Seven wallpaper fragments removed from a trunk from Cape Cod. Dorothy Waterhouse describes this as her "first paper," refering to it as "Black Bird." Poorly preserved, this blue ingrain paper's pattern is very faded. It appears to be a parrot perched on a delicate fabric swag with floral elements. Block-printed in white, gray, red, pink and green varnish on blue ingrain paper.
wallpapers
paper (fiber product)
block printing (relief printing process)
varnish
Wallpaper
"My / First paper / Black Bird / sitting on a very delicate swag / Blue paper stock / from Blue factory England / Excellent & handle with care" (written in ballpoint pen and pencil on manilla envelop (located in assession file))
"Black bird / My oldest paper. Eric E says it was made in England as early as 1660. / I found it inside old chest which came / over to this country from England to Cape / Cod region + was owned by a Mary Bassett / Ellis Perry. / The background paper with delicate / swags of flowers was originally blue - / made from the early blue paper made at Blue Paper Mfc. Co. of England. / The large flowers have now lost / their original color - they were bunched / below the bird + looked like a shrub. / Very valuable paper." (written on index card (located in assession file))
Waterhouse, Dorothy S.
(Manufacturer)
France; United States
8 1/2 x 17 (HxW) (inches)
Gift of Bernard Scott
2001.281.242A-G
Cape Cod (Barnstable county, Massachusetts) [peninsula]
Possibly France
Possibly United States
Title Bandbox Accession Number 1980.99
Block Printed
Varnished
trunk lining?
Ungrounded
Original
Handmade
Ingrain
bird
swag
flowers
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