The Home Beautiful: Crane's Lily and Rose Wallpaper, 1894

Wallpaper by Walter Crane, 1894
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The celebrated Walter Crane was known for his wallpaper designs. Crane’s papers lined the wall of many a Victorian parlor. Here, we see a design for one of Crane’s papers. This woodblock print on paper is an original sketch for Crane’s “Lily and Rose” paper. A pattern of lilies and roses is set upon foliage against a dark red ground. Made in 1894, this is an excellent example of the color scheme which was popular a the time. The paper was designed to be surmounted by a corresponding frieze or border. 

The Home Beautiful: Crane's Lily and Rose Wallpaper, 1894

Wallpaper by Walter Crane, 1894
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The celebrated Walter Crane was known for his wallpaper designs. Crane’s papers lined the wall of many a Victorian parlor. Here, we see a design for one of Crane’s papers. This woodblock print on paper is an original sketch for Crane’s “Lily and Rose” paper. A pattern of lilies and roses is set upon foliage against a dark red ground. Made in 1894, this is an excellent example of the color scheme which was popular a the time. The paper was designed to be surmounted by a corresponding frieze or border. 

The Home Beautiful: A Cowtan & Sons Wallpaper Frieze, c. 1830

Click image to frieze in place.

Frieze
Cowtan & Sons
London, c. 1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Cowtan & Sons, a celebrated early-to-mid Nineteenth-Century producer of wallpaper, created this frieze to augment the crown molding in a room. The border, printed with woodblocks, depicts various fruit and cereal crops. The design is framed by an edge which duplicates beaded trim. It dates to about 1830. This specimen would have served as a showroom example and is one of fifty-five such pieces which remain from the stock of Cowtan & Sons.

The Home Beautiful: The Mistletoe Wallpaper, 1850

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here, we see a design for a festive wallpaper which depicts a festive line of formal, yet, stylized, pattern of pale-green birds who are perched amidst trees and mistletoe. The background is of black, white and yellow vertical stripes.

This proposed design of pencil. and watercolor on paper is Signed in ink C. F. A. V and inscribed with notes about possible production and variation.

Made in England around 1850, this design is the work of an artist known only as "Voysey." it's unknown if the paper was ever manufactured.

The Home Beautiful: The William Morris "Fruit" Wallpaper, 1862

Sketch for Fruit Wallpaper
William Morris, 1862
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Designer and famous socialist William Morris (1834-1896) is known for his handsome designs and patterns. His style developed over the decades. Here’s a look at an early wallpaper pattern which is known both as “Fruit” and “Pomegranate” and dates from around 1862.

Morris used visual motifs from his medieval-style tapestry work, relying on the historical look which his earlier work shared with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. We see, however, the awakenings of Morris’ interest in naturalism and plants.

This sketch varies from the finished wallpaper. The olives were replaced with peaches in the finished product. Morris deemed the olives too delicate and difficult to see. The pattern forms the basis for the original wallpaper which was used for the V&A's Green Dining Room, circa 1866—now long gone.

The Home Beautiful: Chinese Wallpaper, c. 1810-1830

Wallpaper
China, c. 1810-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Alive with the colors of ripe fruits, flowers and birds, this wallpaper was made between 1810 and 1830 in Guangzhou, China. This was part of a set of exotic wallpapers which was designed for export to Europe to satisfy the growing demand at the time for Chinoiserie. Though this Asian-inspired style enjoyed new popularity in the early Nineteenth Century, the export of this kind of hand-painted wallpaper wasn’t new. The first painted papers exported to Europe from China arrived in the 1690s. Chinese craftsmen purposely included European ideals and fashions into their papers—combining their native styles with themes which they knew would appeal to European tastes and fashions. 

The Home Beautiful: Crane's Lily and Rose Wallpaper, 1894

Wallpaper by Walter Crane, 1894
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The celebrated Walter Crane was known for his wallpaper designs. Crane’s papers lined the wall of many a Victorian parlor. Here, we see a design for one of Crane’s papers. This woodblock print on paper is an original sketch for Crane’s “Lily and Rose” paper. A pattern of lilies and roses is set upon foliage against a dark red ground. Made in 1894, this is an excellent example of the color scheme which was popular a the time. The paper was designed to be surmounted by a corresponding frieze or border. 

The Home Beautiful: A Cowtan & Sons Wallpaper Frieze, c. 1830

Click image to frieze in place.

Frieze
Cowtan & Sons
London, c. 1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Cowtan & Sons, a celebrated early-to-mid Nineteenth-Century producer of wallpaper, created this frieze to augment the crown molding in a room. The border, printed with woodblocks, depicts various fruit and cereal crops. The design is framed by an edge which duplicates beaded trim. It dates to about 1830. This specimen would have served as a showroom example and is one of fifty-five such pieces which remain from the stock of Cowtan & Sons.

The Home Beautiful: Chinese Wallpaper, c. 1810-1830

Wallpaper
China, c. 1810-1830
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Alive with the colors of ripe fruits, flowers and birds, this wallpaper was made between 1810 and 1830 in Guangzhou, China. This was part of a set of exotic wallpapers which was designed for export to Europe to satisfy the growing demand at the time for Chinoiserie. Though this Asian-inspired style enjoyed new popularity in the early Nineteenth Century, the export of this kind of hand-painted wallpaper wasn’t new. The first painted papers exported to Europe from China arrived in the 1690s. Chinese craftsmen purposely included European ideals and fashions into their papers—combining their native styles with themes which they knew would appeal to European tastes and fashions. 

The Home Beautiful: Crane's Lily and Rose Wallpaper, 1894

Wallpaper by Walter Crane, 1894
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The celebrated Walter Crane was known for his wallpaper designs. Crane’s papers lined the wall of many a Victorian parlor. Here, we see a design for one of Crane’s papers. This woodblock print on paper is an original sketch for Crane’s “Lily and Rose” paper. A pattern of lilies and roses is set upon foliage against a dark red ground. Made in 1894, this is an excellent example of the color scheme which was popular a the time. The paper was designed to be surmounted by a corresponding frieze or border. 

The Home Beautiful: The William Morris "Fruit" Wallpaper, 1862

Sketch for Fruit Wallpaper
William Morris, 1862
The Victoria & Albert Museum

Designer and famous socialist William Morris (1834-1896) is known for his handsome designs and patterns. His style developed over the decades. Here’s a look at an early wallpaper pattern which is known both as “Fruit” and “Pomegranate” and dates from around 1862.

Morris used visual motifs from his medieval-style tapestry work, relying on the historical look which his earlier work shared with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. We see, however, the awakenings of Morris’ interest in naturalism and plants.

This sketch varies from the finished wallpaper. The olives were replaced with peaches in the finished product. Morris deemed the olives too delicate and difficult to see. The pattern forms the basis for the original wallpaper which was used for the V&A's Green Dining Room, circa 1866—now long gone.

The Home Beautiful: An Advertisement for Jeffrey & Co's Artistic Wallpapers, 1907

Advertisement for Jeffrey & Co. Artistic Wallpapers, 1907
The Victoria & Albert Museum

The Aesthetic movement’s mantra was “Art for art’s sake” and the idea flourished in the 1890s and early 1900s.  Around 1900, the English wallpaper manufacturer Jeffrey & Co. adopted the peacock—a favored motif of the Aesthetic Movement--as their logo to reinforce their association with the highest artistic standards in design.

Jeffrey & Co. proudly printed William Morris's wallpapers since 1864. Under the direction of their sole proprietor, Metford Warner (from 1871), they employed some of the best designers of the day - including Walter Crane, Lewis F. Day, B. J. Talbert and C. F. A. Voysey.

Here, we see an advertisement for Jeffrey & Co. from this end of this era--1907.  The company’s name is written in peacock feathers. 

The Home Beautiful: The "National" Wallpaper, 1897

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here we see a portion of a design by Walker Crane for a wallpaper pattern entitled, “National.”  It features a shield bearing the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom in red and yellow, and a combination of thistles and other plants in grey.  The design was created for Jeffrey and Co. in 1897 for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.  

The Home Beautiful: A Heraldic Wallpaper Design, 1902



The Victoria & Albert Museum



This pencil and watercolor drawing is a design for a “Heraldic” wallpaper which depicts an eagle motif, in black and white, topped with red coronets, on a pale ground peppered with Tudor roses. Made in England in 1902 by C.F.A. Voysey, the paper was meant to be produced by Essen & Co. in 1902 for the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

The Home Beautiful: The Crane "Classic" Wallpaper Frieze, 1911

Victoria & Albert Museum

Here, we see a portion of wallpaper frieze with a deep paprika red ground dominated by an attractive lyre motif with an egg-and-dart molding pattern running above. The design was created as a woodblock print, allowing for intricate detail such as the artist’s attempt to imitate the texture of an ancient lyre which would have been made of tortoise shell and goats' horns.

This is the work of Walter Crane (1845-1915) who was a prolific designer of wallpapers. This frieze is one of Crane’s final designs. It shows the neoclassical revival style which was then popular at the time of the coronation of King George V. This frieze, or border, was designed for use with the Crane’s “Classic” pilaster paper.

The Home Beautiful: The Mistletoe Wallpaper, 1850

The Victoria & Albert Museum

Here, we see a design for a festive wallpaper which depicts a festive line of formal, yet, stylized, pattern of pale-green birds who are perched amidst trees and mistletoe. The background is of black, white and yellow vertical stripes.

This proposed design of pencil. and watercolor on paper is Signed in ink C. F. A. V and inscribed with notes about possible production and variation.

Made in England around 1850, this design is the work of an artist known only as "Voysey." it's unknown if the paper was ever manufactured.