Modernist Wallpaper Designs

1930. NA. Very Good. 53 wallpaper samples representing eleven, or arguably a dozen, different patterns, all striking, and all Modernist, and Art Deco-ish, in their sensibility. Patterns are geometric -- lines, circles, parallelograms, etc. -- or abstracted foliage and other floral elements, or vaguely suggestive of marine life. While there is no date, nor even evidence of the wallpaper company for whom these were done, we are of the conviction these date probably to the 1930s, although they could be from the twenties, or the forties. The paints on the wallpapers have an actual palpability that comes from hand-brushwork. We assume that a stencil process (truncated) was used to create these samples. Within the designs, there can be differences from one to the next besides their coloring. In a leaf pattern design, for example, some of the samples have a superimposed pattern of short lines, while others have none of this --thus our question mark about the number of different designs. Each pattern is shown in multiple color combinations, per typical for wallpaper sample books. The samples are mounted on black paper, these undersheets measuring 32.5 by 26 cm, and the samples are mounted with modest margins and are close to uniform in size, but not completely so. Typical would be dimensions of about 28 by 24 cm. Over each of the samples is a spider web patterned thin and translucent vellum tissue guard, such as we associate with photo albums from the early to mid-20th century. It is our educated guess that these samples were part of the drafting process, and not meant to be presented to customers. In other words, pre-catalogue. But since we don't know the manufacturer, we can't know for sure. Since by this time the design market was international, we also can't be sure of the nationality of that company -- it could be French,German, English or American. (Inventory #: 008187)