WALLPAPER
The use of wallpaper as a decorative covering has been dated to 1509. At that time silks, tapestries, wood panelling and decorated leathers were the usual materials employed. It was not until about 1700 however, that wallpaper was produced in sufficient quantity to become a viable alternative. Even then its development was restricted because of taxes on paper and printing introduced in the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714).
A further impetus to expansion was a series of exhibitions in the late 1840s and the publication from 1849 to 1852 of the Journal of Design and Manufacturers which contained tipped-in swatches of wallpapers and fabrics currently in production.
When Christopher Dresser began designing wallpapers his patterns were very different from those in current production. Most Victorian wallpapers were decorated with copies of fruit, flowers, or landscapes. Some imitated drapery, marble or wood, others featured 'trompe l'oeil' statues of famous figures or picture frames containing still lifes. One of his innovations was to use geometric patterns to suit the rake of a staircase.
Many of Dresser's designs were drawn from his knowledge of flowers and plants and featured the subdued colouring which Dresser considered essential in any material which was basically a two-dimensional background for three-dimensional objects. Other designs featured motifs derived from Arabian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Indian, Japanese, Early English, Moorish and Celtic styles.
Besides creating single designs, wallpaper at that time was also produced in suites, with co-ordinated patterns for dado, frieze, filling, cornice and ceiling.
Dresser maintained his position as one of the leading wallpaper designers until his death and was credited with the dramatic improvement in the standard of British products which had taken place since the Great Exhibition of 1851. His reputation was such that he was asked to be a juror at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1878. The founding by him of the Art Furnishers' Alliance in 1880 helped to spread his ideas on design and he even had a considerable influence on the development of the wallpaper industry in America.
It is interesting to note that an American firm, Bradbury and Bradbury, which is currently designing wallpaper, bases its designs on those of Christopher Dresser and William Morris.
