I read a great article, The Great Wallpaper Rebellion: Defending Flamboyance in a World of White Walls, written by Ben Marks, that I wanted to share with you.

While it includes the history of one wallpaper company,
Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers, this article also delves into the history of wall coverings of all kinds. You can also learn about wallpaper being used on movie sets and about using wallpaper in the restoration of old houses.

Just to get you in the mood, here are photos of wallpaper from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Block-printed on handmade paper, 1760-1765. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Block-printed on joined sheets , 1780-1790. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
This was machine printed on paper in 1876. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Block-printed on paper in 1840, Aesop’s Fable: The Fox and the Crow. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

All of these wallpapers, and more, can be found at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. Maybe you’ll find something to put on your walls!