PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Methodological conclusions
The author has focused on the most frequently occurring
wallpaper types and decorative schemes in three trend-setting
countries: England, France and Germany. The ideas of fashionable
decoration reached Estonia thanks to Russian and Baltic-
German families, who had either family or business contacts
in Central European countries. Since the mentioned countries
can be considered the biggest influences on the decoration of
Estonian interiors, giving an overview of general wallpaper history
made it possible to compare and draw parallels between
foreign and local interiors.
Due to its summarizing character, the text can be used as
a basis for the development of preservation concepts and comparisons
of analogues. The plan is to use the information subsequently
as a basis for didactic material compiled for students
and professionals working with historic interiors in Estonia.
Since historic interiors are interdisciplinary objects, a combination
of various conservation principles should be applied to
improve their condition and prolong their life-spans. Similarly
to interiors, all known conservation principles, such as preservation,
conservation, restoration and reconstruction, can be
applied to preserve historic wallpapers. The choice of a suitable
methodology depends on various factors. First of all, it depends
on the outcome of research, not only research on physical and
chemical properties of an object, but also its historical background
and relationship to other decorative details. Secondly,
it is important to consider values attributed to an object. In the
case of wallpapers, these are most commonly aesthetic and historical
values, but additional values such as educational and
monetary values should be considered. Other important aspect
in the development of a conservation concept are the expectations
of the owner and his/her financial possibilities.
Besides history, other aspects conservation specialists working
with historic wallpapers should take into account are the
used materials, methods of production and mounting. Proper
knowledge of these subjects will help to understand the age
and financial value of a wallpaper and the possible type and
extent of a decorative scheme. Moreover, such information will
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