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Brown-toned landscape painting with a large pillared archway in front of a fenced lawn containing plants and several sitting and standing figures sprawled throughout, all against a blue background.
Unknown Maker, French, Gardens of the Palais Royal (Jardin du Palais Royal) Wallpaper. Mary B. Jackson Fund

Historic Wallpapers, 1750-1949

January 17 - April 6, 2003
Brown-toned landscape painting with a large pillared archway in front of a fenced lawn containing plants and several sitting and standing figures sprawled throughout, all against a blue background.
Unknown Maker, French, Gardens of the Palais Royal (Jardin du Palais Royal) Wallpaper. Mary B. Jackson Fund

Introduction

In the 18th century, European and American interiors were transformed by the rise of a new kind of wall treatment. Wallpaper - mass-produced, affordable, and highly practical - reached a broader audience than fine prints and paintings. This wide distribution prompted wallpaper artists to heed the contemporary interests of the expanding consumer class. As a result, wallpaper often recorded social changes as they were expressed in the shifting relationship between high art and popular culture throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

This exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Department of Decorative Arts at The RISD Museum and participants in a graduate seminar directed by Professor Catherine Wilkinson Zerner, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, Brown University. The seminar is part of a RISD Museum program supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; the exhibition is supported in part by the Felicia Fund and the Sachem Foundation.

Jayne Stokes

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Historic Wallpapers: 1750-1949

In the 18th century, European and American interiors were transformed by the rise of a new kind of wall treatment. Wallpaper - mass-produced, affordable, and highly practical - reached a broader audience than fine prints and paintings. This wide distribution prompted wallpaper artists to heed the contemporary interests of the expanding consumer class. As a result, wallpaper often recorded social changes as they were expressed in the shifting relationship between high art and popular culture throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

Selected Objects

No Image Available

Eugène Ehrmann

El Dorado
No Image Available

Eugène Ehrmann

El Dorado
Elaborate trophy tribute to Homer, with his bust prominently placed atop a classical pedestal, adorned with laurels, flanked by mythical griffins, and surrounded by instruments of poetry and knowledge.

Xavier Mader

Trophy with Bust of Homer Wallpaper
Tall, narrow panel of aged, elegant wallpaper featuring a central pastoral scene with surrounding floral patterns and ornate borders. The pattern is depicted in pastel colors against a beige background.

Jean Baptiste Pillement

Wallpaper Panel

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Wallpaper
Segment of traditional Chinese wallpaper depicting four people in scholarly attire walking in a serene courtyard. The scene features intricate railings and potted plants, with a peacock in the foreground.

Unknown Maker, Chinese

Wallpaper with a Court Scene
No Image Available

Dagobert Peche

Spitze (Lace)
Scene depicting Paris’ momentous decision, flanked by the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite with Hermes as an observer, set against a subtle tan background.

Xavier Mader

The Judgment of Paris (Le jugement de Pâris) Wallpaper
  • More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Historic Wallpapers, 1750-1949

January 17 - April 6, 2003
View Checklist pdf
View Checklist pdf
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