PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Methods of wallpaper production and mounting
had been pasted together to form a roll of paper. Soon after, the
method of surface printing was introduced and traditional woodblock
printing was used only to produce exclusive wallpapers.
From this point on, wallpaper became affordable for almost
everybody. Thus it was no longer necessary to make exceptional
preparations to apply a wallpaper. Most commonly it was pasted
directly onto the plastered wall or unfinished boards with or
without a layer of lining paper in between.
Although during the 1860s several patents were awarded
for portable trimming-machines, 231 they do not seem to have
been commonly used. Readily trimmed wallpapers were supplied
by manufacturers as late as the beginning of the 20th century.
Although contemporary tools, such as paper-hanger’s knives,
straight-edges made of wood or brass, seam rollers, and tack-trimmers,
could provide a fine finish, the quality of mass-produced
wallpaper was still poor. Besides paper being produced of woodpulp
and straw, a large majority of wall hangings were printed
with water-soluble inks, which meant that gluey strip edges could
not be cleaned. For this reason, over-lapping was still seen as an
easier, faster and safer means of attaching a wallpaper.
Flour paste was the most common adhesive used for mounting
a wallpaper. During the 19th century a small amount of
allum, Venetian turpentine 232 and, in the 1920s, powdered dextrin
233 were added to improve its properties. By the end of the
19th century a pre-mixed vinyl adhesive was developed to hang
heavier wall covers, such as Lincrusta, Analgypta, vinyl and
sanitary wallpapers. The latter were often varnished to make
them durable and waterproof.
Using lining paper and canvas persisted throughout the 19th
century. It was even common to use a combination of both of
them. Walls could be tacked with a special light-weight cotton
canvas or thick cardboard, or pasted with thin lining paper or
textile liners. 234
231
Ibid., 4.
232
Luthmer, Werkbuch des Dekorateurs, 114.
233
Kelly, “Historic Paper-hanging Techniques:...”, 7.
234
Frangiamore, Wallpapers in Historic Preservation, 16.
134