Wallpaper Timeline

During the 18th century, technical improvements in block-printing enabled patterns to be printed in many colours and styles. The wallpaper industry in Britain flourished. Designs were inventive and rich, floral patterns used roses and carnations were popular as well as architectural and landscape scenes.

Mid-19th century consist of a variety of designs; marble and wood-grain effects, imitation stucco, textile patterns, historical pastiches and revivalist styles, floral motifs and papers printed in bright colours with realistically shaded cabbage roses were the most popular.

Recently, wallpaper has undergone a revival in its history. The popularity of feature walls has led to a taste for larger, wilder patterns. As well as this, the development of digital printing and the revival of screen-printing has enabled artists and freelance designers to get involved. At modern times, design brands such as Laura Ashley are very popular.

During the mid-17th century, single sheets of design were joined together to create rolls instead. This encouraged larger repeats production and the introduction of block printing. This continued to be the manufacture method used for expensive wallpapers until the mid 20th century.

William Morris begins to create wallpaper designs n the 1850s and 60s. His work was and still is extremely popular and well known.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the wallpaper industry in Britain saw a huge surge in popularity. Production rose from 50 million rolls in 1900 to nearly 100 million rolls in 1939, most of the activity was concentrated at the cheaper end of the market. While traditional stylised leaf and flower patterns continued to be widespread, patterns influenced by modern art and popular culture also appeared.