Textiles & Wallpaper 19th Century Patterns
Technological progress in the service of reinventing the past
The decorative arts of the 19th century revived styles from the past, particularly those of the 18th century, symbols of French luxury. This historicism, rooted in both Antiquity and the Renaissance, influenced fashion and interior design.
The period is also strongly marked by industrialization and technical progress which will contribute to the rise of these neo-styles and also allow the emergence of the golden age of wallpaper.
It already existed in England at the beginning of the 18th century: sheets of paper were glued side by side before being printed from a wooden block. The mechanization of manufacturing processes, such as the use of the cylinder, and later the use of steam, accelerated the process and made it possible to install wallpaper in many homes by the end of the 19th century.
Moving from artisanal to industrial production will influence the work on textures and colors, encouraging all kinds of bold techniques: embossing, satin finishing, stamping, gilding…wallpaper becomes a master of trompe-l'oeil.
