Featured What would you do with a vintage wallpaper scrapbook?

My mother, a textile designer, put together a number of scrapbooks in the 30s and 40s with examples of different types of designs.

One of the scrapbooks contains mostly samples of wallpaper, with a smattering of ads and other clips from magazines. There are at least 50 standard-sized 3-ring binder sheets, with items pasted on both sides. So I think there are likely a couple hundred wallpaper samples. The're mostly florals, some pastel and some colorful.

After doing a little sleuthing, I think this scrapbook is from the 1940s based on a few perfume and home furnishing ads plus images of what I think are typical 1940s rayon dress fabrics. I'll include some pages below.

I know people buy vintage wallpaper rolls and commercial wallpaper sample books on eBay. But do you think this scrapbook would be of interest? The samples aren't very large and they're pasted in, so they can't really be used other than for reference or to scan. Maybe a designer might be interested?

If you were listing it, would you sell all the pages together or split them into two or more separate listings? What kind of price would you put on it?

 

Maybe a designer might be interested?

highly likely.....and keep it together.

 

Thanks, Komo. It would be nice if it turns out that's the case.

Somewhere around 70 years ago my mother put a lot of effort into this scrapbook and I'd love to see it go to someone who will appreciate it.

 

I also think that keeping each scrapbook together would be best. You might consider selling each scrapbook separately. I have no ideas on what to ask.

I think they are really interesting, although would have no use for them!

 

There are textile firms in New York and other collectors who would jump all over this. I'd say leave it all together and sell it somewhere design people can get their hands on it.

 

See that bottom one?! That was my paper in my bedroom in my favorite house (of many) in which we lived!!!

I remember watching the lady paperhanger -- vast person who did not mind a small nuisance watching her every day.

 

It is interesting, isn't it?

One of the other scrapbooks contained beautiful mid-century Swiss botanical postcards. With that one, I removed the cards and have sold them gradually over the years.

I think is the only one that's predominantly wallpaper. If I'm remembering correctly, there are two or three other scrapbooks and they mostly have magazine ads, which is a whole other collectible category. One of them my mother dated on the cover, I think maybe 1937, when she would have been 22.

 

You may be right. I hope so, anyway!

A couple of years ago I sold a small circa 1918 book with black & white ornamental designs meant as a resource for designers. The buyer was a guy who lives in the arty area of Brooklyn where Etsy is headquartered. When I told him it had belonged to my mother and she was a textile designer in NYC, it turned out that he was a textile designer, too. I thought that was cool and know my mother would have liked it.

 

Wow, that's really cool!

I wonder if I posted all the other samples if it would bring back memories for other people? Wouldn't it be something if it did?

 

Somewhere in the windmills of the mind, I remember someone telling me about 'people' copying and minimizing wallpaper samples for wallpaper in dollhouses! Just a thought that came up..........

 

Yup, I've done similar things myself.

 

They are very pretty. One of the them, somewhat reminds me of the colorful Meyercord decals that were used to decorate walls and canisters and so on.
Hope they sell like hot cakes.

 

Thanks, Pearls. I vaguely remember decals....

 

These are just stories from that vast store of minutiae that is my grey cell collection.

1. Thirty years after I lived there, my husband and I were driving by the long lane to that house. I decided to knock on the door, tell them who I was, and why I was there. The lady of the house was kind enough to give me a tour, including the bedrooms. Although my wallpaper had been replaced, that in my parents bedroom, although also replaced, was exactly the same as it had been...just with yellow roses instead of red!

2. My 6th grade teacher had us all making valentines with construction paper, wallpaper cutouts from various sample rolls (like the above), and white paper lace doilies. I still remember one I did: it was on pale blue paper, with pale pink roses and purple violets, and the lace pleated around it like a nosegay.

Thirty years ahead, am I going to remember what I did on the computer...?

 

Ah, yes. I can remember where I put things five years ago, but not those I moved five weeks ago. sometimes even five days ago! Aging... ugh!

Your valentine sounds lovely!

We moved from an apartment to a house under a mile away when I was in 4th grade. I remember within a year going back to the apartment house, knocking on the door, and telling the new occupant that I used to live there, but I don't remember if I was invited in or not. I'm amazed now that I actually did that... I guess because I'd lived in the building for nine years I felt trusting of anyone who lived there.

 

In case anyone is interested, here are more pages from the scrapbook. Do they bring back any memories?

 

I counted the pages last night... there are 65 and all but one have wallpaper samples on both sides. So there are probably 300-400 different samples of wallpaper and wallpaper borders. I think it's cool my mother did this!

 

I remember quite a few of them from looking thru the books with my mother. The time frame is later, and I was only four and a half at the time, but, my mother was a romanticist about bedrooms. Your Mother and my Mother...kindred spirits!

 

I still have wallpaper in all my rooms except one bedroom and in the kitchen.

We put it up 35 years ago. I like what I chose way back then, still to this day.

 

My worst wallpaper was when I was a teen. I do NOT know what I was thinking when I picked out the pattern or the colors.
It was yellow, white and black, huge pointy flowers and not in a good way.