Opened on November 16, “The Art of French Wallpaper Design” has filled the Rhode Island School of Design Museum with over 100 “exceptionally rare” samples of French wallpaper designs created in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The exhibition promises to explore the “intricacy and innovative quality of French wallpapers.”  A key theme in the show is the innovations that were possible in wallpaper design thanks to the development of woodblock printing techniques in France. The use of intricately carved blocks and hand-finished details gained French craftspeople an international reputation for the vibrancy and texture of their work, and these methods continued to be used by designers in Western Europe long after the dawn of mechanized printers.

The French decorative paper—or papier dominoté—industry produced book covers, decorative stationary, and furniture lining during the 1700s, growing into a bustling wallpaper industry that saw French designs coveted and exported around the world. The exhibition includes preliminary drawings and drafts, borders, and individual fragments in addition to larger samples. All manner of subject matter, too, is showcased in the exhibition, from abstract and floral patterns to classical imagery and extravagant narrative scenes.

Bon Wallpaper Design, 1799. Image courtesy of RISD Museum, Rhode Island.

The exhibition is made up of works from the 500-object collection of Charles and Frances Wilson Huard, which has been in the care of the RISD Museum since it was purchased by the institution in 1934. The Huards—Charles a respected French illustrator and Frances an American author and translator—who married in 1905, assembled their wallpaper collection in the 1920s and 30s. They built up their collection with purchases from antique dealers as well as rescuing wallpaper from abandoned homes and working directly with designers.

Given the ephemeral nature of wallpaper, and the likelihood of it being damaged, covered, or simply discarded, the Huard Collection is remarkable for its quality as well as its quantity of exceptional samples. The fragility of paper artifacts like those in the Huard Collection mean that “The Art of French Wallpaper Design” is a rare opportunity for the public to see so many high quality pieces.

French, Flocked Wallpaper Border, 1820 – 1830. Image courtesy of RISD Museum, Rhode Island.

Emily Banas, the Associate Curator of Decorative Arts and Design at the museum and the curator of “The Art of French Wallpaper Design” has said she’s “thrilled to have the opportunity to re-introduce this extraordinary collection, which has not been presented in depth for many years, to a broad audience”.

RISD Museum have also partnered with Adelphi Paper Hangings, based in Sharon Springs, New York, on a special project for the exhibition. Adelphi, an artisanal wallpaper producer with a specialty in historic wallpaper designs founded in 1999, have been commissioned to recreate one of the wallpapers in the exhibition using the traditional woodblock printing method used by the wallpaper’s original manufacturer in the 18th century.

Wallpaper Border, The Adventures of Don Quixote; Panel from Don Quixote series; The Adventures of Don Quixote, ca. 1830. Image courtesy of RISD Museum, Rhode Island.

The exhibition is accompanied by a digital publication which includes essays exploring the history of the Huard Collection and wallpaper design in the context of printmaking, as well the preservation processes involved in working with objects of this nature. RISD Museum have also created two videos, one a walkthrough of samples in the Huard collection, and the other a look at Adelphi’s intricate production process to create their commissioned design.

Banas has said she is “certain the material will excite our visitors and challenge notions of what “historic” design looks like. From its foundations in drawing and printing, to its dynamic forms and creative uses that enlivened and personalized spaces, there is so much more to wallpaper than meets the eye. I look forward to sharing the many discoveries this exhibition holds.”

Wallpaper Border, ca. 1820. Image courtesy of RISD Museum, Rhode Island.

Banas told Artnet News exclusively: “Many people have preconceived ideas about wallpaper, from what it looks like to how it’s used. Colorful floral patterns are often the touchstone, but historical wallpapers offered so much more. The Art of French Wallpaper Design captures the diversity of inspirations and forms that emerged in wallpapers in France from the late 18th to mid 19th century. Produced using the technique of woodblock printing, these wallpapers are highly sophisticated in composition, scale, and color and reflect an often unacknowledged history of that discipline. I think visitors will be amazed by how fresh and contemporary these designs are, but also the unique ways in which people arranged them in their spaces. I’m excited to see the ways in which these wallpapers will surprise and inspire.”

“The Art of French Wallpaper Design” is on display at RISD Museum until May 11 2025.