Enfilade

An interesting example of a self-published book (easily accessible through Barnes & Noble and Amazon) that many scholars may find extremely useful. It’s among the titles under consideration for Historic New England’s 2014 Book Prize . . .

Robert M. Kelly, The Backstory of Wallpaper: Paper-Hangings, 1650–1750 (Lee, Massachusetts: Wallpaper Scholar, 2013), 190 pages, ISBN: 978-0985656102, $30.

Wallpaper design has captivated Western consumers for 300 years, but this book looks closer—at wallpaper use. It tells how single-sheet wallpaper developed in Europe, found wide acceptance in England and France, and was successfully transplanted to the North American colonies. By 1750, wallpaper was well-established and poised for phenomenal growth.

Robert M. Kelly has been working with wallpaper as a paperhanger, consultant, and writer for over 30 years. He attended the Attingham Summer School program in 1993. He has worked at the White House, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, Martin Van Buren’s Lindenwald estate, The Gracie Mansion in New York City, and many other governmental sites. He’s written over 50 articles on wallpaper, many for the Wallpaper History Society Review.

An interview with Robert Kelly appears at Kunstpedia.