Our Treasures: Historic wallpaper samples in Whangārei Museum archives tell of decorating tastes from the past

Whangārei Museum staff were surprised to uncover amongst some maps recently a roll of old wallpaper. Photo/ Supplied

In the past, not only did the dimensions of a house, the number of windows or the size of skirting boards determine the wealth and status of the occupants but so too did the type of wall coverings, many of which have been lost over time.

Whangarei Museum staff were surprised to uncover, among some maps recently, a roll of old wallpaper donated by Olga Englund. Extremely thin with a striped pattern, it has a dull sage colouring, unlike a private scrapbook full of vintage wallpaper samples also held in the collection, which are far more vibrant.

The colourful samples, purportedly from Ernest Fairburn's home, are mounted on the pages of a Samuel Peach & Son's Trade Catalogue. Having been collected and retained, possibly as a personal record of changes made to the family home or simply for aesthetic pleasure, these examples demonstrate botanical and free flowing leafy designs.

Victorians were fairly melodramatic by interior decorating standards with lavishly decorated covered walls. Early paper hangings in ostentatious homes featured scenes similar to those depicted on tapestries, sometimes glued in panels to form enormous panoramas.

While many patterns and styles may not be voguish today, these paper hangings and their application offer an insight about previous occupants, their social and financial status and their decorating preferences.

The colourful wallpaper samples, purportedly from Ernest Fairburn's home, in the Whangārei Museum, Kiwi North archives. Photo/ Supplied

Paper hangings in New Zealand during the early 1800s were rare, with many dwellings crudely lined with canvas or sacking. Newspapers and magazines were also commonly pasted for lining as fashionable wallpaper was still unaffordable for many families.

By the 1840s wallpaper production in England had been mechanised and as the population grew in New Zealand, wallpaper became more readily available so was an effective way of decorating and brightening up cramped, often dark rooms.

The type of paper used depended on the room's function. In wealthier homes, private areas such as back bedrooms had small floral patterns, while the public areas of the home such as the hallway, parlour and master bedroom, would have the most extravagant coverings.

In the 19th century practical advice on wallpaper came with health warnings as vividly coloured paper hangings were the height of fashion for aspirational Victorians and the cause of countless deaths.

During this period, arsenic was used in everything from stamps to soap including the intense green used in Victorian wallpaper which was derived from toxic copper arsenate.

Although the dangers associated with ingesting arsenic were well known, home owners had no regard when it came to arsenic-laden wallpaper, with many not realising how deadly it was.

Reportedly, it wasn't until 1879 that Queen Victoria had all of the green wallpaper torn out of Buckingham Palace after a visiting dignitary became ill. But, as the garish green fell out of vogue in the fashion world, arsenical poisonings in homes fell too.

Often in an attempt to modernise old houses, owners would cover 'antiquated' features including wallpaper with new materials and these remarkable layers would be buried, only to be rediscovered during demolition or restoration.

So much can be learnt from something so conventional and that is why museums celebrate the history, design, social relevance and conservation of historic wall coverings promoting their study and the changing tastes in interior decoration.

■ Natalie Brookland is collection registrar, Whangārei Museum at Kiwi North.