Wall Paper c. 1939

Holger Hansen made this wallpaper design sometime within his long life using watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper. Floral wallpaper patterns like this one evoke a moment in the history of interior design. If you lived in Europe or the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries, this image would likely trigger associations with the domestic interior. Wallpapers were a common feature in middle and upper class homes, and their designs often reflected the tastes and values of the people who lived there. The pink roses here likely resonated with the Victorian fascination with flowers and their symbolic meanings. But it would require more research into design archives to determine if this was indeed a pattern produced for commercial sale. Either way, it prompts us to consider the politics of taste and the social history of domestic design.