Review of the Papered Wall: the History, Patterns and Techniques of Wallpaper by Lesley Hoskins

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2006

Review of The Papered Wall: The History, Patterns and Techniques of Wallpaper by Lesley Hoskins

Jérémie Cerman Université de Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne

Pamela J. Warner University of Rhode Island, [email protected]

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Citation/Publisher Attribution Cerman, Jérémie. Review of The Papered Wall: The History, Patterns and Techniques of Wallpaper, by Lesley Hoskins. Translated by Pamela J. Warner. Studies in the Decorative Arts 14 (2006): 124-27. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/studdecoarts.14.1.40663294

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LesleyHoskins, ecL The PaperedWall: The that the expressionpapiers de tapisserie,originated by the History,Patterns and Techniquesof Wallpaper, wood engraverJean Michel Papillon(who claimedthat his 2nd ed. Londonand New York: Thames& Hudson,2005» father,Jean Papillon II [1661-1723],invented wallpaper in 272 pp.,216 colorpls., 153 b/wills., bibliog., gloss., index. 1688;p. 15) and designatingpapers of higher quality, should Paper, $34.95, £19.95. also be takeninto considerationin any historyof the pre- cursorsof paintedand printedpapers. In 1994,the publication of The PaperedWall a collec- Fromthe sheetof paperto the roll,England was the tive endeavorunder the directionof LesleyHoskins, then countrythat saw the fastestevolution that the fieldwould and now curatorat the Museumof DomesticDesign and experience,which is the subjectthat Anthony Wells-Cole Architecture,Middlesex University, U.K., filledthe need for addressesin chapter2. He clearlyanalyzes the appearance as a new,serious, and completework dealing with the overall well as the inventionat the veryend of the seventeenth historyof wallpaper. Bringing together international special- centuryof lengths made of sheets joined together. Moreover, ists,Hoskins's volume analyzed the technicalas well as the fromtechnical and commercialpoints of view he surveysthe stylisticevolution of the medium, from its origins to ourown historyof Britishwallpaper through the firstthird of the time.The closestcomparison then was the Germanbook nineteenthcentury, noting the growingimportance of Tapeten:Ihre Geschichte bis zurGegenwart by HeinrichOl- flockedpapers. He does not, however,forget the stylistic ligs,a vaststudy in threevolumes, published in 1970. Now questionsfollowing such fashions as the imitationof textiles Thames &l Hudson,noting renewed interest in wallpaper and the GothicRevival taste. and its supportamong certain designers, has issueda new The rapiddevelopment that the fieldenjoyed in Eu- editionof The PaperedWall, augmentedby a chapteron rope, however,does not cause Hoskins to overlookthe recenttrends as well as by an updatedreference section, simultaneousimportance of Chinese wallpaperimported which includeswallpaper collections open to the public, into the Westernworld via the variousEast India compa- suppliersof historicpatterns, and additionalsources of in- nies.In chapter3 Gill Saunders,the wallpaper curator at the formation.The volumeis otherwisecloser to a secondprint- Victoriaand AlbertMuseum in London,traces the produc- ing,however, but it offersa momentto revisitthe impor- tion and marketingof these Orientalproducts, the great tance of the original edition and to consider the majorityof whichwere hand-painted, through their differ- contributionsof the new chapter.It is regrettablethat this entdesigns, such as scenesof daily life, flora, and fauna,and new editionadds nothingabout research on wallpaperdur- theirWestern imitations. The authorconcentrates on Great ing the last ten years.Indeed, since 1994, this fieldhas Britain,but perhapsa moreinternational understanding of evolvedconsiderably. For instance, the contributions of two thequestion would have been preferablein a book intended Frenchdissertations, that of Christine Velut, which has just fora generalaudience. More attentioncould have been been publishedin a reworkedversion,1 and by Bernard paid,for example, to themost complete work on thesubject, Jacqué,2could have been takeninto consideration. Swedish byFriederike Wappenschmidt,4 which is citedsummarily in wallpaper,about which a sumptuousand voluminousbook a note here. has recentlybeen published,3could have been considered. The importanceof the developmentof wallpaperin In addition,several errors known to have slippedinto the Franceduring the late eighteenthcentury and nineteenth firstedition could have been corrected- butthey were not. centuriesis thentreated in no lessthan three chapters, 4-6. The questionof the originsof wallpaper remains com- Hoskins'sstrong point is again to have called on the best plex.In a clearand organizedmanner, Geert Wisse, a Dutch specialistsin the field.First of all, in chapter4, Bernard arthistorian specializing in wallpaper,treats this problem in Jacqué,curator of the Musée du PapierPeint in Rixheim thefirst chapter of the Hoskins book. He quotesa numberof (Alsace, France)since its openingmore than twentyyears rareaccounts, from the Germanicworld to Great Britain, ago, describeshow all of Franceenjoyed its goldenage in attestingto the use of papersto decorateceilings and walls wallpaperproduction. Manufacturers multiplied and pro- duringthe Renaissance,and thenemphasizes the consider- duced mostlyluxury wallpapers with innovative motifs for able lateseventeenth-century European production of sheets thehaute bourgeoisie, and theiroutput enjoyed international of paperprinted with motifsand hung one next to each supremacyand influence.Jacqué also emphasizesthe new otherto constitutea muraldecoration. These productions creativityof the motifsthat wereprinted then, and finds aregenerally called dominos, but the author judiciously notes theirrichness in threeareas: flowers, imitations of textiles,

This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.52.64 on Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:23:08 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions BookReviews 125 and ornamentalmotifs, such as architecturalelements, tro- does not escape the tendencyto see all thingsmodern as phies,or statues.Moreover, he does not forgetto consider derivingfrom England, even ifit is undeniablethat British the importantpilaster-and-panel sets of the 1840s and the productionhad a wideinfluence during this period. Research nonfiguralcompositions, always highly luxurious, produced remainsto be done on the real impactof aestheticreforms duringthe sameperiod. on theeffective distribution of Arts and Craftswallpapers in In chapter5 thesedecorative scenes are also mentioned interiorsof the era. The authornonetheless rightly states by Véroniquede Bruignac-laHougue, curator of the wall- thatthe ideas of Arts and Craftsartists could only fail in this paperdepartment at the Musée des ArtsDécoratifs in Paris. domain,because theirrevival of traditionalplate printing Thoughthe lack ofa transitionfrom the previous chapter is techniquescould not competewith the muchlower cost of noticeablehere, her contribution is valuablein considering articlesthat were mechanically mass-produced. thegreat variety of decorative ensembles produced between The threeauthors of chapter9 exploreprecisely this about1760 and about 1830. Her chapterconveys the entire questionof production means during the lastdecades of the fashionof an era, fromthe importantvogue for papers nineteenthcentury, when the supplyand demandfor wall- paintedwith arabesques - notably,the famouscreations of paper saw an importantexpansion. This proliferationis Jean-BaptisteRéveillon's manufacture (1725-1811) - to al- studiedfrom a numberof different points of view, including legoricalrepresentations, as well as productsdestined for the numerousand rapidtechnical innovations - forexam- ceilings.Finally, chapter 6, by Odile Nouvel of the Musée ple, the developmentof "sanitary"wallpaper in GreatBrit- des Arts Décoratifs,is dedicatedto scenic wallpapers.At ain- to the increasinglyfierce competitive market. ("Sani- thatmuseum she supervisedthe catalogueof a vast exhibi- tary"wallpapers were washable and were printedwith tion on the topic in 1990,5and here she appraisesthese engravedcopper rollers, making it possibleto producelarge decorativeensembles, exclusively produced in Franceduring quantitiesat a low cost.) This analysisfocuses on the pro- the nineteenthcentury, and conscientiouslysummarizes ductionof threecountries that still have an activeindustry whatwas at stakein theirdevelopment, including the desire today:England, covered by ChristineWoods, curatorof to make a majorgenre of wallpaper,as well as technical, wallpaperat theWhitworth Art Gallery of Manchester; the iconographie,and stylisticmatters. UnitedStates, examined by Joanne Kosuda Warner, former Carefulto approachthe historyof wallpaperinterna- wallpapercurator at the Cooper-HewittMuseum, New tionally,The Papered Wall next explores the use ofthese wall York;and France,explored by BernardJacqué. If the book coveringsin theUnited States. This is documentedfrom the here is not exhaustivefrom a geographicpoint of view, verybeginning of the eighteenthcentury, as RichardC. somethingthat would have been difficultto achieve, it Nylandershows in chapter7, fromthe earlyimportation of nonethelesshas the meritof underliningthe greatstylistic paintedpapers from England and France,to the progressive diversityof wallpapersthat were then put on the market, developmentof Americanmanufactures beginning in the betweenan alwayspreponderant historicism and themoder- 1780s.This chapteris veryrich in sources,and notablein nitiesof Artsand Craftsand Art Nouveau,which were at accountingfor the workingsof the market.This partof the firstonly timidly adopted. bookcloses with the development of mechanical production ArtNouveau, an importanttransition toward modern- ofwallpaper in theUnited States (following that of Europe), ism,would have an importantimpact on the productionof whichthis time ensures an adequatetransition to the next wallpaperin the veryfirst years of the twentiethcentury. In chapter. chapter10, by Sabine Thümmler,curator at the Deutsches Chapter8, by JoannaBanham, of the Täte Britain, Tapetenmseumin Kassel,Germany, and MarkTurner, the tacklescentral questions for the nineteenth century, such as transitiontoward modernism in the earlytwentieth century the developmentof mechanizationin the Englishproduc- could have been more developed,as scholarshipon this tionof wallpaper, with the introductionof cylinder printing periodhas considerablyadvanced since the firstedition of and, above all, the considerablerenewal in the market The PaperedWall The firstmilestone marked by an exhibi- duringthe second half of the century. Banham examines the tion on the subjectwas organizedat the Musée du Papier mannerin whichEngland responded to the predominance Peint in Rixheimin 1997,6 and thereis universitywork of Frenchwallpapers, as well as the nativeresponse - from currentlyin process.7Art Deco production,for which much Owen Jonesto WilliamMorris and others- to the banality researchstill remains to be done, is handledbetter in this of industriallyproduced products. Unfortunately the author chapter,which notes in the sectionheaded "Art Deco" the

This content downloaded by the authorized user from 192.168.52.64 on Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:23:08 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 126 Studiesin theDecorative Arts/F all-Winter 2006-2007 desireof wallpapermanufacturers to move in the direction impactof what is shownin sheltermagazines remains to be of modernart, while it also addressesthe "crisisof the defined.Similarly, the creativityof Germanproducers has motif,"that is, the hostility toward ornament in thecontext been importantin recentyears, and, whileit is mentioned of a desirefor the purificationof decorationfrom Le Cor- here and exemplifiedby AS Creation,it could have been busierto theBauhaus and thepreference for all-white walls. emphasized,since manufacturersthere have called on tal- A fairlycomplete panorama of the wallpaperindustry enteddesigners such as UlfMorritz at Marburg,who deserve fromthe end ofthe Second WorldWar to 1970 is presented citationin these pages. Schoeser wants to be optimistic in the eleventhchapter, in whichJoanne Kosuda Warner aboutthe future of wallpaper but primarily in elitistsettings: describesthe United States and Lesley Hoskins surveys producers,beset by persistent economic difficulties, are still Europe.Here thereader will find a gooddeal ofinformation waitingfor a truerenewal of intereston the part of the concerningthe postwarrevival of wallpaper,the numerous consumer,in spiteof a certainreturn to whatis considered technologicalinnovations that it experienced,such as flex- good tastein motifs. ography(or flat-screenprinting), and thediversity of motifs, The book closeswith a "Postscript"by Sarah Mansell, whichas everreflected designers' evident artistic research in in a fewjudicious pages about the conservationand resto- relationto fashions.Given the authors'interest in style, rationof wallpaper. She is sensitiveto the inherentdifficul- theycould have said moreabout the cateringto consumers ties in the preservationof this fragilepatrimony, which thatbegan in the middleof the 1960s,particularly in the seemsmost often destined to disappeartoo quickly.Finally, contextof the developmentand mass diffusionof Pop- followingthe notes and thebibliography, the reader will find inspiredproducts. importantpractical information, notably a glossaryand an Nonetheless,the important longevity of Pop wallpapers updatedlist of places where wallpaper collections are acces- in theseventies is presentedin thetwelfth chapter, by Mary sible. (The most importantcollections, such as those of Schoeser,a well-knowntextile specialist. She treatswallpa- Rixheimand Kassel,could have been starredas a helpto the perthrough 1994, in a historythat began with the success of reader,but thisis a minorpoint.) thistype of wall covering with large flowers and strongcolors Because The PaperedWall addressesthe technicaland in the early1970s to the crisisfelt beginning in the 1980s. artistichistory of wallpaper in a clearand reasonedmanner, The authorexplains conciselyhow the industryviewed whileattempting to be as completeas possible,it remainsa importantchanges, as motifsbecame largely run-of-the-mill majorreference work today, as muchfor the amateuras for and wallpaperproducts, now sold in departmentstores, the connoisseur.It also featuresone of the richestillustra- playedwith materialeffects deriving from new technical tionsavailable of the diversityof the subject.This second investigations,such as vinyl,plastics, and fakefabric tex- editionis thereforewelcome, but relativeto the 1994 edi- turesproduced through thermal molding. tion,all it adds is the supplementarychapter on develop- Schoeseris also the authorof the new chapter,13, mentssince 1995 and updatedlists of wallpaper collections, added to thissecond edition of The PaperedWall, covering additionalsources of information,and suppliersof historic the state of the fieldsince 1995. As her title "Limited patternsat the end of the book. Nonetheless,The Papered Editions"suggests, she focuseson creationsof an artistic Wallremains an essentialwork for a betterunderstanding of nature,revealing the renewal of interest in wallpaperamong the subject,as muchfor the qualityof its textsas forthe designersand decoratorsin the 1990s. Throughoutthese multiplicityof viewpointsits authorsemploy. pagesare reproduced some very beautiful examples attesting jeremieCerman to thisimportant renewal. Beyond the artisticmilieu, how- Ph.D. candidatein arthistory ever,the wallpaper products aimed at a wideraudience could Universitéde ParisI Panthéon-Sorbonne have been describedmore fully,specifically because the (Translatedby Pameh ]. Warner)

NOTES

1. ChristineVelut, Décors de papier:Production, commerce et usagesdes papiers 3. IngeldBroström and ElisabetStavenow-Hidemark, Tapetboken: Pappersta- peintsà Paris,1750Ί820 (Paris,2005). peteni Svierige(Stockholm, 2004).

2. BernardJacqué, De la manufactureau mur:Pour une histoirematérielle du 4. FriederikeWappenschmidt, Chinesische Tapeten für Europa: Vom Rollbild papierpeint (1770Ί914) (Universitéde Lyon2- Lumière,2003). zurBildtapete (Berlin, 1989).

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5. Papierspeints panoramiques, exh. cat. (Paris: Musée des Arts Décoratifs, 7. The authorof thisbook reviewis currentlyworking on a doctorateabout 1990). wallpaperaround 1900.

6. Papierspeints Art nouveau, exh. cat. (Gingins:Fondation Neumann; Rix- heim:Musée du PapierPeint, 1997).

Neil Kamil,Fortress of the Soul: Violence, storyof survival,because it was seen as analogousto and Metaphysics,and MaterialLife in theHuguenots' inseparablefrom spiritual practice. The slow,patient work of New World, 1517*1751. Baltimoreand London: the Huguenotartisan was not just practical,Kamil writes, JohnsHopkins University Press, 2005. 1,058 pp., 185 but an equivalentto and an extensionof the workof the b/wills., 2 maps,index. $75. soul. This equationbetween work and worshipwas in turn conditionedby alchemicalideas about transformationand purification,so thatHuguenot potters and furnituremakers Neil Kamil'sFortress of theSoul demandsdeep respect understoodthemselves as "soulishreformers of matter"(p. fromits reader - noris thatall it demands.Over 1,000pages xix). Their would have been viewed longand writtenin dense,knotty language, so learnedas to products "through code-obsessed 442) in theirown time,and mustbe be nearlycryptic, the book is quiteevidently the productof eyes"(p. Thus Kamil has done morethan decadesof scholarlylabor. Kamil writes in his introduction interpretedaccordingly. thathe has addressedhis text to "historiansof science as contributeto the alreadysizable literature on the Hugue- nots. Fortress theSoul is a model of the well as historiansof religion,technology, art and artisanry, of analysis early moderncraftsman as a self-consciousactor in his- sexuality(and the body), agriculture,human geography, cultural, and intellectual textualcriticism, the book, ecology, and, I hope mostof all, torical, struggle. The betweenthe hermeticand the arti- the colonizationof pluralisticNew World societies"(pp. relationship sanal- the secret ofthe and thetrade xix-xx).In fact,this is onlya partiallist of potential readers, knowledge laboratory secretsof the - has been a favored so wide is this volume'schronological, geographical, and workshop subjectamong historiansof science most Pamela H. disciplinaryrange. When the phrase"material culture" was recently, notably Lawrence William R. William firstdevised in the 1960s, its pioneersmight have had Smith, Principe, Newman, and Pamela O. These scholarshave de- somethingexactly like Fortressof theSoul in mind- a syn- Eamon, Long.1 theticmaster narrative in which ideas, artworks,biogra- scribedalchemical practice as a craftin itsown right, which phies,themes of sociopolitical change, and especiallyobjects was not antitheticalto modernscience, but ratherformed are woven into a matrixthat feelsas complexas history the bedrockof progressiveexperimental methods. Smith in itself.Now thatit has arrived,how to do it justice? particularhas writtenof alchemyas a conceptualtemplate Kamil hasn't made it easy for us. His subject,the forother sorts of transformativework, other "arts." To this diasporaculture of the Huguenots following the catastrophic importantargument, which is onlybeginning to attractthe fallof their redoubt at La Rochellein 1627-1628and again attentionof decorative art historians, Kamil adds a vastand afterthe revocationof the Edict of Nantes in 1685, offers historicallyspecific narrative about the Huguenotdiaspora. everyopportunity for convolution. Kamil's centralthesis, Given thatcommunity's tremendous influence in Northern indeed,is predicatedon theidea ofdifficulty. He arguesthat Europe,England, and America,and theirfrequent associa- FrenchProtestant culture, in thecrucible of persecution that tionwith both the hermeticand artisanalarts, what he has was CatholicFrance in the sixteenthand seventeenthcen- to say about theirmetaphysical worldview should be of turies,developed a threefoldstrategy for evading violent interestto anystudent of earlymodern material culture. oppression:silence, secrecy, and self-sufficiency.The objects In practice,Kamil apparentlybelieves that his core the Huguenotscreated were purposefullyhermetic texts, convictionsabout Huguenot culture give him license to read illegibleto outsiders.For this marginalized culture, artisanal into objects creatively,and the resultwill probablybe a skillswere the prime guarantor of safety, a kind of armor that constantstrain on the credulityof some readers.Like the allowedindividuals to support(and hence protect)them- alchemistsamong the Huguenotshe studies,Kamil pores selves. When the Huguenotsemigrated to Holland, En- overseemingly self-explanatory or incidental matters in the gland,and theNew Worldin theseventeenth century, they huntfor hidden meanings. Thus, forexample, he portrays carriedwith them this precept. Craft was centralto their the naturaldecorative motifs on waresmade by the famous

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