The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-09-08
ENVOY.
MAKING WALLPAPER,
The Ingenious Machinery Used in
It's Manufacture.
Modern Conditions of the Trade-The
Changes of Fashion-Hand Printing
The New Material Employed
for Wall Decoration.


The householder of the present da,
certainly has reason to be thankful tina
the Wallpapers with which his rooms
may be decorated can not be as easl,
discarded as bonnet or cloak, for i
such were the case, tits probable that i
his purse were deep enough, he would
have to pay for new coverings for thu
walls of his house every year. Eacf
year the manufacturers of wallpaper,
issue new books containing samples O
the designs in stock, and each year the
designs, coloring, and styles of these
goods undergo changes more or les:
marked, and paper which last veal
was eagerly sought for may this veal
meet with no sale whatever, should
there be any stock left over. Not only
do the styles change, but the colors
also; one year the demand will be the
greatest for pronounced positive colors,
and the next year soft, subdued tints
and shades, almost indistinguishable,
will be most in demand. Then, again,
the manufacturer of Wallpapers has to
provide different styles and colors to
suit the demands of the trade in differ
ent parts of the country. In New York
and the Eastern States the demand NAV
be greatest for dark browns or green's
or other colors of deep tone, while at
the West these goods will find no sale
whatever, and the trade there will run
altogether in colors of a light tint or
vice versa. So with patterns also.
The manufacturers of wallpaper now
calculate on a change of fashion every
year, and only manufacture enough
stock to last through one season. "If,"
said one of the principal manufacturers
in this city few days ago, 1.-THE fancy
OF the public should be so much taken
by any special design that the demand
for paper of that pattern should con-
tinue more than one season we could
very easily turn of as much more stock
as may be wanted. We keep the de-
signs from which these goods are print
ed from year to year. They are all
labeled and stored away where they can
be produced at any time. 1t is not
often, however, that we use the same
patterns for two successive years, ex-
cept it may be for the cheaper grades of
goods. We manufacture enough of
each style to supply the trade for the
year, and if we have any left over at the
close of'the season, which rarely hap
pens, these goods are sold at discount
to jobbers, or are disposed of at auction
sales. 1t is n singular thing that goods
which will meet with a ready sale right
along one year will be refused by deal
ers as soon as they see a new book of
designs. We print each design in from
four to six or eight different colors, or
shades of the same color. Of course,
it is impossible for us to tell whether
or not the designs and colors
OF the papers will meet with
ready sale, but it is very seldom that we
TAIL to find somewhere market for the
stock. The improvements made in the
machinery for the manufacture of the
wallpaper enables us to accomplish
much greater amount of work, and
also to produce much more varied as
50 sortment of goods than we could in
former years.
A tour of inspection through one of
the largest manufactures in this city
was made few days since by re-
porter. The paper on which the de-
signs are printed is manufactured as
peclally for this purpose, and it is of
varying weight. 1t is received in large
heavy rolls, resembling the rolls of
paper used in newspaper offices. This
paper is first passed through the
grounding machine, where the
ground color, be it light or dark. is APP
pied to the surface of the paper by
rollers, and then is rubbed in and thor
9ughly distributed by means of a set of
brushes, some of which move from side
70 SIDE. while others are stationary.
come OF the improved machines can
apply this ground color to two rolls at
the same time. If it is desired that the
paper shall have the silvered appear
Aliee seen in some papers mica"
eoat, as it is called, is applied This
coloring matter is pulverized isinglass
mixed with white lead. The colors of
'hs mixture can not well be shaded.
ana siNl therefore in such cases the
ullerences in shade are made by
using paper of different colors.
ai'er the ground color has been applied
Tue roll OF paper is placed on "a frame
WORN and is slowly unrolled, and then
carried on an endless band over large
arum, resembling the cylinder of
plrlntlng-press. The machine on which
.ne paper is printed, in fact, resembles
o very closely a cylinder printing press,
Except that the process of printing is
idI s,; the paper passes over the
aram or cylinder, and the designs are
printed by the rolls, which are placed
On me lower part of the framework and
. a in the same direction as the
.yl l!si Each roller is stamped with
. aherent part Of the figure forming