An exhibition of wallpaper - a first for Ireland - opening on Tuesday in the Dublin Civic Trust at 4 Castle Street, Dublin 2, is a must for anyone interested in the domestic history of Dublin in the 18th century onwards.
Wallpaper is something we all take for granted now, but when it started out in the 17th century, it was essentially a poor man's version of the silks, damasks and velvets hung on the walls of the wealthy.
But as time went on it became a fashionable alternative in Europe, with perhaps the best papers coming from France, then England, although it is known that the German artist Dürer produced a print for walls before that.
In Ireland, the fashionable 18th century family also used wallpaper, and an indication of just how fashionable it became can by seen in this painting of a Dublin family in their drawingroom, attributed to 18th century Irish painter Phillip Heussey and now in the National Gallery.
It clearly shows how the fine stucco friezes and chair rails have been removed from the room in order to accommodate the magnificent trompe-l'oeil wallpaper of columns and arches, and when you think of the fine craftsmanship used in that kind of plasterwork at that time, you can see how valued the paper was. In the exhibition, a similar piece of trompe-l'oeil paper made by an unnamed Irish maker and found in Malahide Castle some 70 years later imitates elaborate Gothic timber panelling.
However, there is an even earlier instance of wallpaper being used in Ireland. This is one of the earliest examples of flock wallpaper, dating from about 1680s and still attached to a wall in the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham. It is too precious to move to the exhibition, so an exact replica is being shown instead.
Flock wallpaper was originally made to be like cut or devore velvet. It was invented in Rouen, France, some 40 years earlier and got its effect by printing glue in a pattern onto paper and then dusting it all over with wool dust, which attached to the glued areas.
This fascinating exhibition brings you right into the middle of Irish domesticity in the 18th century, admittedly at the wealthier end of the scale, and shows that people were just as concerned, then as now, with finding themselves in agreeable surroundings.
The exhibition runs from Wednesday, October 29th, for several months from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday (closing for lunch from 1 p.m. to 2p.m, admission free. A one day seminar on the History and Conservation of Wallpaper will take place in the Dublin Civic Trust on October 31st, at a cost of €90. Places are limited so it is advisable to book early.