Unknown Maker, European

Although these blocks weren’t used to create any of the wallpapers in the Huard Collection, they are fascinating artifacts of historical printing processes. Craftsmen made these tools by carving designs into hardwood layered on a soft wood base. Made in a variety of sizes and designed to withstand hundreds of printings, wallpaper woodblocks were repaired if they became damaged. These examples were made to fit the width of a standard-size paper from that time.

By the 1840s, woodblock printing was being replaced by the quicker, more cost-effective method of roller printing. Some woodblock designs continued to be printed into the 1900s, but most were discontinued. Many woodblocks were burned as firewood during the hardships of World War I, when fuel was scarce and manufacturers believed they would never have use for these tools again.