A short introductory history of wallpaper
For most of its history wallpaper has been the poor relation of the decorative arts: because it is fragile, ephemeral, and easy to replace it has often disappeared from the…
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Pugin's wallpapers from The Grange
The Grange was originally designed for and by A.W.N. Pugin incorporating one-off designs of floor tiles, stained glass and wallpaper, featuring his personal emblem, a bird.
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Architectural wallpapers
Architectural papers in a variety of styles were available from the mid-18th century, and continued to be popular until the mid 19th century. As well as elaborate rendering…
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Flock wallpapers
The status of flock wallpaper has undergone a dramatic transformation over the space of three centuries. Once a luxury product used by the wealthy in the grandest apartment…
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Wallpaper design reform
Pugin's principle of historical authenticity in the design of ornament, and his belief that only flat patterns should adorn flat surfaces, became the fundamental tenets of …
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Chinese wallpapers in the British Galleries
The V& A has one of the finest collections of Chinese wallpapers. The examples selected for the British Galleries aim to show the range of styles and subject matter of …
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Walter Crane design for ‘Illustrations of the Victorian Series and Other Wall-Papers’
This design for the cover of a book of wallpapers manufactured by Jeffrey and Co was created by Walter Crane (1845-1915) in 1887. This image shows a winged young man blowin…
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A gift in your will
You may not have thought of including a gift to a museum in your will, but the V&A is a charity and legacies form an important source of funding for our work. It is not just the great collectors and the wealthy who leave legacies to the V&A. Legacies of all sizes, large and small, make a real difference to what we can do and your support can help ensure that future generations enjoy the V&A as much as you have.
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Wallpaper in Interior Decoration
This book is a fascinating insight into a subject rarely covered in books on interior design. The term 'wallpaper' encompasses everything from printed…
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