The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-05-16
How Paper Hanglngs are Made.

HuW Tdp6r aduSlnSS are Mdu6.
The making of paper hangings is
an interesting process, and the valu-
able hints in regard to this and some
other matters treated in this article
are taken from a paper read by w.
F. Adams, of Whitney & Adams, be.
fore the Springfield Art Association
some time ago. Paper hanglngs are
reported to have been produced in
Spain and Holland previous to 1862.
Specimens of leather paper used in a
Moorish Castle in the fifteenth or
siXteoth century have been found,
and the designs equaled those of mod.
ern times, while the material sur
passes anything attempted by manu-
tacturers Of to-day. The japanese,
whose requirements have long since
ceased to awaken surprise, are also
adopts in paper-hanging making but
their distorted conceits and uniqp
combinations Of colOrs are not dies
tined to more than a temporary pop
ularity, anywhere outside of Japan.
Indeed, when a 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 pa
per-hangings, but France and Eng
land had the field almost to them
selves till American enterprise wrest-
ed superiority from them. The Yam
kee, as has been said, is quick to copy
eff cts, combining also in his origina-
ton the brighter tints and fancies of
the French, with the more massive
English designs.
New York and Philadelphia pro,
duce most of the paper-hangings used
in this country, much the larger share
coming from Gotham. The grades,
as classified by the trade are numer-
Gus. There are the "brOwn blanks y
made from the cheapest kind of ma
terial and the lowest-priced hangings
in the market. "Bluff blanks" are
an Improvement in quality. The
'White blanks" the grounded" 50
called from the ground color given
before the paper is printed. The
''satin" paper, with polished sur.
face; the ''machine bronze" the
most popular quality of gilt goods
| the embossed gilt" and the hand
made follow. The process of making
all machine goods varies little. Hav.
ing placed a large roll of paper in
position for being fed out to the ma
chine, the paper is grounded" OF
passed under a series of brushes
which apply color of one shade even
ly 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 uI
for the printing. A second trip takes
it over large cylinder, having a Sc.
ries of nicely adjusted rollers, each
one printing a separate pattern and
color. The rollers are of wood and
the patterns are skillfulIy cut in bras,
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 auxillery machine
which deposits gold or bronze dust
on parts that have been printed with
varnish instead of the colOrS used.
When finished the paper is reeled into
rolls of eight yards or double rolls OF
sixteen yards.
The costliest papers, the rich bor-
ders, special orders where the guam
tity to be printed would not warrant
the expense of preparing rollers,
specimen patterns, ETC., are hand
made. The designs are cut on wood
en- blocks, each color having sepa-
rate block, and as only small part
OF the paper can receive an impress
sion at a time, and great care is nee.
essary, the stamping process is mo-
nOtonOus and slow. While a machine
will print about 1000 rolls of twelve
colors each in day, a man can print
only 100 rolls of one color. Velyet
papers are also made by hand. the
design being built up in layers.