The Art of
French Wallpaper Design
The Huard Collection
at the RISD Museum
Introduction to
French Wallpaper
Written by Emily Banas
The existence of wallpapers within museum collections is rare. Unlike sturdier mediums such as wood, metal, or ceramic, wallpapers are often viewed as fragile and ephemeral.
In the past, much like today, wallpaper designs typically reflected what was in vogue, and once papers were out of fashion, they were removed or pasted over. It is therefore not surprising that examples of historical wallpapers are few and far between, particularly those in good condition. To assemble a comprehensive collection today would be a difficult undertaking. Fortunately, the RISD Museum stewards one of the most significant collections of wallpapers in existence.
The Huard Collection is a microcosm of the industry and design of French eighteenth- and nineteenth-century papier peint (literally meaning painted paper) and a pinnacle of the time-intensive and highly skilled art of woodblock printing. In the 1700s, decorative papers (papier dominoté ) printed in France became popular for covering books, lining drawers, and adorning walls. By the end of that century, French artists and designers had developed wallpapers that were remarkably complex in terms of composition, texture, and richness of color. Although the woodblock printing process was replaced in the 1840s by mechanized roller printing, the quality of the wallpapers produced using a series of carved blocks could not be matched. The Huard Collection represents the height of artistic production by some of the most renowned French manufacturers, including Zuber, Joseph Dufour, and Jean-Baptiste Réveillon, and fine examples from once-known producers.
This collection also demonstrates how diverse wallpaper designs were. Repeating patterns illustrate the development of popular motifs and trends including florals, textiles, classical imagery, and abstract ornamentation. There was also a world of wallpapers beyond the repeats: singular panels made in imitation of paintings, architectural elements that could be cut out and arranged in a number of ways, and borders of all sizes for the top and bottom sections of walls. Because these examples came directly out of homes, they evidence the ways in which people altered and arranged their papers to create unique compositions. Many wallpapers also exhibit signs of touch-ups, from patching torn or abraded areas with extra paper to filling in entire sections with paint, either to repair or modify the designs.
Credits
This publication would not have been possible without the collaboration and support of many individuals. This project has been supported from the onset by my colleague in Decorative Arts and Design, Elizabeth A. Williams. The care and conservation of this collection by Ingrid Neuman, Bri Turner, and Christin Fitzgerald served as the catalyst for this exhibition. The publication benefitted from the expertise of Amy Pickworth and Sarah Ganz Blythe, publication design and production would not have been possible without Jeremy Radtke, Ariel Hirschhorn, Derek Schusterbauer, and Tina Zhou, and the wallpaper production was brought to life on film by Carlos De La Rosa and Erik Gould. I am thankful to Alexandra Poterack for her guidance throughout this process as my education partner, and to my curatorial colleagues for their unwavering encouragement.
I am incredibly grateful to my colleagues in France for their generosity of knowledge and time over the past few years in providing collection access and research guidance, including Véronique de La Houghe, Bernard Jacqué, Marion Neveu at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, and Cécile Vaxelaire at Musée du Papier Peint. I am also thankful for the on-going support of many colleagues at the Cooper Hewitt, including Emily M. Orr, who facilitated collection access and critical archival research, and the scientific research support from colleagues at Brown University, David Murray and Jamie Pahigian. A critical component of this exhibition and publication would not have been possible without the partnership of the folks at Adelphi Paper Hangings—Steve Larson, Michele Farwell, Jenn Hanford, and Jack Bryant. Finally. I am indebted to Andrew Raftery for his dedication, guidance, and enthusiasm, which has carried me through this process and bolstered my love of wallpapers.
This publication accompanies the exhibition The Art of French Wallpaper Design, on view at the RISD Museum November 16, 2024–May 11, 2025, made possible by a generous gift from the RISD Museum Associates. RISD Museum is supported by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and with the generous partnership of the Rhode Island School of Design, its Board of Trustees, and Museum Governors.
All content including images, text documents, audio, video, and interactive media published in this publication are governed by the risdmuseum.org terms of use.
The Art of French Wallpaper: The Huard Collection at the RISD Museum was published online in November 2024 by the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. Errors will be corrected in subsequent editions.
Contributors
Emily Banas, Brianna Turner, Andrew Raftery
RISD Museum Director
Tsugumi Maki
Assistant Director, Museum Publications
Amy Pickworth
Director, Digital Initiatives
Jeremy Radtke
Editor
Lyra Smith
Content Producer, Digital Initiatives
Carlos de la Rosa
Design Technologist
Ariel Hirschhorn
Designer
Tina Zhou
Museum Photographer
Erik Gould
Motion Graphics Designer
Jiyeon Johnston
Video Narration
Sarah Rachel Brown
Video Narration
Sarah Rachel Brown
Wallpaper Manufacturers at Adelphi
Steve Larson, Michele Farwell, Jenn Hanford, and Jack Bryant
Outside images from:
- © Les Arts Décoratifs/Christophe Dellière
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Source gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque nationale de France
- Phot. Jean-Marie Refflé. © Drac Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, 2014.
- Musée du Papier peint, Château de Mézières, Mézières, Switzerland