Wallpaper

Details

Descriptive Terms

wallpapers
block printing (relief printing process)
paper (fiber product)
Wallpaper

Label

In the Belfry Chamber at Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, Massachusetts hangs a floral, block-printed wallpaper by the French firm Zuber & Cie. The pattern 'Décor Chinois' was originally created in 1832 to mimic eighteenth century, hand-painted Chinese wallpapers. Designer Henry Davis Sleeper added his creative flair by cutting the paper to cover the many angles in the bedroom, once referred to as a “polyhedral nightmare”. Where there were voids in the paper, he cut out birds and foliage from elsewhere in the pattern to fill in the space. At Beauport, the paper gives the room a lush, jungle-like effect.

Pattern

Decor Chinois

Associated Building

Original to Beauport, Sleeper-McCann House (Gloucester, Mass.),

Maker

Zuber Et Cie (Maker)

Location of Origin

Rixheim, France, ALSACE

Dimensions

21 (W) (inches)

Credit Line

Gift of Constance McCann Betts, Helena Woolworth Guest and Frasier W. McCann

Accession Number

1942.4712