Epic: 2,000+ words exploring this piney puzzle
Pickwick Pine! We recently learned that this is the name for the what we believe was the most common profile of knotty pine paneling in the 1940s and 1950s — and possibly, for many decades prior. Since we love to chronicle the almost-forgotten terms for the beloved decor within mid-century modern and modest houses, we dove into this subject and today, explore the origins of and more information about pickwick pine paneling. Oh and yes: We identify some sources where you can still buy pickwick pine paneling today.
What is Pickwick Pine paneling?
“Pickwick” refers to the unique edge profile of each piece of this tongue-in-groove pine paneling. Stare at the profile edge from the side and you can see: Pickwick consists of two beads with a hollow in between on one side of each board… this pickwick side also includes the tongue… and on the other side of the board, there is a groove.
In the industry, this profile is known as pattern “WP-2” — see the diagram above.
The catalog we found from 1960 also called WP-2 “butterfly pattern” (this terminology spotted in the yellow area of text in the image above).
So now we have three different terms to identify this paneling profile: Pickwick… WP-2… or butterfly. But, we’ll call it Pickwick, for sure. Buy your boards, let them rest in the house for a few days to adjust to the humidity, start piecing the boards together, coat them in wood conditioner and then lay on the liquid bug poop — aka Amber Shellac, and voila, you got yer room full o’ knotty pine — just like at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. And likely, their grandma and grandpa’s, too — we have some reason this profile goes back to the early 20th century — maybe even earlier.
Today, it seems that you can get Pickwick panels that are 4″, 6″, 8″ or 10″ wide. Looking at the photo from Mod Betty above, I think that back in the day, panels might even have been wider — 12″? What do you think? Note, The “face width” — the part showing — of any size panel will be less than its nominal width (the size of the board before it is assembled), because tongues get nested into grooves, making the “face width” less wide.
Personally, I think I like the wider boards. If you use boards that are too narrow — like the 4″ — and it starts to look like bead board.
Also, I like the idea of using randow widths and piecing them together. That said, I do not know if folks would have done this in the wayback time machine days.
Why is it called “pickwick” pine paneling? We need help!
But.. whence the name “Pickwick”? We do not know. However, we have some hints at a start:
- In 1837, Charles Dickens published his first comic novel, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club — also known as The Pickwick Papers. The name of the protagonist was Samuel Pickwick, and his club consisted of fellow Pickwickians — they got into a lot of adventures that went… awry. The 1891 book History of Pickwick says (page 12-13) that Dickens took the “unusual and quaint” name Pickwick from the family that ran the coaches between Bath and London. Moses Pickwick was the coach proprietor’s name, this 1917 thesis says, pointing out that Dickens liked whimsical names for his characters. Following on the success of the book, the word “Pickwickian” took on a meaning of its own. Merriam-Webster defines Pickwickian “marked by simplicity and generosity.” There’s also a connotation of pleasant plumpness. AND, see the original cover illustration — the title “Pickwick Club” seems to drawn out in characters that look like pieces of wood! Based on all this, I will guess: Whoever named the profile for this knotty pine superstar pattern chose the name after The Pickwick Papers to underscore the simple every-person beauty of this pine paneling and its decorative profile. Or, maybe they just liked the whimsical word and its allusion to historical England.
- Interestingly, the word ‘wick‘ is Old English for house or village and morphed into the Greek oikos, which morped into the word ecology and economy. Could it be that Moses Pickwick was from a village called Pick?
We welcome any reader sleuthing on this question — this pickwick pine puzzle will now perturb Pam until an answer is apprehended. So now — just like we wrestled the etymology of the term “hudee” ring to the ground — we’re on a pursuit to answer the question:
“Why — absolutely positively with primary proof — is it called pickwick pine paneling”? Help!
Update We have an answer for why this was called “Pickwick”:
Steven Jarvis, author of the forthcoming novel, Death and Mr. Pickwick, has what appears to be a pretty darn good answer to our question in this comment posted to the blog overnight Jan. 14, 2015:
Hi everyone,
I have done a great deal of research on The Pickwick Papers, and although I do not know the specific reason for the naming of “Pickwick pine panelling”, what I can say is that the name “Pickwick” was for almost a century the most powerful advertising tool in the world, and all kinds of products and businesses were called “Pickwick”. Most commonly, it was applied to food and drink, because there is so much eating and drinking in Dickens’s Pickwick Papers, but many other uses were found for the name. The point is that Dickens’s novel was SO popular, that it acted as a kind of “permanent advertisement”, and any business calling itself “Pickwick” would automatically give itself pleasant associations. The great era of Pickwick-naming came to an end in about 1930, but even today there are businesses that call themselves “Pickwick”, and it is not always obvious why. For those who are interested, my research led to my writing a novel, which will be out later this year, about the whole Pickwick phenomenon, It’s called “Death and Mr Pickwick”. Further information is on the website http://www.deathandmrpickwick.com
Well, howdy do, mystery solved. Thank you, Steven, we will feature your book when it comes out — and I for one plan to read it. Hey, I’m also going to my library today to get a copy of The Pickwick Papers to read. I feel so smart and literary.
Pickwick pine paneling was massively popular in midcentury America
There is no doubt in our mind that pickwick pine paneling was massively popular in American homes after World War II — we will venture to guess it was the #1 most popular pine paneling pattern. Some googling found this reference to pickwick pine — a 1956 ad in the Nashua, New Hampshire Telegraph. It encouraged homeowners to use the paneling in their den, playroom, living room or kitchen. In nearly seven years of blogging, we also have seen it used in basements, attics, porches — even bathrooms and ceilings — see our 2012 uploader of readers’ interiors full o’ the knotty.
Why the popularity of the decorative pickwick pine pattern in midcentury America?
I will attribute it to longtime, continued interest in Early American interior decoration. Building homes, early Americans would have used the materials at hand — and in the early colonies, that would have meant a lot of pine. A LOT OF PINE. These trees blanketed Northeast America (more on this subject further down). The Wikipedia page on pinus strobus also says:
Old growth pine in the Americas, of various Pinus species, was a highly desired wood since huge, knot-free boards were the rule rather than the exception. Pine was common and easy to cut, thus many colonial homes used pine for paneling, floors and furniture. Pine was also a favorite tree of loggers since pine logs can still be processed in a lumber mill a year or more after being cut down. In contrast, most hardwood trees such as cherry, maple, oak, and ash must be cut into 1” thick boards immediately after felling or large cracks will develop in the trunk which can render the wood worthless. — Sourced to Ling, H. 2003. The Eastern White Pine. Native Plant Society of NJ Newsletter Winter 2003 pp 2–3.
Fast forward to the middle of the 20th century, fast-growing pine remained an easy wood to obtain. It’s a relatively soft wood — so it’s easy for lumber mills, pattern makers and installers to work with. During the postwar housing boom, the pine industry promoted its use with lots of advertising. It was very accessible for handy, thrifty do-it-yourselfers.
Pine — including knotty pine — is a classic, vernacular material that was critically important, it seems, to many generations of American homes for many generations.
Moreover, in midcentury America, knotty pine was not only considered practical — it was downright fashionable, said to to Ed Vorhees, who has owned Tidewater Lumber in Greer, S.C. since 1960. Vorhees knows this material well — and his company still mills and sells pickwick pine paneling. I asked Vorhees if he knew where the name Pickwick Pine came from, but he did not know. I also asked him if he knew how long the pattern had been available America, and while he did not know, he thought it had been available for quite a long time — since the early 20th century, at minimum.
Above: Yes, the 1960 catalog that we found says Americans have lived with knotty pine for generations….
Classic knotty pine comes from pinus strobus — mountain white pine
Vorhees told me that classic knotty pine paneling was and still is made from pinus strobus — a soft white pine that once blanketed Eastern North American and which today continues to be grown all along the Appalachian Trail. (Wiki also says these trees are the tallest in North America. Don’t I know it: I think I have two or three ginormous, 60-year-old pinus strobus outside my house, poised to fall on the roof when the next big wind blows. Ugh.)
I think I am understanding — from these various sources — that old growth pinus strobus was much more clear — free of knots — than new growth pinus strobus today. That’s because old growth trees got so big. Newer growth trees today, when cut, display many more of the knots — which are a result of the many branches that grow on a pinus strobus. As the old growth forests were exhausted (only 1% of old growth remains today, the wiki says,) the fast growth new growth continued to be used. But, the knots made it more useful for surface decorative treatment — like paneling — as opposed to other applications requiring clear knot-free lumber.
Other genuses of pine — most notably those from the West Coast — do not have as many knots, Vorhees said (I think; my notes are bad on this detail, sorry.) This made them better for features like doors and windows. Vorhees says that America was flooded with West Coast pine doors and windows “for years and years.”
That said, the catalog we have for 1960 pine paneling — published by the Western Pine Region Mills — shows the pickwick pattern profile in use — and applicable to 10 different species of woods from Western forests. So pine paneling — including knotty pine panelling and including pickwick pine pattern panelling — was not exclusively made from pinus strobus. There were a variety of species, and we can surmise from this marketing material that lumber mills could use any species to mill any pattern, depending on the market.
Where to buy pickwick pine paneling today
I didn’t research this specifically, but I tend to believe that new growth white pine boards are still quite abundant in America. Perhaps you can find a local woodworking or milling company to get their hands on some and mill you some pickwick pine paneling? Or, we found some companies online that actually had “pickwick pine” somewhere in their text so that it would come up in search:
- Ed Voorhee’s company Tidewater Lumber and Moulding, Inc. in Greenville, S.C. offers pickwick paneling. The company buys their own pine… dries it… then mills it. They deliver using their own trucks within 150 miles and will also ship. The company has been in business since 1960.
- We also found Middleton Lumber, located in Middleton, Pennsylvania, which offers pickwick in a variety of widths.
- And, we even found it available on Amazon — Pickwick pine paneling from Capitol City Lumber (* affiliate link)
Buy vintage panels — or vintage pine milled into pickwick
- Is the pine from yee olden days better than the pine made today? One expert we talked to — Craig Carver, owner of Fine Reclamation Works — said “yes”. In our lead photo for this story, we featured Pickwick Pine panels milled by Fine Reclamation Works using vintage knotty pine salvaged from beams in an old New York mill. Carver told us that me had thought the beams were heart pine. Heart pine is harder than white pine and makes wonderful flooring — it’s very desirable among homeowners today — and the older the better. Alas, he said, the beams were the more prosaic white pine, so instead of milling them into flooring, he milled them into old timey Pickwick. “Old white pine is better than new white pine,” he told us. “It has more character.”
- If you’re lucky, you might also find Pickwick pine paneling at your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, salvage yard or even on Craigslist. Since salvaged board has been previously installed and removed — sometimes more carefully than others — there will be nail holes and possible chipping to deal with. Sometimes that finish can be beat to heck, too…. Even so, using salvaged Pickwick could yield an authentic look for less. Here’s some Pickwick pine for sale in Dallas, for example.
So there you go, dear readers: Pickwick Pine.
Did you enjoy today’s class?
Special thanks to Kate for lots of the research that also went into this article.
Peggy S says
My home was built in 1952 – Houston, TX – and still has its original knotty pine den. The panels are (FYI) 7″ 9″ 11″ – as present in the finished walls. Presumably, this was 8, 10, and 12 uninstalled. Would upload pic here if I knew how on this site. They are a very dark, reddish tone. Don’t want to remove them, but would love to know how to lighten them. Do housepainters know how to do this??
pam kueber says
The collective thinking here, is, I believe, that the amber shellac used to coat the pine has oxidized and darkened over the years. I know of no way to lighting the pine up sort of stripping and refinishing — which would be a nightmare considering all the pickwick channels and … well … then you’d lose all the lovely vintage patina. Lighting and art. That’s what I’d suggest!
Very cool to hear of the sizes combined!
To send me a photo – start with the Contact form. https://retrorenovation.com/contact
Joe Felice says
You are absolutely correct. Both shellac & varnish seem to darken over time, and they also tend to absorb environmental things, such as smoke. And we all know how people used to love to smoke! I discovered this when I inherited a 1942 original painting from Italy when my parents died. It was so dark, it had lost a lot of its detail. I found a local art restorer her in the Denver area who did an EXCELLENT job of removing the finish & the stains. It was a tedious job (I could never have done it. It’s done with alcohol and Q-tips!), and it took months, but you should see the result! I can now actually see the lights in the windows, which I did not even know were there before! This lady actually has a degree in art restoration from the University of Milan, so restoring this vintage Italian painting was a labor of love for her, and she pursued it almost with a spiritual passion. It’s always such a thrill to see someone perform their art in this manner. It’s something we don’t see much these days. And you should see her basement–it’s stacked with paintings waiting to be restored. So, yes, trying to clean out all the grooves in the pickwick paneling might not be a chore that many would want to undertake. But I was thinking, (And sometimes that’s dangerous!) Would you necessarily have to clean those out? Leaving some dark grooves might add to the antique effect and give the wood “character.” I mean, if it were to be “washed” with a light color, wouldn’t the indentations tend to take more of the color anyway? And I do think that the tendencies of shellac & varnish led to the invention & use of urethanes. Time will tell if they will do the same.
pam kueber says
Yes, when working to “age” new wood, it’s typical to let the stain seep even more deeply into the crevasses… I just don’t know how controllable it would in reverse….
Peggy S says
Thanks for both replies. I will probably do what I always do after thinking about it – decide that its darkening with age is also part of its character and leave it be! More light does help and it is still the best room in the house for a nap when the sun sets in the fall and burnishes it with gold.
Mary Elizabeth says
That’s a perfect description of the feeling knotty pine gives us. Thanks, Peggy. 🙂
pam kueber says
Ahhhh, sounds so pretty!
Joe Felice says
It does seem to hearken to colonial times, when the “western” theme was in, and western certainly experienced a revival in mid-century America. Remember the Daniel Boone craze? Plus all the movies & TV shows? It was kind of sad when sheets of paneling began to be made in the ’60s, most of it synthetic–not real wood & with a veneer surface. And it was really sad when walnut color became the choice in the ’70s. I just remember that everything was so dark because of that.
Joe Felice says
I recall that the milled grooves on this paneling were randomly spaced, if it was used on walls, but was evenly spaced on cabinet doors and ceilings. I had always assumed that the wood came in 4′ by 8′ panels (as it was later & today). It is interesting to learn that it actually consisted of strips of varying width joined together. I had never heard it referred to as “pickwick,” however, so I, for one, will be interested to see what people come up with in terms of origin of the name. If from Dickens’ “Pickwick,” could it be that this paneling was popular in England during that time (even though this pre-dates our own MCM use? And was it ever appropriate to paint this wood? Good, ol’ naughty pine! LOL
pam kueber says
People did not seem to paint this. The brochure we have does show some color stains. But mostly — au natural seemed to be the fashionable preference.
Kristen says
If I had known what a treasure we scored I might have reused it differently. Please don’t hate me. Someone had removed all the Pickwick pine from his kitchen with the intent to reuse it in his home, an 1800’s stone farmhouse. After years of it sitting in his garage, he offered it free on Craigslist. We scooped it up and sided our kids’ new treehouse/fort with it (I’d post a picture if I knew how). It even included original cabinet doors which we made into window shutters and the entry door. Our house is a 1956 ranch, so it’s keeping in the same era.
But now I’m second guessing our plans to paint it after reading this.
pam kueber says
Sounds nice!!! Send me pics!
Mary Elizabeth says
A knotty pine treehouse! What’s wrong with that?
Joe Felice says
In a pine tree?
Jackie says
Ok then this makes more sense. I am always looking for this stuff at resale stores, but I’m calling it beadboard. Then when I find new ‘beadboard’ it is not what I want, this is what I want. Now I know what to call it 🙂
Sam R says
The garage, of all things, in my 1954 house is done in Pickwick-style knotty pine paneling, painted with some sort of white-ish glaze that looks rather like limed oak. Even the built-in storage area at the back of the garage is built out of it. To make it really unusual, the boards are installed horizontally (like Eartha Kitsch’s den ceiling), rather than the standard vertical alignment. The rest of the house is painted plaster over gypsum board lath, except for few repaired spots that are strait gypsum board, the laundry room (former office) which is a woodgrain embossed hardboard paneling, and the bathrooms, which are tile and plaster.
pam kueber says
Cool!
Sam R says
The first time I walked out into the garage (which was trash-strewn and dark, as the power was off), I looked around and immediately said to the sales agent “who the heck puts knotty pine paneling in a GARAGE?” It’s been one of the things that almost everyone who comes into the house comments on immediately.
Mary Elizabeth says
Sam, maybe the former owner did what a cousin of mine did on her property. In the winter, the garage was used to store cars. In the summer, It was opened up as a sheltered party place, with picnic tables, grill tucked under the eaves, etc. You’ve got the knotty pine “cabin” look. You should try that!
pam kueber says
I bet you are correct! They even made – or maybe still make – screens as big as a garage door!
Jay says
Great Class Teacher, I’ll give you 10 on a scale of 1 – 10, 10 being the best. Now that I have finished sucking up, I would agree. The Pickwick pine paneling I have seen in historic Colonial homes and historical sites tended to be painted and were free of knots which would indicate very old tree growth. Jump forward to post WW2, the trees not so old plus rapid growth/harvesting would result in cheaper wood which the shelllac would enhance giving off a casual informal look so popular then.
I also agree that the narrow width boards now available give the appearance of bead board. I used such planking in my last kitchen and I never made a connection to knotty pine. It read bead board.
Now if we could just nail down the origin of the term.
pam kueber says
“nail down” hahah
Robin, NV says
Pam – thanks for the great article. I’d very much like to have knotty pine in my guest bedroom and am looking for good sources. There are many log cabin supply companies that have wood paneling but I wonder if it’s a good substitute for traditional pine paneling.
As far as the name “Pickwick.” I think it’s probably one of two things – 1) it’s a name made up by a marketing team, suggestive of “rustic” or “cottage” or 2) it’s the name of a mill known for making pine paneling. My historian “spidey senses” tell me it’s the former. But I’d love to know the origin.
pam kueber says
I agree it’s quite like a made up word by a marketing team. I do believe, however, that its fundamental, popular use came from The Pickwick Papers. Before that, it seems to have been “just” an English surname….
Libby says
I have a large room of pine paneling we are removing this week. Is there a central website to resell what we have?
pam kueber says
https://retrorenovation.com/forums … but you will probably have the best luck on craigslist
Mary Elizabeth says
Good morning! When I heard the term Pickwick pine, I wondered if the Pickwick might be the name of a place in the US, not in England. I found several places called Pickwick, one in Minnesota that had a grist mill and saw mill. See history at:
http://pickwickmill.org/
Maybe they would know whether that early mill produced knotty pine.
There is also a Pickwick in Tennessee,which was a riverboat stop in the 1800s. Picture the interior of a riverboat. Weren’t they paneled, like whaling boats, maybe in knotty pine?
These are just random thoughts. Anyone have any more information about possible sites of U. S. sawmills in places called Pickwick?
pam kueber says
Good idea — I’ll check it out! Thanks!
pam kueber says
Found this: Pickwick Landing, Tenn., named after The Pickwick Papers, this wiki says – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickwick_Landing_Dam
Roundhouse Sarah says
Great article, impressive research! While lots of mid century modest homes in my area have this pickwick pine paneling the most coveted paneling amongst the locals is the old world long leaf pine from north louisiana and pecky cypress from the south. So many people are quick to remove or paint over real wood paneling without thinking of what we gave up for it and how we will probably never get it back. The forests and landscape in my state are forever changed from last century’s lumber industry. Thanks for always spreading the notion of preservation through education!