ABSTRACT
The first instances of printed paper being used in Britain to decorate walls (and ceilings) can be dated to the early sixteenth century. Thereafter the production and use of wallpapers continued to grow, in parallel with the use of such paper for lining boxes, cupboards, chests and other furniture. Among those walland lining papers produced in the seventeenth century we find a significant number which closely resemble some kind of needlework. Those who have written about these papers have advanced various theories about the purpose of these printed sheets, and the origin of their designs, with some arguing that they must have been produced – at least at first – as patterns for embroiderers, others positing a dual purpose, and the majority taking the view that the papers were copies or imitations of textiles or textile effects. I propose to examine these arguments in some detail and to explore the evidence – both internal and contextual – for these theories, focusing on selected examples of such papers in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (V&A).
