PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Methods of wallpaper production and mounting
2.3. MATERIALS USED FOR PRODUCTION
2.3.1. Paper
With historic paper, such properties as durability, cost and
much of the final aesthetic value of a wallpaper depend on the
material on which it is printed. 196 One common factor of all the
earliest decorated papers is that they were produced as small
single sheets, 197 which were prepared from linen, cotton 198 , flax
or hemp 199 , all high in cellulose. Each fibre had its own properties,
which influenced the characteristics of the final product.
Besides textile fibres, one could find various particles, such as
charcoal from water heaters and tar or impurities from recycled
ropes used for the production of brown paper.
As the 18th century progressed, linen paper became more
refined and, with the introduction of engraved printing rollers,
cotton fibres, which are softer and less suited to block-printing,
have occasionally been identified. 200 High-quality raw material
is probably one of the reasons why numerous wallpapers
from the 18th and early 19th centuries have survived in good
condition.
Patterns were printed on either separate sheets or rolls,
which were formed after several sheets had been joined together.
Before single sheets were applied to a wall, margins from all
four sides of the sheet needed to be trimmed.
The paper of Chinese export wall covers was made of paper
mulberry fibres and was usually lined with one or two layers
of oriental paper, including mulberry and bamboo. 201 Oriental
paper had to be produced from pulp with very long flexible
fibres to allow frequent rolling and unrolling. Compared to its
European equivalent, papers produced in China were much
lighter and thinner, which meant that larger sheets could be
produced. By the end of the 18th century, short-fibred wheat
and straw were used to create a smoother, white paper support.
196
Robert T. Davis, Exhibition of Wall Paper. Historical and Contemporary, The Buffalo
Fine Arts Academy, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y. 1937. Exhibition catalog.
197
Wisse, “Manifold Beginnings:...”, 8.
198
Pazaurek, Die Tapete, 15.
199
Silvie Turner, The Book of Fine Paper (London: Thames and Hudson, 1998), 21.
200
McDermott, “Investigating Wallpapers...”, 60.
201
Ibid., 63.
123