Perfect for the Halloween season is this wallpaper aptly titled “Skeletons”. The pattern is composed of skeletons each assuming a different wacky pose. There are nine different poses in total, forming a neat grid, but the designer’s skill in placing the motifs creates a nice overall flow which appears to contain an unlimited variety of...

Katzenbach & Warren, Inc., one of the major twentieth century New York wallpaper manufacturers, introduced their new line of “Sculptured Wallcoverings” in 1946. This line initially consisted of two relief patterns: one imitating woodgrain, the other straw matting. Additional patterns were introduced in 1948 including Brick. All of the patterns in this line were completely...

A version of this post was originally published on June 4, 2017.   This is a repost from an earlier year, but it seemed appropriate for the warm summer weather currently being experienced across the United States. It is called El Sol, or the Sun, and it is printed in primarily cool colors which seems...

This paper has a decidedly modern look with the minimalist landscape seen through the arch. The view is bordering on surreal, centering on the ruins of a colonnade, with strong horizontal shadows going off to the right. Two trees are seen in the distance, with a flock of gulls or pigeons, which I initially thought...

This is one of a very few wallpapers showing winter-related motifs. The design contains six different snowflakes that repeat twice across the width of the paper. This pattern was introduced in 1929 and is designed in a modernist style. Even today it still looks fresh and modern, printed in a single color on a solid...

Arches is from the first collection of murals Ilonka Karasz designed in 1948 for Katzenbach & Warren, the New York wallpaper firm for whom she designed almost exclusively. Like the majority of her murals it was printed in the blueprint process, her favorite reproduction process for murals as it captured all the nuances of her...

I have always been a fan of modernist painter Joan Miró. I admire the naiveté and reductive quality in his work, along with his use of bold colors, and his disregard for perspective. Also the way he overlaps elements in his designs and his use of positive and negative spaces. All of these come to...

This charming pattern of kites seems like a perfect selection for a spring day. This pattern is one of many in a sample book also containing designs by Ilonka Karasz, Marion Dorn, Lanette Scheeline, and Zue Martin. Designed by William Justema the pattern is a collage of newspaper, fabric and metallic gold accents. The butterfly...

This is an interesting paper reproducing images of game birds from John James Audubon’s Birds of America. Originally created in watercolors by Audubon between 1827-1838, Katzenbach has faithfully reproduced the images as lithographs to accurately capture the softness and texture of the watercolor pigments. The selected birds include, from top to bottom: the White-fronted goose,...