of the top French manufacturers. The Cooper Hewitt contains about a dozen different versions of these papers, both sidewalls and borders.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled French Revolution Wallpapers.

This object was donated by Mrs. John Jay Ide. It is credited Gift of John Jay Ide Collection.

  • Sidewall (France)
  • block printed on handmade paper.
  • Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council.
  • 1925-1-370

Its dimensions are

H x W: 45.5 x 77.5 cm (17 15/16 x 30 1/2 in. )

Cite this object as

Object ID #18806073; France; block printed on handmade paper; H x W: 45.5 x 77.5 cm (17 15/16 x 30 1/2 in. ); Gift of John Jay Ide Collection; 1986-106-1

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition The Virtue in Vice.

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/18806073/ |title=Object ID #18806073 |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=26 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>