PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Methods of wallpaper production and mounting
As this shorter-fibred material had poor strength when wet, it
was usually lined with two layers of oriental paper, including
mulberry and bamboo. 202
Early 19th century developments in the technology of printing
wallpapers, along with increased population and the demand
for cheaper decorative materials, inspired tradesmen to look for
ways of mechanizing and speeding up production. 203 The principle
of making continuous long strips of paper was invented in
1798 by the Frenchman Nicolas Louis Robert, who sold his idea
to the Fourdrinier brothers. Although endless paper was made as
early as the beginning of the 19th century, it wasn’t introduced to
wallpaper production in France until 1820 and in England until
1830. The widths of machine-made paper varied from country
to country, for example in France the common width of a wallpaper
was 45.72 cm and of an English paper 50.8 cm. 204
Since the supply of rag fibres was soon exhausted, new
sources needed to be located. By the middle of the 19th century,
it had become possible to process a paper-making fibre from
wood, thus opening up an unlimited source of basic material. 205
Due to the use of wood pulp, straw and other cheaper ingredients,
prices and the quality of wallpapers started to drop. Such
papers commonly became brittle and yellowish over time, due
to acids in the wood pulp. Wood fibres used for making paper
originated from coniferous trees, such as pine, larch, fir, cedar
and spruce, and deciduous trees, such as beech, birch, eucalyptus,
maple and oak. 206
2.3.2. Pigments and paint
In many ways the history and development of wallpapers mirrors
that of painted surfaces. Most of the pigments, as well as the
binders and varnishes, are the same. 207 Besides determining historical
methods of paper manufacture and printing techniques,
202
Ibidem.
203
Turner, The Book of Fine Paper, 16.
204
Frangiamore, Wallpapers in Historic Preservation, 6.
205
Turner, The Book of Fine Paper, 16.
206
Ibid., 21.
207
McDermott, “Investigating Wallpapers...”, 58.
124