PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Methods of wallpaper production and mounting
Besides its decorative properties, wallpaper has several additional
features that need to be taken into account during the
development of a conservation approach. Knowledge of the
methods of manufacture and use of materials is necessary for
an accurate interpretation of the surviving physical evidence
of a historic object.
The identification of pigments and fibres involves a straightforward
scientific process, but putting them into historical context
requires both understanding and experience. 174 Furthermore,
proper knowledge helps in choosing the right conservation
methodology and in predicting possible further damage.
Distinguishing a hand-made paper from a machine-made
paper, or a sign left by traditional block-printing from mechanical
surface printing, are essential factors in dating a historic wallpaper.
Moreover, the age of a wallpaper can help to establish the
date of a wall or of architectural changes within a building. 175
A mounting method might reveal properties of a room, the
monetary value of a wall cover or certain regional peculiarities.
Moreover, if a wallpaper is planned to be remounted after conservation
treatment, a conservator could either use the original
mounting method or implement an improved version of it.
174
Allyson McDermott, “Investigating wallpapers: the potential of integrated research
within historic interiors” in Paint Research in Building Conservation, ed. Line Bregnhøi
et al.,(London: Archetype Publications, 2006), 63.
175
Frangiamore, Wallpapers in Historic Preservation, 3.
109