AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING OR PREPARING EMBOSSED PAPER HANGINGS
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
DE LA RUE, of Finsbury Place, in the County of Middlesex, Fancy Stationer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth.
by His Letters l'atent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifteenth day of August, in the fifth year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas De la Rue, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Thomas De la Rue, my exors, adñiors, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Thomas De la Rue, my exors, adñiors,
or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time
and at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR
IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING OR PREPARING EMBOSSED PAPER HANGINGS;"
in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Thomas
De la Rue, shall cause a particular description of the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled
in His said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent,
as in and by the same, reference being thereunto bad, will more fully and at
large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the sa
Thomas De la Rue, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being had to
the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon
(that is to say)-
Some attempts have been made to use embossed paper for the purpose of
covering rooms in the way of paper hangings, but owing to the damp pro-
duced by the paste required in affixing such embossed paper to the walls, or
to canvass or boards covering walls, most of the beauty of the embossing has
been destroyed.
Now the first object of my, Invention is so to prepare the back or part of the
paper on which the paste is to be placed for the purpose of sticking it to the
sides of rooms in such inanner that the water or moisture shall not affect tho
pattern embossed on the paper hangings, but the same shall retain its beauty
and sharpness of impression; and, secondly, my Invention consists in emboss-
ing or impressing certain continuous and parallel lines on paper hangings,
whereby to produce an encreased brilliancy of effect of the light playing on
or striking such paper hangings, and at the same time an evenness of colour
not observable in any embossed paper hangings heretofore manufactured.
Having thus stated generally the objects of my Invention, I will proceed
to describe the manner in which I carry the same into effect:-Before
having the paper embossed, when about to be prepared according to the first
part of my Invention, I size the back or the side which is to receive the
paste with a strong animal size (glue dissolved in water in the proportion of
one pound in weight to a gallon of water) by means of a brush similar to
those used by paper stainers, and permit the same to dry.
The paper is then
means of a brush
to be embossed, as is well understood. I then lay on by
one or more coats of the spirit varnish and oily materials hereafter described
over the back of such embossed paper, taking care that all parts are well
covered, by which means the water contained in the paste which is used in
sticking on the paper to walls, or canvass, or wood covering of walls, will in
no way injure the embossing or pressed lines formed on the paper, and thus
will the embossed face of the paper retain its beauty and sharpness of cm-
bossing when pasted on to a room. And the materials I prefer to use for
this purpose are as follows:-One pint of good drying oil, one pint of turpen-
tine, one pint of japanners' gold size, and ten pounds (in weight) of white
lead, previously ground in oil; these are to be intimately mixed together, and,
as aforesaid, be laid evenly over the back of the embossed paper hangings in

page_text: one or more layers, the quantity requisite being readily discovered by a little
practice. The great object to be obtained is so to cover the back surface of
the embossed paper hangings that the water contained in the paste shall not
penetrate to the face and thus destroy the sharpness and beauty of the
embossing. The paper so prepared is to hung in drying rooms at a tempera-
ture of about 75° or 80° of Fahrenheit, and in case of more than one coat,
cach coat is to be dried before the next coat is laid on.
I would remark, that although I have here given the exact particulars
and description of materials for covering the back of paper hangings in order
to prevent the water of the paste penetrating to the face, yet I would have it
understood that although I have found these materials perfectly to answer
such purpose, I do not restrict my Invention thereto, for it will be evident
that other materials placed on the back of embossed paper hangings, com-
posed of spirit varnish or oily substance, and resisting water, would be suit-
able for carrying the first object of my Invention into effect, which consists
in preparing the back of embossed paper hangings, as above described, with
a spirit varnish or oily preparation, without confining myself to the precise
proportions or materials given, though they are the best I am acquainted
with for the purpose.
The second object of my Invention is, the embossing or impressing a series
of lines parallel to each other, and in the way of the length of the paper
hangings, that is to say, that when such paper hangings are applied to a
room, such lines shall be at right angles to the floor; the object of which lines
is to obtain a more brilliant effect of the light playing or acting on paper
hangings so prepared than when the surface is flat or prepared by ordinary
embossing, or what are termed waterings, like silks. In order to carry this
part of my Invention into effect, I take paper hangings, either plain or with
their intended designs printed thereon, and pass them between rollers, one of
which is engraved with a series of parallel lines, either right lines or lines
slightly waved, provided such lines run continuously in the length of the
paper hangings, and in such manner that such lines, when the paper is stuck
on rooms, shall run at right angles to the floor, supposing the floor to be
horizontal.
The Drawing, Figure 1, hereunto annexed, represents an ordinary em-
bossing press, a being the framing; b, the embossing roller, shown separately
in Figure 2. This roller has engraved or cut thereon a series of lines or
grooves, such lines being parallel to each other, and when used for embossing
paper will produce thereon a number of lines in the way of the length of the

page_text: paper, so that when such paper hangings are pasted on a room, these lines
will be at right angles to the floor, the consequence of which will be, that the
light playing on such paper will have a very peculiar and brilliant effect, such
as cannot be obtained by lines passing in any other direction; and by this
means much greater elegance and evenness of colour and effect may be pro-
duced, even in common as well as the better class of papers. The paper
hangings thus embossed are then to be prepared on the back in like manner
to that above described for preparing ordinary embossed paper hangings.
It may be desirable here to remark, that where it is wished to have what
are termed watered embossed papers, or any other embossed pattern produced
according to the second part of my Invention, then the engraving for that
purpose on the roller must have the ground of parallel lines running in like
manner around the roller, the patterns or designs being engraved in addition
to such series of parallel lines which are to be run in the way of the length
of the paper, and to be stuck to the walls of rooms in such manner that
such lines shall stand at right angles to the floor, supposing such floor to be
perfectly horizontal.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I lay no claim
to the embossing of paper. such process being well known and in use for
bookbinding, paper hangings, and a variety of other purposes. Nor do I
claim the parts of the apparatus shown for giving the lines as above described,
but I do hereby confine my claim of Invention,-
First, in preparing the back of embossed paper hangings with spirit or
oily substances suitable for resisting the moisture contained in the paste used
for sticking such paper to walls of rooms, whereby such embossed paper
hangings will retain the sharpness and beauty of the embossing.
Secondly, I claim the production of paper hangings with embossed parallel
lines in the way of the length of the paper, that is, in such manner that when
the paper hangings are pasted on to walls, such lines run upwards at right
angles to the floor, as above described, and whereby an encreased beauty of
effect will be obtained from the light playing or acting on the surface of such
paper.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas de la Rue, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
THOMAS (L.S.) DE LA RUE.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fourteenth day of February, in
the year of our Lord 1835, the aforesaid Thomas De la Rue came before our
said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification
aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form
above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according
to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Fourteenth day of February, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.

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