Sheet of wallpaper with formalised floral design on lattice-patterned ground, imitating lacework
England
Late 17th century
Print from woodblocks
Museum no. E.1003-1976
Given by Boots the Chemist, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey

This paper has a fleur-de-lis watermark that suggests a possible date of around 1680. The design is very similar to the border of a later 17th-century cotton printed on a lace pattern, in the Textiles Collection at the V&A (no.1605-1872). One of only a handful of pre-1700 papers to survive, this design has been found in several different locations including houses in Kingston upon Thames (this piece) and Epsom (both Surrey), and in Newcastle, as well as in a wooden box.