Maureen gets major snaps for spotting this great find: “Views of Paris” wallpaper designed by Saul Steinberg — who is perhaps best well known for his New Yorker cartoons. Amazing but true: This Schumacher wallpaper has been in production and for sale by Schumacher since 1946.
Maureen wrote:
I have been searching for post-war/pre-fab ’50s stuff since we started our basement reno in April 2008. I came across an article (googled it) and found the Schumacher paper that I linked in my earlier comment. I understand that very few wallpapers were produced in the war era because they melted the printing presses as part of the war effort.
She goes on to explain that her house was built in 1949, so she is looking for design resources that harken to the 40s and very early 50s. And she adds that, with a big kitchen renovation in the works, and the wallpaper pricing out at CDN$360 per double roll, she hasn’t bit the bullet to purchase any yet — she’s still thinking through where to put it exactly, as there are a few possibilities.
I do agree: Oh my, this is truly fantastic. To be sure, a wallpaper to aspire to. Thank you, Maureen, for the great detective work. I see from some of your other comments, that you have a few more finds I need to spotlight on the main page. I can’t WAIT to see your kitchen!
Here are some links with more information:
- Maureen first read this story about vintage wallpaper in the Old House Journal online.
- The OHJ story pointed her to this New York Times story about the Cooper-Hewitt’s 1995 exhibit, “Kitsch to Corbusier: Wallpapers From the 1950’s.”
- The Times story led her to chase the Saul Steinberg wallpaper, Views of Paris in Black and White for sale from Schumacher.
- Read more about Saul Steinberg’s life and work via The Saul Steinberg Foundation.
