Sidewall (possibly USA)

This charming landscape paper features various scenes of a busy yet peaceful farm. Views include harvesting and gathering wheat, a cow being milked, and a farmer plowing a field while another sows seeds. These are interspersed with scenes of ducks paddling in a brook, sheep lounging in a meadow, and horses frolicking in a pasture. The colors are all rather monochromatic with each scene gently blending into another.

As noted in the selvedge this is a Sanitary Wall Paper which meant it could be wiped clean. These early washable wallpapers were recommended for nurseries, rooms for the elderly, or any rooms susceptible to dirt or moisture. While most wallpapers at this time were printed with water-soluble pigments that could not be cleaned, this design was intaglio printed with oil pigments. The intaglio print uses an engraved copper roller which prints in a unique stippled effect, and is the only printing technique that could create a shaded effect. Intaglio-printed wallpapers first appeared in the early 1870s.

Early children’s papers were designed to be educational and designs of this sort were highly recommended. The animals would be familiar to most children and rendered realistically so as not to cause confusion. The farm hands are all working diligently which would inspire a good work ethic. And the scenes are fun and inviting and would allow parents to easily create stories to tell their children.

Sidewall (possibly USA); machine printed with engraved rollers; 65 x 56.5 cm (25 9/16 x 22 1/4 in.); Gift of Aimée and Rosamond Lamb; 1973-2-14

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Rooms with a View: Landscape & Wallpaper.