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Where to find vintage- and vintage-style wallpaper murals

Kate - Updated: June 5, 2021

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

 

thibaut-mural-memory-lane
This “Memory Lane” wallpaper mural from Thibaut was on the market since at least the 1960s, through 2014. It was on the wall behind President Lyndon B. Johnson when he addressed the nation on TV for two hours from his Texas ranch house. It is one of four vintage designs that were available from Thibaut through 2014.

Trisha writes:

Do you remember the ranches with the dining rooms what had the ‘scenes’ of either deer, lapping water from a pond, or Conquistador ships docked at a harbor, or a hand painted scene of a plantation home, etc…? I know this was wallpaper, but I don’t know what the correct term for it is, so I can do a search. Any advice you can share about what to call this as well as whether they make reproduction versions of this scenic mural wallpaper would be appreciated!

thibaut-murals1Tricia, you’ve written to the right place. As we all know, Pam is a vintage wallpaper fanatic, and she knew exactly what to advise. Pam replied:

Hi Tina, It’s great to hear from you — congrats on the house. I am a wallpaper mural lover, too, and have done several stories. We have numerous shown in time capsule houses, some from ebay.

Meanwhile, New Old Stock vintage photo murals that were popular beginning in the 1970s (?) seem pretty abundant. To find them, search “Environmental Graphics wallpaper murals” on ebay (*affiliate link). You can also search etsy, and keep your eagle eyes open and you might find one in the basement of an estate sale.

Good luck, send pics!

10 retro vintage wallpaper murals spotted in time capsule houses

Every once in a wee while, NOS cool-onial print designs also show up on ebay and etsy. Following is a sampling of designs that were made in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s (we estimate) and which we have spotted in their natural habitats and captured in our archives.

vintage-wall-mural
Photo courtesy of photographer and realtor Karla Spiegelberg.

1. Above: This huge maritime wall mural was spotted in a 1960 time capsule house for sale in Laramie, Wyoming.

wallpaper-mural
Photo courtesy of photographer David Ward of the The Creative Ward and realtor Eric Glassoff.

2. Above: An Asian inspired wallpaper mural in this 1956 split level house filled with chinoiserie decor.

wall mural
Photo courtesy of photographer Demetri Papoulidis from Demetri Productions, LLC and realtor Diane Capodilupo.

3. Above: A monotone green nature-inspired wallpaper mural in a 1960s “Storybook Ranch” time capsule.

mid-century-wall-mural
Photo courtesy of photographer Annie M. and realtor Donna Fleetwood.

4. Above: A mural of an arial view of the city of Harrisburg, PA hangs over the fireplace in this 1960 time capsule house in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.

retro-wall-mural5. Above: A tropical wallpaper mural is hiding behind the headboard in this 1978 time capsule home in Shoemakersville, PA.

modern-wall-mural
Photo courtesy of reader David.

6. Above: A modern version of a wallpaper mural — a photo mural of a tropical hideaway — hangs in reader David’s Austrialian bungalow, which he filled with 18 different patterns of wallpaper. This one is likely and Environmental Graphics design.

tile-wall-mural
Photo courtesy of reader MidModMeg.

7. Above: And if you prefer your vintage wall murals in the bathroom — check out this vintage pink bathroom tile mural.

wall-muralretro wall-muralretro wall-mural8,9, and 10.  Above: And while we’re at it, let’s take a look at three more photo murals spotted in time capsule homes sent to us by out realtor friend Jeffrey Hogue — mega thanks Jeffrey!

So there you have it Tricia, one source for new wallpaper murals, ideas for how to find vintage murals and a whole lotta eye candy. Good luck in your search and may the Retro Decorating Gods be with you.

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45 comments

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  1. Rick S says

    Kate and Pam,
    My mother bought a walnut diningroom set from a house that had a mural on the wall behind the buffet. The rest of the walls were covered in wallpaper the color of the background of the mural.
    I wonder what happened to that room.

    I love murals but most houses I have lived in lacked a proper wall to display them. Jacqueline Kennedy even put them in The White House. They are still there in the Diplomatic Reception Room.
    rick

    • philq says

      That’s exactly what I’ve been looking for for my dining room…a wrap-around mural for three of my walls (about 60 linear feet). I don’t think I could afford Jackie’s version, though!

      “The striking panoramic wallpaper in this room was installed by Jacqueline Kennedy in 1961. The paper is called “Views of North America,” and was first printed in 1834 by Jean Zuber et Cie in Rixheim, Alsace. The complete set of 32 somewhat fanciful scenes, based on engravings of the 1820s shows American landscapes that were particularly admired by Europeans. Starting to the left of the doorway from the Ground Floor Corridor are the Natural Bridge of Virginia, Niagara Falls, New York Bay, West Point, and Boston Harbor. Wooden blocks were used to print on panels composed of small sheets of paper.”

      • Rick S says

        philq,
        I remember reading that many people thought Jackie spent too much on the mural too. I believe she bought vintage (then they just called it old) and had it restored. She could have bought a reproduction but thought authentic was needed.

        I remember seeing some great murals, painted and wallpaper, in some of the southern homes used in grand entrys.

        rick

  3. jeanne says

    I sooooo have to photograph the black & white photo mural of Big Sur in my knotty pine basement and send it to you. I need to clean up the surrounding area first. Eek. It’s been on my list for a while…

  4. Robin, NV says

    I have two walls that are just begging for a wall mural. I think an Asian motif would look great in my dining room. Pam – any interest in doing a post about Asian/Chinoiserie decor?

  5. tlbond says

    I have a photo of my mother standing in front of one of these murals that was in her brother’s home.

  6. linda h says

    I recently told my elderly friend who has been in her home since the 1960’s that my favorite thing about her home was the mural in her dining room. She then said they had removed it and painted the wall a long time ago. I was sad to hear she thought it had fallen out of style and she had fallen out of love with it herself. I have a folding screen with a scene of Mt. Fuji against the wall of my dining room which we bought from the business of a Mr. Kobayashi while living in Japan. If i didn’t have that, a mural would look great there.

    • Mary Elizabeth says

      In the house where I grew up, my dad and I installed a mural that was a cross between a Mt. Fuji scene and the “Memory Lane” mural featured above. In other words, it was a snow capped mountain in the distance and it was done in various shades of green.

  7. Roundhouse Sarah says

    Oh, oh, oh, me, me, me! (Has raised hand flailing around) please put up the photo of my dining room with my giant Klimt mural wallpaper, purdy please! It was an ebay purchase and it came from South Korea. It was a very thing vinyl type wallpaper, it came in four sections and it even has glitter embedded in it. The dimensions happened to be perfect for the wall. I couldn’t be happier with the final result, wall murals add a touch of class, a bit of elegance… Love em! ; )

  8. Scott says

    I’m really loving the idea of the bathroom mural. I probably won’t have the budget to replace my plastic faux tile walls for a few years but a paint solution in the meantime could certainly liven things up. I never really considered that there might be paints that could adhere to a surface like that, especially considering the moisture factor. Hmmmmm.

  9. Patty says

    It seems like you need a pretty wide expanse of wall for this awesomeness. I’m thinking these would be perfect behind today’s larger size TV screens.

    In the meantime I have the poor girl’s version – light switch plates with a scene on it.

  10. Chad says

    I’ll have to see if I can dig up a photo of my grandmother’s wallpaper mural. It depicted a handful of the best brick buildings of Colonial America, mostly Williamsburg, set on a street with suburban looking front lawns. The streets were immaculate and no pedestrians were jaywalking. You don’t get much more midcentury than that imaginary version of the 18th Century!

      • Lee says

        Hi Pam, How do we email you photos of Mural Wallpaper for your files? I have a 1950’s/1960’s scene that I can’t find anywhere. Lee