Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1883-05-12
How End Where Paper.Haneings are
Made.

The making of paper-hangings is an
interesting process. Paper-hangings
are reported to have been produced in
Spain and Holland previous to 1865.
Specimens of leather paper used in a
Moorish castle in the fifteenth or six
teenth century have been found, and the
designs equal those of modern times,
while the material surpasses anything
attempted by manufacturers of to-day.
The Japanese, whose requirements have
long since ceased to awaken surprise,
are also adopts in paper-hanging max
ing; but their distorted cOnceits and
unique combinations of color are not
destined to more than temporary
popularity anywhere outside of Japan.
Indeed, when Yankee originates any
device so odd that he does not care to
father it himself, he dubs it Japanese"
Phlegmatic Germany has given little
play to fancy in paper-hangings, but
France and England had the field al
most to themselves till American enter
prise wrested superiority from them.
The Yankee, as has been said, is quick
to catch and copy effects, combining
also in his organizations the brighter tints
and fancies of the French with the more
massive and elegant English designs.
New York and Philadelphia produce
most of the paper-hangings used in this
country, much the larger share coming
from Gotham. The grades, as classified
by the trade, are numerous. There are
the "brown blanks" made from the
cheapest kind of material, and the low
est priced hangings in the market.
Bluff blanks" are an improvement in
quality. The "white blanks; the
grounded, so called from the
ground color given before the
paper is printed the ''satin" paper,
with polished surface; the machine
bronze" the most popular quality Of gilt
goods; the embossed gilt" and the
Handmade" follow. The process of
making all machine goods varies little.
Having placed large roll of paper in
position for being fed out to the machine,
the paper is grounded" or passed I'M
der series of brushes which apply color
of one shade evenly over the surface.
The paper is then caught up in loops,
carried by an endless chain over steam
pipes, being completely dried in its
journey of about 400 feet, and then
reeled up for printing. A second trip
takes it over large cylinder, having a
series of nicely adjusted rollers, each
one printing separate pattern and
color. The rollers are of wood and the
patterns are skillfully cut in brass on
their surfaces. The drying process is
then repeated and if gold or bronze is
used in the pattern, the paper, in its
progress by the endless chain, passes
through an auxiliary machine which de-
posts gold or bronze dust on parts that
have been printed with varnish instead
of color. In expensive papers some
times dozen different colOrs are used.
When finished the paper is reeled into
rolls of eight yards or double rolls OF
sixteen yards. lp
The costliest papers, the rich borders,
special orders where the quantity to be
printed would not warrant the expense
of preparing rollers, specimen patterns,
etc., are handmade. The designs are
cut on wooden blocks, each color having
separate block, and as only a small
part of the paper can receive an i'm
preston at time and great care is
necessary, the stamping process is mo-
notonous and slow. While machine
will print about 200O rolls, of twelve colors
each, in a day, man can print only LOG
rolls of one color. Velvet papers are
also made by hand, the design being
built up in layers. The designing de-
partment of a paper-hanging manufac-
tory is hive of industry. Artists are
busy studying effects and obtaining
hints from foreign patterns, tapestries,
stufs of various kinds, pottery, etc.
Their success does not always depend,
however, on their artistic sense, but on
their ability to strike the popular taste
and produce a pattern which will