PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Historic types of wallpaper and decorative schemes of interiors
very restless outcome. Dark objects on a light background would
look like holes or spots, and light objects could not be properly
distinguished against such a background. In addition, he recommended
separating walls visually from the ceiling and floor, to
let them act independently.
The end of the 19th century was characterized by a very confusing
mixture of ornaments from various periods. Those who
could afford it ordered interior design in various historic styles,
e.g. a gentleman’s bedroom in the style of Flemish Baroque, or
a white and gold salon in the Louis XV or XVI style for the lady.
However, most interiors remained chastely classical. 125 Since
wall covers needed to fit the design of mobilia, a type of style
wallpaper developed. Inspiration for the style wallpapers came
from Rococo silk fabrics and patterns, Renaissance textiles and
Gothic architecture and wall paintings.
Technical innovations at the end of the 19th century made
it possible to produce fine imitations of textile, wood and stone.
From the 1880s onwards patterns imitating ceramic tiles were
used to cover the walls of bathrooms in more humble homes.
Such wallpapers were most commonly washable. (Fig. 33)
Although washable wallpapers were introduced as early
as 1835, they became popular only at the end of the century.
They were highly varnished, stiff glossy papers that imitated old
paintings, painted wooden boards, various stones and ceramic
tiles. 126 In most cases, they were produced as separated pieces
that needed to be pasted on the wall piece by piece.
Although at first glance it might seem that the second half of
the 19th century was a confusing mishmash of different styles,
each style had its own reason for appearing. New inventions, the
growth of towns, books written about the theory of design and
changes in the political scene all played a role in the development
of applied arts, including wallpapers. By the end of the 19th
century opulently decorated historicist interiors were gradually
pushed aside by clear and rational Neo-Classical decoration.
125
Frangiamore, Wallpapers in Historic Preservation, 27.
126
Gustav E. Pazaurek, Die Tapete. Beiträge zu ihrer Geschichte und ästhetischen Wertung
(Stuttgart: Schöne Reihe, Walter Hädecke, 1922), 17.
74