Collections

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Wallcoverings

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum’s Wallcoverings department contains the largest and most varied collection of wallpaper in the United States, with more than 10,000 examples. Pieces date from the late 17th century through today and represent many countries of origin.

The collection includes individual wallpaper pieces, full rolls, sample books, advertisements, and printing tools that have been collected for their historic associations, as design inspiration, or as examples of printed material. They trace the transformation of the medium from hand-printed luxury product to mass-produced decor. In addition to wallpaper from France, England, the United States, Japan, and Scandinavia, the department also holds 17th-century Dutch gilded leather wallcoverings, and German wallpapers from the 1950s. Early American wallpaper and wallpaper designed by contemporary artists are growing aspects of the collection.

Special strengths:

• 20th-century American production
• 19th-century French floral compositions and hand-printed panoramic scenic wallpapers, such as Views of Italy and El Dorado
• 19th- and 20th-century American bandboxes covered in wallpaper
• Chinese hand-painted wallpapers

Phone: 212.849.8472
Fax: 212.849.8401
Email: herringshawg@si.edu

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