Sidewall (England)

Wallcoverings have long been imitative in nature and have traditionally copied more exotic and expensive materials. Flock papers, introduced by the late seventeenth century, generally copied patterns for damasks and cut-velvets. The better flocked papers usually contained a large repeat, and their greater expense usually established their use in public rooms. Eighteenth-century flocked papers from England were considered the finest available and were widely exported. Flock wallpapers are making a resurgence today as designers experiment with the tactile nature of this material.

This wallpaper, containing slightly more than one repeat, is printed in deep yellow flock on a yellow ground and imitates a cut-velvet fabric. The designer has rendered the motifs in a rather gestural fashion, and the minimal detailing found in the drapery swags, cording, and tassels are quite expressive, creating a nice rhythm in the folds and twists of the motifs. This wallpaper was printed on joined sheets of handmade paper with a deckle edge still visible on the right side.
Historically, flock consisted of minute particles of wool, linen, or silk, which provided a reuse of textile industry by-products as well as existing rags. As mentioned in Robert Dossie’s Handmade to the Arts (London, 1764), flock could be made by chopping cloth either by hand or using horse-powered machines. The paper being flocked was blockprinted with varnish, then drawn into a flock-filled trough with a taut, drumlike bottom. The bottom was then beaten with sticks, which caused the flock to rise up and settle in the wet varnish.

Sidewall (England); block-printed and flocked on handmade paper, varnished ground; H x W (a): 139 x 58.5 cm (54 3/4 x 23 1/16 in.) H x W (b): 31 x 58 cm (12 3/16 x 22 13/16 in.); Gift of Josephine Howell; 1972-42-187-a,b