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Creator:
Morris, William, 1834–1896
Title(s):
Balmoral wallpaper.
Published/Created:
England : Morris & Co., 1887.
Physical Description:
1 sheet of wallpaper : felt on paper ; 82 x 72 cm
Holdings:
Unable to reach service. Holdings currently not available
Copyright Status:
Copyright Not Evaluated
Classification:
Prints
Notes:
Selected exhibitions: "'The Beauty of Life': William Morris and the Art of Design" (Yale Center for British Art, 14 October 2004-2 January 2005).
Morris, W. William Morris by himself : designs and writings, plate 282
The design features a repetition of lozenges containing thistles, crowns and the initials VRI (Victoria Regina Imperatrix).
Bearing little resemblance to most of Morris's patterns, this wallpaper was designed specifically for Queen Victoria for her favorite Scottish residence, Balmoral. The application of felt to create a raised surface was called a "flock" wallpaper. Flock wallpapers were extremely popular in the mainstream of Victorian taste and were the kind of wallpapers that Morris and his associates generally scorned. The firm, however, produced a handful of flock wallpapers in the late 1880s in order to appeal to a wider middle-class consumer base. Morris's expansion of the range of furnishings that the firm made available may have gone beyond his personal tastes, but it helped to make his business successful.
Subject Terms:
Balmoral Castle (Scotland)
Decoration and ornament -- Great Britain.
Morris & Co. (London, England)
Victoria, Queen of Great Britain, 1819–1901 -- Homes and haunts.
Form/Genre:
Wallpapers.
Flock papers.
Contributors:
Morris & Co. (London, England)
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