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Object Timeline
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1947 |
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1991 |
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2015 |
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2025 |
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Sidewall, Nursery Rhymes
This is a sidewall. It was designed by Walter Crane and produced by Jeffrey & Company. It is dated 1876 and we acquired it in 1947. Its medium is machine-printed paper. It is a part of the Wallcoverings department.
Make Every Day a Dog Day
I was recently scrolling through images of wallpapers in the collection and was surprised and delighted to see how many of them contained images of dogs. While dogs appear on wallpapers intended for adults as well as children, the imagery on papers for children is far more amusing. The early 20th century was the highpoint of children’s wallpaper design and many delightful wallpapers for children were created. Children’s papers at this time were educational in nature, and child experts thought imagery should be realistically rendered to help engage the child without being confusing.
The following papers all show animals easily recognized by children, wonderfully illustrated, and beautifully colored. Dogs were frequently used to illustrate nursery rhymes and ABCs. Hey Diddle Diddle (1947-25-3), one of the earlier children’s papers by Walter Crane, has characters illustrating the verse, with the little dog laughing to see such a sight. Another much later paper designed by William Wegman (1996-53-1) shows his very patient weimaraners forming the letters of the alphabet. The “Hunting” frieze by Cecil Aldin (1975-2-5-a/g) shows a long parade of horses, dogs, and carriages, though what is being hunted remains a mystery. Kindergarten Cut-outs (1960-163-36) was very innovative in that it was designed to decorate as well as entertain a child. The animal shapes could be cut out and pinned to a fabric wallcovering. This was lithograph-printed with oil colors so it could be wiped clean. The Child World (1982-36-3) illustrates a child utopia, where each child is shown with a beloved animal in a bucolic setting. This is one panel from a set of two which create a border 10 feet long without repeating. The two panel set can be repeated indefinitely.
This object was
donated by
Essex Institute.
It is credited Gift of Essex Institute.
- Firescreen, Le Couronnement d'Esther
- block-printed on handmade paper.
- Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.
- 1931-45-3
- The Bases Of Design
- lithograph on paper.
- Smithsonian Libraries, NK1510 .C89.
- 139.2018.15
Its dimensions are
H x W x D: 35.2 x 56 cm (13 7/8 x 22 1/16 in.)
Cite this object as
Sidewall, Nursery Rhymes; Designed by Walter Crane ((English, 1845–1915)); Produced by Jeffrey & Company (United Kingdom); England; machine-printed paper; H x W x D: 35.2 x 56 cm (13 7/8 x 22 1/16 in.); Gift of Essex Institute; 1947-25-3
This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibitions Wall Stories: Children's Wallpapers and Books and The Cooper-Hewitt Collections: A Design Resource.
