The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-11-12
RARE. WALL PAPER.
:::. COLLECTED
FRENCH DESIGNS THAT HAVE NO
Y.g RIVALS TODAY. l. - &C.. ! : =.
Flowery Plans by Muller, the Great, and
Others that Decorated Famous Cha
teaux and Castles-Pretty Bedroom
Paper for Marie Antoinette. - i
Ii
New York Press

An interesting collection of antique
papers was: brought to this city a few
weeks ago by a wallpaper designer who
took a summer trip to Paris. Each spe-
some French castle, where it had hung
for at least hundred years, some Of
them for much longer. There is one
paper, for instance, which was placed On
wall in the Castle of Blois not later
than 1880. The Castle Of Blois has been
the theater of some Of the most dra-
matte scenes in. the history of France.
Scattered over it are. panels. in blue
monochrome, representing historical
scenes. The one which is complete on
the small specimen represents Francis
I. knighting a squire. The recipient Of
the honor kneels before the king, an
other kneeling knight presents to the
| king the sword whose stroke is to- com
pleto the ceremony, and other knights
are in the background. Parts Of other
panels show that many different scenes
were pictured en- the paper. -
The body Of the paper is Of a creamy
Of red plush cloth, applied by hand. The
collector. in whose possession it now is
a roll today. C,'.' -.7~..,' - q. j
! Wall papers were first manufactured
in France about 200 years ago. They
were devised to take the place of mural
paintings, and the artists who had dec
grated the walls Of aristocracy turned
their talents to designing these papers
AS they were used only by the richest
who had been accustomed to see their
walls decorated by the best artists of
the day, an amount Of expense was put
into these old, papers, which is unknown
in this day of greater wealth, when wall
papers are made for the million.
The expense in printing wallpapers
comes in the number Of different blocks,
which must be cut for each pattern,
4 each different color and shade of a
color demanding different block.
i American manufacturers, it is said,
never use more than twelve different
blocks. A leading manufacturers of
something to show what America could
do, for the. Buffalo exhibition-used
only thirty-two blocks for his pattern.
/ These old French papers employed 100
or more different blocks, which were
4 cut under the supervision of the lead!
ing artists Of the day.
/ The number of blocks permitted the
I working out of d landscape, with. all
the delicate standings and gradations
4 Of hue, which an artist would use in
painting the same picture. Four large
4
4 of a mansion at Fountainebleau in 1850
show what could be done in this line
The panels, which are perhaps two and
one-half feet in length and half a:
wide, represent Night, Day, Dawn ant
Sunset. They are oriental landscapes
with palms, mosques, camels, figures
in oriental costumes, and massed tropi
I sky is most wonderful, fading ais it doe
from the deep hues of sunset on tn,
,, horizon to the calm tints of the eve
ming sky above. 81
! The usefulness Of the many block
/ is shown specially in the flower papers
VI which are numerous The best are tn
Fl work of Muller, called "The Great
FL bl all wallpaper men. Muller tn,
il Great is in wallpaper art what Mich
: .ael Angelo Is to sculptors. He live,
) a century ago, in Paris. and had a repu
ltation like that Of William Morris to