sightly revised

1. Page 1
Two Chapters from Bernard Jacqué’s:
DE LA MANUFACTURE AU MUR: Pour une histoire matérielle du papier peint (1770 – 1914)
A thesis for the University of Lyon (2003)
=====
3.5.1. An Attempt At Renewal: The Painted Figure Panoramics
The panoramics begin to decline, as we have seen, in the 1840s. Reissues become more numerous and original
creations more rare. However, some panoramics are especially prone to aging because of the clothing of their
figures. This is the case with the French Gardens despite the new figures introduced in 1837, and the Views of North
America.
Some of them (Grande Helvétie and the Views of Italy for example) have only a limited success. But, could others be
adapted to new events? Faced with this question, Jean Zuber & Cie come up with an innovation: the panoramic with
painted figures. These will reuse the landscapes (backgrounds) of the older panoramics. The new versions will
consist of painted figures so as to save the expensive engraving costs that new figures would have required (see
Appendix 14 for inventories of both hand-painted and block-printed types).
The first example encountered is especially significant. The contest over the Texas territory between Mexico and the
United States in 1846-48 presented an opportunity. An historic event could be exploited in a new panoramic to take
advantage of the size of the American consumer market. Admittedly, a panoramic could have been created from
scratch as was done twenty years earlier with les Combats des Grecs; but the slow sale of the latter is reason
enough to avoid an investment that may not pay off in the long run.
Hence the idea of using an existing panoramic - "without figures", as the inventories put it - and to hand-paint
acceptable substitutes for the missing figures. And so, Views of Brazil (sic!) is transformed into the landscape of
Texas and Mexico for the good of the cause. Of course, there are significant gaps in the scenes, but since these are
warlike topics, the cannon-shot which produces an abundance of dense smoke does not seem out of place.
Similarly, the clouds of dust kicked up by galloping horses are justified by the desert conditions of these regions.
These clouds, when painted with the appropriate techniques, produce results impossible to obtain with block-
printing. The results are far from realistic; indeed, the armies almost seem to float on these clouds. Despite these
shortcomings, the results are not without charm. Let us note, however, that political history does matter: it is not a
coincidence that among the seven subjects dealt with from 1848 to 1855, four have a warlike theme: the Conquest
of Mexico (produced before May 31, 1849), the Italian Revolution (before May 1, 1850), William Tell (before May 1,
1851) and finally the American War of Independence (before May 1, 1853). For their part, the French Gardens
undergo a triple metamorphosis: they become Spanish Gardens (before May 1, 1850), then turn into Telemachus the
following year, and end as the Spanish Dances (before May 31, 1855).[1997]
To study this phenomenon specific to the Rixheim manufacture, we have two sources: (1) the annual inventories of
the company [1998], and (2) lithographs, colored or not, published with each new production. On the other hand,
preserved copies of the hand-painted scenics themselves are very rare. This work was not done in Rixheim but
subcontracted to specialists. The inventories note the names of two suppliers: Lemaire in Metz and Bauchat (or
Beauchat) in Paris.[1999]
The second artist remains unknown, but the first is a documented specialist in painted panoramics. His mastery was
examined in a study by Christiane Pignon-Feller on interior decoration in the nineteenth century.[2000] Lemaire
appears as a manufacturer of "landscape papers" in Metz in 1844: "he paints the landscape on paper.” His role with
Zuber is to paint the figures that will replace those that were not printed. The inventory mentions also a "model"
sometimes in Rixheim, sometimes in Metz, as for example:
“1 Conquest Mexico collection with figures that serves as a model.”
Over the years, about 200 panoramics pass through Lemaire’s hands. Bauchat apparently does the same work in
Paris, but little is known of him; curiously, the firms do not specialize. The Conquest of Mexico is thus painted by
both workshops. On the other hand, Parisian production seems much less important than that of Metz.

2. Page 2
The greatest success seems to have been the Conquest of Mexico: about one hundred copies were painted.[2001]
American War of Independence and William Tell were painted about sixty times each. The remaining scenics did not
enjoy the same success: only about thirty copies were made of each. But, the entire experiment ceases after 1860:
panoramics, whatever their theme, are now out of fashion. The panoramics with painted figures are no exception to
this rule.
The suggested retail prices show the viability of the operation: according to a price list of 1849-50 [2002], the Views
of Italy are to be sold at sixty francs and the Revolution of Italy at ninety francs, the Views of Brazil at seventy-five
francs, and the Conquest of Mexico at ninety francs. These panoramics also reach the United States: one finds
them, for example, offered by Josiah Bumstead in Boston in the spring of 1853: “…The Spanish dances,…Scenes in
the Life of William Tell…”[2003]
The American War of Independence suffered the same fate, which explains its singular destiny. From the first years
of the twentieth century, the United States had been developing a renewed interest in panoramics. In the 1920s,
Nancy McClelland established herself as an antique dealer in this field, located at 753 Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Her career as wallpaper historian began with “Historic Wall-Papers” published in 1924.
In that same year she visited the Rixheim factory and saw (she says) photographs [2004] of the American War of
Independence. On January 23, 1925, she wrote to the Zuber factory to announce that she had an American War of
Independence in bad condition; this copy, which she would like to restore, was destined for the Hartford Museum,
Connecticut. The correspondence shows Ms. McClelland eager to obtain colored photographs from Rixheim to
carry out this restoration.[2005] She writes that some elements are “done with a brush which look like clouds of
smoke,” but, she believes that some of the figures are printed and therefore: "I think you must have the blocks for
them still.” However, a different path is taken. On April 12, 1925, the factory manager writes back to the American:
“In response to your letter of March 25, I will tell you that, having found no economical way to reproduce the models
[2006] that interest you, I first contacted a photographer who made me wait a long time for trials and tests. Yet after
all I could not find a person who was willing to undertake the painting. In short this painting is not done yet. But I
agree with your opinion that it is a real pity that we cannot find a way to put on sale this beautiful scenery and until
now it has been impossible to find the blocks that certainly exist. I then wondered if it would not be easier to send
us the parts of the décor that you have which would do us great service and at the same time we could undertake
the repair of the strips here very easily. I ask you to think about this question and to give me your thoughts on this
subject. Of course, this precious piece of luggage should be insured…. I think you're going to have a lot of
hesitation about what I'm asking you to do. But, you will have contributed to the restoration of something I think is of
high historical value for the United States!”
Nancy McClelland's nationalistic (and possibly commercial?) interests were piqued by this letter. The project soon
moved forward, despite the property issues raised. The Zuber engraving records for the year 1927-8 contain the
following summary:
"Grand Décor American War of Independence from the old hand-painted document sent by Miss McClellan[d] décor
exhibited since at the New York Museum after being restored by us.[2007]
The engraving of the military characters only; the background being that of North America was begun in 1925 and
finished in August 1927. The wood cost 5000 francs, the engraving 31320, the assembly 5000.
1038 new blocks
958 blocks for the décor North America for the ground of the décor Independence, that is, 1996 blocks.”
Both the design and the block-printing of the new elements are mediocre: but perhaps the originals were, too. A
note accompanies the new panoramic, overlaid onto that of the Views of North America: it says that:
“By chance, just when the United States of America was going to celebrate the 150th anniversary of their liberation,
a citizen of America found some of this beautiful, almost ancient decoration. They were kind enough to put it at our
disposal and thanks to the documents in our archive, we were able to achieve a perfect reconstruction of this unique
work.”
This edition, apparently faithful to the painted copy, presents a fair idea of the methods used.

3. Page 3
- The taking of a fortification on Weehawk Hill in front of the view of New York is depicted. During the fight General
de Lafayette seizes a cannon. The rough landscape and the fortifications skillfully hide all traces of the elegant
promenade which was displayed in the 1834 edition. The unintentionally humorous description reports that “in the
distance, we can distinguish the city of New York. The little island of the governor who commands the bay of the
Hudson River is hidden from sight by battle smoke.” And for good reason! The smoke is a perfect artifice to hide the
city skyline of the 1820s which is so different from the skyline of the eighteenth century.
- The West Point Military Academy is transformed into Yorktown: the Hudson becomes the York River and the steep
banks of the river stand in for the Virginia countryside. Cornwallis surrenders his sword to Washington; a portion of
the West Point review troops remain in place, looking here like troops maneuvering on a battlefield.
- The port of Boston frames Washington's triumphal entry into the city: the general-in-chief, his staff, and the local
citizenry have replaced the harbor gatekeepers; the steamboat has disappeared.
- The adaptation of Niagara Falls and the Natural Bridge proved to be more complex, especially since these regions
were distant from any military engagements. Anonymous battles fill the space. The prospectus states pompously:
"This formidable body of water (Niagara Falls) fails, in its deafening din, to overcome the sounds of the battle that
the immortal Washington commands in person.” In the absence of historical truth, the episode takes on a dreamlike
quality: we end up not quite sure if the riders are on solid ground or riding on the mists of the falls.
Because of a lack of documentation, it’s difficult to know the popularity of the American War of Independence. We
do know that in 1929, twenty-two copies were sold in America. But, this is not many, considering that well over
1,600 panoramics were sent in that year to the United States. The panoramic was reprinted several times during the
century and was regularly featured in the advertising of A. L. Diament, the sole American distributor of Zuber
products between the two world wars and up until the 1960s. A copy was installed in the 1960s in the private dining
room of the White House, which gives it an iconic status matching that of the Views of North America which inspired
it.
In summary, the panoramic, even in this renewed formula with painted figures, is nevertheless condemned by the
evolution of decorative modes. The interiors of the second half of the nineteenth century become filled with trinkets.
These are omnipresent, whether in the form of furniture or cluttering up the wall.[2008] Under these conditions, the
intrusion of scenic wallpaper as yet another addition to the wall was unthinkable. Other formulas replace it, in
particular the “tableaux" appearing after 1855.*
end of text, 3.5.1.
=========
Notes, 3.5.1.
1997. In the inventories of 1858 there is a solitary notation for four sets of "War of India,” probably a variant of
Hindustan. Sales of the latter were also in a steep decline.
1998. In this context, Musée du papier peint de Rixheim (hereafter MPP) Z 17, 18, and 19.
1999. A man named Lucot in Paris appears in the archives as an associate of Bauchat.
2000. Master's thesis on the history of art: "When Ornament Was Not A Crime: Thirty Years Of Mural Decorations,
Metz 1840-1870,” Nancy II, 1992.
2001. But this paroramic is not documented at present.
2002. Jacqué 1984, p. 59 (dated by mistake as 1843).
2003. Douglas 2002, p. 47.
2004. She seems to have misremembered; rather than photographs, she almost certainly had seen lithographs.

4. Page 4
2005. MPP Z 200.
2006. Note “models” and not photographs: this is undoubtedly a reference to lithographs.
2007. Which museum in New York? There is no trace of an exhibition of the American War of Independence at a
museum in New York, nor has evidence been found of a connection to the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford.
2008. See Rémy G. Saisselin, “The Bourgeois and the Bibelot,” Paris 1990 (French translation).
* editor’s note: The “tableaux” referred to here is not to be confused with the more general term “tableaux” which is
sometimes applied generically to the scenes within panoramics. The tableaux appearing after 1855 were much
indebted to fine art paintings. These wallpaper scenes were presented in a discrete format within borders and other
frames.
====================================
Conclusion.2. The Revival of Panoramic Wallpaper in the 20th Century
Decoration often swings from one extreme to the other. It is therefore not surprising that one of the reactions to the
success of minimalism around 1900 was a resurgence of motifs in their most figurative form: panoramic wallpaper.
As we have seen, the tradition of panoramics had been in crisis since the 1850s. The last notable achievements date
from the early 1860s with Eden in 1861 and Brazil in 1862, two very similar decorations, designed by Joseph Fuchs
and edited by Jules Desfossé in Paris. These panoramics were relatively small in size (twenty-three strips for the first
and twenty strips for the second, instead of the usual thirty-two strips). They were notable for very many colors and
therefore for a correspondingly high number of blocks - 3,642 for Eden, an absolute record.
For its part, Jean Zuber & Cie proposed in 1860 a panoramic which aspired to the ambitions of these decorations:
the Japanese Garden. This had ten strips and was designed by Victor Potterlet, a decorative specialist.[2214]
Thereafter, the reign of the "painting" types (tableaux) continued, by taking advantage of the publicity offered by the
London World’s Fair of 1862: the Shepherd and the Goats of the Alps by Jean Zuber & Cie in 1860-62, the Vigie de
Koat Ven of Zuber in 1861, the Desfossé Priory in 1862, and the Storm by Zuber in 1863.
At this time scenics of smaller size begin to appear. These were intended for a single wall, for example, the Old
Bridge [2215] by Desfossé in 1862, in grisaille, in five strips. Even smaller is the central element of the Galerie Louis
XIV, presented in 1867 by Hoock Brothers, the successor firm to Délicourt. These products become an alternative to
the large panoramics which were becoming more difficult to use in decoration. This was not only because of their
size, but also because the constantly increasing number of colors and an ever more pictorial style made them more
expensive.
After these dates, even if here and there one or the other minor work may appear, we can generalize that the age of
panoramics was essentially over. But the torch was passed, nevertheless. Partly, this was due to the appearance of
large “tapestries" which began to multiply in the 1880s. These imitated the rendering of rich textiles: the Décor
Boucher of Desfossé (1882), for example, is made up of sixteen strips. Even if this work was influenced by the
tapestries of the 18th century and imitated some of their effects, it is the scale of the work, above all, that maintains
the panoramic tradition.
Art Nouveau also gives birth to a type of decor which is part tapestry and part painting, like the Picking of Oranges
by Leroy [2216] or, on a far smaller scale, the Floral Décor of Zuber [2217] and, also from Zuber, a Japanese decor in
1902.[2218]
All of these attempts seem to have fallen short; the era of the panoramic was truly over. An important milestone had
been reached during the 1880s when the Zuber factory inventoried all of its blocks and "degrave", i.e., burned the
blocks of unwanted scenics. This was of course a definitive blow.[2219] The lost scenics made up the bulk of
production before 1842, with rare exceptions. The Desfossé factory did the same in 1894.[2220]
This decision of the two major manufacturers of the field is, of course, essentially an economic statement: there was
apparently no market for these panoramics. However, its clear from a careful study of the archives that some

5. Page 5
productions continued their career even if much reduced. This is the case for three scenics in particular: Eldorado
[2221] which enjoyed at least three reprints of a hundred copies between 1870 and 1900 (compared to one reprint
every two years between 1850 and 1870); Isola Bella, reprinted in 1882; and Les Lointains, reprinted in 1877 and
probably also at the beginning of the twentieth century. Note that all of these panoramics have a timeless character.
None of them are linked to a specific historical time period, which was the kiss of death for many other scenics.
We are well informed about sales in America from October 11, 1905 to March 2, 1906.[2222] Zuber in that period
sold twenty-nine sets of Eldorado (at 150 francs, much more expensive than in the previous century), and 146 sets
of a scenic called variously Classic Landscape or Classic scenery (Les Lointains). At twenty-four francs, Les
Lointains is truly inexpensive; the coloring is in the camaïeu style, with six shades. More surprisingly, sixteen sets
were sold of a Horse Racing scenic created from thirty-seven blocks in 1838.[2223]
Around this time the first rigorous studies of the panoramic appear. In 1900, the collector Félix Follot classified
fragments of nine panoramics as "scenery" and presented them as part of a retrospective of wallpaper at the
Universal Exhibition of Paris. The following year, he published the catalog of the exhibition with an introduction - the
first serious essay about historical wallpaper in France. In 1905 the first edition of Kate Sanborn's book “Old Time
Wall Papers” appeared in the United States. She introduces the publication with the following words:
“Now…all the best manufacturers and sellers of wall-papers are reproducing the very old designs.”
She adds that the same interest applies to "old-fashioned landscape papers.” Since the centennial of the founding
of the United States, the Americans have had a sustained interest in their past and in the decor of this past, in
particular to the so-called Federal style to which the panoramics are now connected - by backdating them. In an
article in the Boston Herald newspaper of November 17, 1907, for example, the panoramic Terrestrial Zones,
created in 1855 and found in a New England interior, is said to be "well over one hundred years old" and printed "in
a fashion in colonial days”.[2224]
The final revival influence to consider is that of the German wallpaper museum. Around 1900 Gustav Iven began
gathering the collection which will become the foundation of the Deutsches Tapetenmuseum of Kassel which
opened in 1923.[2225]
The new attention spawned by the revival is soon reflected in production: in 1905 Desfossé & Karth reprint Brazil; in
1909, Jean Zuber & Cie re-cut sixty-four blocks for a reissue of Terrestrial Zones; and, of special note, they bring to
the market in 1912 a new panoramic: the Italian Landscape.[2226] This landscape is none other than a reduction of
Arcadia. Twenty strips are cut down to ten, and the figures of Arcadia are removed. In fact, all literal references to the
Idylls of the Swiss poet Salomon Gessner are erased in favor of a purely decorative approach. This occurs at the
very moment when neoclassicism returns to fashion in different forms after the interlude of the Art Nouveau.[2227]
The momentum of the revival, broken by the war, resumed at a very rapid pace after 1918. It is certainly not a
coincidence that, during the war, Georges Gayelin, manager of Rixheim, took advantage of the lack of orders to
reprint what the report of The 1917 Supervisory Board termed “Landschaftsbilder.”[2228] As a professional
salesman, Gayelin must have been attuned to market demands.
We must name here a number of people who played major roles in the revival. In France, the scholar Henri Clouzot
began to research historical wallpaper in 1912.[2229] He intensifies his research in the 1920s which, following many
articles, results by 1931 in his first brief history of wallpaper in which the panoramic plays a minor part.[2230] In
1935 his major contribution appears: the History of Wallpaper in France. This was co-written with Charles Follot, the
son of the collector Félix Follot. But, well before this accomplishment, Clouzot had published the catalog raisonné of
Dufour's panoramics in 1930.[2231] This work of 1930 is significant for another reason: in the catalog’s introduction
(though not the title) the term “panoramic” appears for the first time ever.[2232] At about this same time Clouzot
mounted exhibitions at the Musée Galliera in Paris showing panoramics.
On a commercial level, yet with scientific rigor [2234], the Parisian decorator André Carlhian collects, systematically
documents, exhibits, and sells historical panoramics, beginning in 1920. He stages three exhibitions on this theme.
[2235] In Kassel, the Deutsches Tapetenmuseum opens its doors in 1923 and for the first time systematically
presents a panoramic in the context of a history museum: that the setting of the museum is the Red Palace, former
Stadtschloß of the landgraves of Hesse, lends prestige to the accomplishment.[2236]

6. Page 6
Across the Atlantic, Nancy McClelland (1877-1959), specializes in the historical panoramics as an antiques dealer/
decorator in New York, while compiling documentation about them.[2237] This research culminates in her pioneering
work of 1924, prefaced by Clouzot.[2238] For the first time, a large number of panoramics are not only being
reproduced as decoration - they are also being documented as historical objects.
Finally, the Philadelphia firm of A.L. Diament & Company obtains the exclusive distribution of the reprints of Zuber
and Desfossé & Karth for the American market in the early 1920s.[2239] Diament carries out their duties with an
aggressive advertising campaign in upscale magazines whereby the historical reality is set adrift, if not capsized. For
example, if we are to believe the advertising copy, Psyche & Cupid, the superb camaïeu decoration created by
Dufour in 1815, "is done by David for Napoleon.” Would not Napoleon (and David, for that matter) have had more
pressing concerns in 1815?
Be that as it may, Diament was effective in encouraging the Zuber factory to exploit all blocks, even those which had
been long dormant. By 1923, the Hunting Landscape (first created in 1832), the Views of North America (1835) and
Isola Bella (1842) were revived. Then followed, around 1929, Hindustan (1807) and the Views of Brazil (1829). In 1937
Views of Switzerland (1804), and at an unclear date the Terrestrial Zones (1855) are reprinted. These are in addition
to the Eldorado (1849), Les Lointains (1825), Horse Racing (1838), and the most recent creation, Italian Landscape
(1911) which had already debuted in the pre-war market.
The catalog is even enlarged by creations that are clearly old-fashioned: from 1925 to 1927 blocks are engraved
(based on a copy found by Nancy McClelland) of the American War of Independence, a painted variant (1853) of the
Views of North America (1835), as we have seen above (section 3.5.1.).
In addition there are panoramics in monochrome which are highlighted for the first time with color. In 1929 the Côtes
de Villefranche is designed by Mathieu Ehny-Vogler after an over-door or frieze of the late-eighteenth century in the
style of J. Vernet.[2240] In 1930 the Sicilian Scenes [2241] appears, designed by the same hand. An enlargement of
Les Lointains by Bremler and Ehny is made in 1938. This is sold under the designations of “Bocage” or “Bocage
Flowered” according to the presence or lack of flowers.
For its part, Desfossé & Karth successfully put Cupid & Psyche (by Dufour) back on the market; it was reprinted
twice, in 1923 and 1931. The same factory hired Henri Stéphany to design a striking contemporary scenic: this was
the Modern Decor, a ten-strip, one-color scenic in the classic Art Deco style.[2242]
Commercially, the results of the revival are impressive. In 1929, a year undoubtedly exceptional and well
documented at Zuber [2243], the factory sells exclusively to A. L. Diament a total of 1,631 panoramics! When we
examine this huge total, we find that it consists of many different types with a few underlying similarities. First of all,
the most popular choices are the small or medium-sized panoramics: 497 Italian landscapes (ten strips), 389 Côtes
de Villefranche (fourteen strips), 225 Isola Bella (eighteen strips), and 220 Les Lointains (six strips). None of the large
panoramics (from twenty to thirty-two strips) sell more than one hundred copies each: eighty-nine of the Hunting
Landscape, seventy-eight of the Eldorado, fifty-five of the Views of North America, twenty-two American War of
Independence, sixteen Hindustan, fifteen Horse Racing, and eleven Japanese Landscapes.
Note also that panoramics without figures (with the exception of the Côtes de Villefranche which is new to the
market) are more successful than the others, possibly because of their lower price, but also because of the evolution
in taste. It is also remarkable that the Views of Sicily, created just afterwards in 1930, does not include any figures at
all. At Desfossé, the sales volume must have been robust, based on the very large number of sets of Cupid &
Psyche which remain in circulation down to the present day.
Although the economic crisis of the 1930s dimmed this success, the production and sale of panoramics continued,
to such a degree that in 1937 the panoramics accounted for almost half of the inventory value of the Zuber factory.
This was a completely new situation in comparison with that of the nineteenth century when, as we have seen, the
panoramic played a limited role. Zuber & Cie thus began an evolution that will lead to its present situation where the
reprinting of panoramics has become by far its main activity.[2244]
The Second World War may have stopped the printing of panoramics but the sales continued. The stock was
transported to the Creuse area of central France, where the trade carried on, especially to the United States, as long
as it remained possible. With an eye toward the possibility of blockades, A. L. Diament bought up all available stock.
[2245]

7. Page 7
Aside from Zuber and Desfossé it’s necessary to mention Charles Huard, who also reprinted antique block-printed
wallpapers. In 1924 he recreated a panoramic known as Royal Palace (Palais Royal) and added to it, increasing it to
thirty strips. According to Jean-Louis Chasset, whose father preserved the blocks, forty sets were printed and sold,
the vast majority of the sales involving Nancy McClelland, Inc. At about this same time an unknown studio seems to
have also reproduced some panoramics and created new ones, all with hand-painting methods.[2246]
In the inter-war period an important change in the terminology occurs. People in the nineteenth century had long
hesitated about what to call panoramics. The term most frequently employed was simply “landscape” (paysage). It
was only in the first half of the twentieth century that the concept of "panoramic" was introduced: in 1924, Henri
Clouzot, in his introduction to Nancy McClelland's work, mentions “large story-panels which Miss McClelland calls
scenic papers, a term for which the French language has no equivalent.[2247]
In 1930, as we have seen, Clouzot used for the first time the completely new term “panoramic," after having
probably invented it. Apparently he came up with this word in connection with the painted-canvas panoramas
(installed in rotundas) which he wrongly thought to have emerged at the same time as the wallpaper versions in the
late-eighteenth century. The term “panoramic” is taken up by Carlhian in his catalogs, but it is necessary to wait until
1948 to see it accepted by Zuber & Cie who then begin using it to describe, for example, "panoramic scenery.”
Meanwhile, Diament and others in America continue to use the term “scenic wallpaper" which has been in use since
the beginning of the century. [2248]
However, what is different across the board is that when panoramics are installed after 1918, they resemble
panoramas, without any accompanying décor, in the sense that the wallpaper industry used this term in the
nineteenth century. That is to say, without isolating the different scenes, and often, without even a border. Adjacent
decorative areas are treated in a solid color, without ornament. We can therefore conclude that apart from the simple
emergence of the word “panoramic,” a more significant change has occurred: the design concepts in constant
evolution since the beginning of the century have affected decorative practice.
If the twentieth century, educated by Adolf Loos, Le Corbusier and Bauhaus, rejected the ornamental formulas of the
previous century, it nevertheless laid the foundation for the rediscovery of these "landscapes" and integrated them
into new modes of decoration. As often happens, an identical object of decoration resulted in different effects
according to how it was used.
Equally puzzling was another change. Now, instead of covering all the walls of a room, it became fashionable to use
smaller sets, such as the Italian Landscape, to cover only part of the the room, or even a single wall. It is not a
question of returning to the "paintings" of the years 1850-60 [the “tableaux” style], since there remains a
considerable horizontal continuity on the wall. Yet there is at the same time a refusal to commit to a “panoramic"
view which overpowers the room.
Here we take a particular case: that of Cupid & Psyche. Its discontinuous design had, as early as 1815, encouraged
a presentation of panels, or even (as at the Residenz d'Ellingen in Bavaria) a presentation of “paintings." The wide
circulation of Cupid & Psyche, following on the revival already spoken of, gave rise to many Empire/Art Deco
expressions. The most famous is that installed between 1926 and 1930 in the office of the summer residence of the
President of the French Republic in Vizille, near Grenoble, but contemporary decoration magazines record many
other examples.[2250]
There is another essential difference between reprinted panoramics and historical models, namely, that the antique
panoramics often have a bright, if not garish, color palette, appropriate for their use of striking imagery. There is also
a simpler explanation: this was required by the dark atmosphere of many interiors of the first half of the nineteenth
century. But, the interiors of the twentieth century were better lit, both naturally and artificially.
Above all, the panoramics are now regarded as a luxury product, as evidenced by their price, with their procurement
now put into the hands of first-rate decorators and antique dealers like Carlhian in Paris, Place Vendome, or Nancy
McClelland, Inc. in New York on Fifth Avenue, with all of this activity fueled by advertising in glossy decoration
magazines. As a result, the colors of the panoramics are homogenized and lightened, and the figured scenics
popular prior to 1850 are rarely reprinted. Note finally that the panoramic, usually installed until then in a reception
room, enters the bedroom, as shown in contemporary advertisements, articles, and photos of decorating
magazines.[2251]

8. Page 8
The panoramic revival is not extinguished after the Second World War. It continues with essentially the same players
and on the same basis as before the war, and even grows.[2252] Zuber & Cie, in particular, will specialize more and
more in these reissues which, after 1978, become practically its only production.[2253] The installation of an antique
copy of the Views of North America in the diplomatic reception room of the White House in 1961 had a strong
impact. Much of this impact can be traced to its somewhat dubious connection to the initiative of the legendary
Jackie Kennedy.[2254] It is also remarkable that this panoramic is placed in an oval room, consistent with its new
status of "panoramic" and without any framing elements (see discussion above).[2255] All the panoramics reprinted
before the Second World War in Rixheim continue to be printed in Rixheim up to the present.[2256]
In addition to these reprints, many companies, especially in the years 1950-1970 [2257], in Europe as well as the
United States, will produce small sets, mostly by silkscreen, generally six strips or less.[2258] This little-known
production, which is not very well-represented in the MPP collections [2259], seems to have been enormous,
especially in America. During the 1960s the trade magazine Wallpapers & Wallcoverings regularly listed firms that
offered this type of product. In September 1958, under the heading "scenics and murals,” they list 38; in September
1968, the list grows to 105!
The activity decreases thereafter, without completely disappearing. According to the advertisements of this
magazine and the examples preserved, the production appears qualitatively very poor. A maximum of six strips are
offered with the possibility of adding individual strips to the right and to the left, in a small range of colors, usually
less than ten. However, there is some variation in backgrounds and printing techniques.
As for the motifs, their themes express a longing for the past: idealized views of Virginia, Williamsburg-style colonial
revival, the ports of New England, the “must-see" destinations of any trip to Europe such as Venice and Montmartre.
Also, rather banal gardens or verandas, and a large assortment of Chinese or Japanese trees. Among the vast
amounts of production which were advertised, there is only one contemporary motif, and it comes in 1958 during a
moment of American nationalism and pride occasioned by the conquest of space: Space Station X-7 by the Warner
company. This particular vision owes a lot to science fiction.
Among the better-quality examples, we find the international style of the years 1950-70, very "School of Paris" of
that time, influenced by Cocteau or Peynet. European companies launched projects of both quality and quantity
onto the market: Sanderson in England; UPL [2260] in Belgium; Dumas [2261], I. Leroy [2262], and Inaltera [2263] in
France; and Flammersheim & Steinmann [2264], Salubra [2265], Schleu & Hoffmann [2266], and H. Strauben KG
[2267] in Germany. Many municipal structures built to accommodate post-war reconstruction in the aftermath of the
baby boom featured abstract compositions reminiscent of the best French paintings of the time.[2268]
In this ocean of mediocrity, however, there is one exception: Zuber & Cie. The company stays in the game by
remaining faithful to its technical and aesthetic traditions.[2269] The responsibility lies with two men: the president,
Pierre Jaquet [2270], who, taking over the company in 1968, found a way to renew the panoramic in the early 1970s
in the person of Francis Deransart [2271]. Deransart’s idea was to create decors adapted to the conceptions of
modern architecture and closer to the tastes of a new clientele, using up-to-date technology.[2272]
In this context, the manufacturer creates in the years 1975-80 a collection named the “Landscapes of Zuber.”
Deransart hires artists specializing in contemporary decorative art: Jean Michel Folon (the Exit), Alain Le Foll (Water
Lilies, Cliffs, Sea), Georges Lemoine (The Towpath) and Francis Deransart himself (L'Envol). This collection,
presented in an album, follows strict constraints: very few colors (generally one to six), a reduced number of strips,
four or at most six, with the possibility left open of adapting the decor and the pattern design to variable surfaces.
But, to compensate for these constraints, the manufactory offered options for iridescent colors and other subtle
color variations.
The result, which was very sober and refined, not far from the Scandinavian design then fashionable in interior
decoration, met with a measure of success. For example, the Envol was presented in the contemporary section of
the Musée des arts décoratifs before its closure. Although these decors were admittedly beautiful, they had only a
limited appeal in a market dominated by banality. They were printed until the early 1980s.
In contrast to such refined research and development, the 1980s also saw the Scandinavian company Scandecor
initiate a program of “murals." These reproduced, with the help of new printing techniques, landscape photographs
of considerable width in just a few simple moods: mountains, beaches, and so on. The iconography is not far from

9. Page 9
the imagery of calendar photography, and some are designed in a style more audacious than artistic. Unlike the
previous ones under discussion, these products are aimed squarely at a popular audience.[2273]
In recent years, Italian wallpaper manufacturers have put decorations on the market more or less in the landscape
mode. These are modular and printed in rotogravure. American manufactures, for their part, have long produced
with similar techniques landscape friezes dominated by views of the western United States.
The trade of buying and selling antique panoramics remains intense: antique copies are disassembled and regularly
put on sale in Paris since the pioneering sale of Sotheby's Park Bernett in Monte-Carlo in 1982.[2274] Moreover, in
the United States, silkscreen reproductions of historical panoramics, notably the Monuments of Paris, have been
done: one of these copies has been installed in the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum in New York.[2275]
Zuber, for its part, has offered for sale in recent years fragments of panoramics of various origins. Some have been
reproduced by screen printing, and some have been hand-painted in Nepal; for example, an Inca scene from the
Dufour & Leroy factory. But while the motivation for reprinting antique wallpapers may be keen, especially in Anglo-
Saxon countries, the high cost of these reissues tempers their popularity. In the end, block-printing still has a future,
provided that the artisanal know-how is maintained.
end of text Conclusion.2.
=========
Notes, Conclusion.2.
2214. It bears the name of “Great Japanese Decor” in the engraving records, which is surely not accidental,
although there are only seventy-two colors.
2215. Consisting of ninety-two blocks, according to the Leroy archives, Musee des Arts Decoratifs (MAD). This
scenic is quite rare: the Deutsches Tapetenmuseum in Kassel and the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Cologne each have
a single copy.
2216. We do not know any published reproduction of this decoration. There is a collotype in the MPP archive.
2217. 1897, four strips, cf. Jacqué-Bieri 1997, pp. 53 and 38.
2218. Ten strips, 240 blocks, ten colors, see Jacqué 1984, p. 99.
2219. At this time many blocks vanished, never to be seen again. These included blocks for: Arcadia, the Great and
the Small Helvetia, the Views of Italy, the French Garden, the Views of Scotland, and les Combats des Grecs.
2220. Fauconnier 1935-36, p. 17.
2221. Eldorado was used as the centerpiece of Zuber’s stand at the World’s Fair Exposition of St Louis in 1904.
2222. MPP Z 89.
2223. Apparently these figures, too, had a somewhat timeless quality.
2224. These quotes from the article were used uncritically in advertising by the US distributor for Zuber (A. L.
Diament) throughout the inter-war period.
2225. Mick s.d., pp. 121-122.
2226. Designed by Stutz, ten strips, 240 blocks.
2227. This is an episode in the history of decorative art that has not yet found its chronicler. In the field of wallpaper,
it was very significant.
2228. MPP Z 5.

10. Page 10
2229. See "Hommage à Henri Clouzot” in Bulletin de la Société historique et scientifique des Deux-Sèvres, tome
XIII, n° 4, 1966, pp. 60-200.
2230. Clouzot 1931.
2231. Clouzot 1930.
2232. In 1928, the terminology was still unsettled. The historian Jacques Robiquet used the expression "animated
landscape" while trying to translate the term "scenic paper" (Robiquet 1928, pp. 87-94).
2233. The most important is in 1933: Aeronautical History Exhibition and Wallpaper Retrospective.
2234. His methods compare favorably to the commercial methods of Diament, see below.
2235. Of which two included catalog: Paris 1936 and Paris 1946. See Nouvel-Kammerer 1990, p. 257.
2236. Mick s.d., pp. 123-129.
2237. Obituary notice in Wallpaper & Wallcoverings magazine, November 1959. Ms. McClelland fought
unsuccessfully for the birth of an American museum of wallpaper, modeled on Kassel. The roles of Carlhian,
McClelland and Iven show the breadth of the antique panoramic market, which remains vibrant. A considerable
number of antique scenics continue to be dismantled, put on sale, and reassembled in new places; they appear
regularly in leading auction houses and in private sales on both sides of the Atlantic.
2238. She also develops a business relationship with Carlhian.
2239. The history of this family-based Philadelphia-area firm is obscure; it closed in the 1970s. The descendants of
its owners have some archival records. The archives of the MPP have information about the company for the period
1931-1942 (MPP Z 153-156).
2240. At first 158 blocks. An additional 106 blocks were created in 1931 to color the figures. Fourteen strips.
2241. Twenty-four strips, 533 blocks.
2242. Only forty blocks according to Fauconnier 1935-36: the number of blocks is significant; records of the
advertising lithography are in the MPP archive. For more on Stéphany, see Hardy 2001, pp. 12-13.
2243. MPP Z 90-91.
2244. The name of the factory since 1926 has been “Zuber & Cie.”
2245. The head of Zuber in the 1940s is Louis Zuber who joined his family in Switzerland after 1942. Oddly, his
name is included in a list of Jewish accounts in escheat published by the Swiss banking authorities in 2000.
2246. All these references are found in the MPP archives. In recent years, the London firm of de Gournay has
reproduced some antique panoramics with hand-painting methods.
2247. My emphasis.
2248. In the second half of the century, “scenic” is often replaced by “mural.”
2249. The panoramic presentation, it will be remembered, was far from being the rule in the previous century. It was
unthinkable to install a panoramic without a border and/or frieze.
2250. The Château de Vizille was the presidential residence until 1975.
2251. See for example Sanders 2002, p. 92.

11. Page 11
2252. Except that the Desfossé company disappears. The blocks for Cupid & Psyche were destroyed by bombing
during the Second World War; two remain in the MPP (donated by Teynac). The current Zuber & Cie factory reprints
the frame of the panoramic under its own name.
2253. The company abolished its machine-printing business in 1978, while selling its buildings to the city of
Rixheim. After the company was bought in 1983 by Chalaye SA, the quality of the block-printing, which had
remained until then at a high level, declined precipitously. Screen printing, hand-painting, and systematic coatings
have transformed the quality of the “impressions.” But, the company does introduce some new ideas; panoramics
are now presented to potential customers as investments.
2254. This ancient panoramic, found in a house in Thurmont (Maryland) was acquired by the National Society of
Interior Designers and donated to the White House; see Emlen, “Imagining America In 1834,” Winterthur Portfolio.
2255. See for example illustration 79, p. 95 in Saunders 2002. We know of only two historical examples of scenic
wallpaper presented as a true “panorama" [ideally, an oval or circular room without windows or doors]: first, Dufour’s
Sauvages du Pacifique, still in its original setting at the Château de Champlitte (Haute-Saône); the second, once
installed in the South-West of France, has been sold and removed, cf. Clemens 1995.
2256. However, many of these must be considered variants, because painted elements have been introduced.
Already during the 1950s, block-printed panoramics were not always authentic, at the request of Diament. This can
be discerned from a Diament advertisement in the archive: "today Zuber & Cie…throw caution to the winds by
adding provocative color to a newly created foreground of this charming scenic wallpaper.” The ad boasts that "a
color worthy of Van Gogh is introduced into each foreground; clusters of blossoms in rich blue, yellow, camelia and
fuchsia, in order to bring the gray and sepia foliage and ground of the original scenic up to a modern tempo” (Doc.
MPP).
2257. Some examples in the MPP archives from the 1930s are printed using a photo-lithographic process; the use
of these technologies will increase after the war. See Saunders 2002, p. 96.
2258. Leiß 1961 gives a short account, the only one to our knowledge, pp. 113-114: "die Bildtapete modern.”
2259. The MPP has one set of panels from the American firm Piedmont.
2260. Available in 1968: Marne, Chantilly, Ulysses, Hunting, Gascony, Flanders, Watteau, Genova, Kyoto, Directoire,
Okusaï (sic), Fishing.
2261. A panoramic designed by Fumeron is presented at Galliera's exhibition in 1955.
2262. Available in 1968: Roman Terraces, The West Indies, Greece, Hunt.
2263. Available in 1968: Dutch landscape (in the manner of Vernet), Pastoral, Feast Gallant, Louveciennes, Arcadia,
Spooky, Venice.
2264. Before 1961: Weinlese, Sommer.
2265. Before 1961: Salubra-Dekor No. 4104A (a contemporary harbor view).
2266. Before 1961: Er-Te.
2267. Before 1961: Komposition.
2268. Leiß 1961, illustration no. 41.
2269. It seems that the factory produced a few new block-printed panels around 1950, designed by Chapelain-Midy,
Despierre and Potier. Photographs of these presentations at an exhibition of decorators are kept in the archives, but
few other traces have been found (Doc. MPP).

12. Page 12
2270. Descended from a family of industrialists from Mulhouse, Jaquet became a prominent local businessman,
particularly as president of the textile company Schaeffer & Cie (now defunct), and became the main shareholder of
Zuber & Cie, which passed out of family ownership in 1968.
2271. I owe to F. Deransart himself, currently retired, the information concerning his artistic choices.
2272. It appears that from the years 1950 to 1960 the factory tried experiments in this direction: at a Biennial of
decorators, apparently, the manufacturer presented a small decor of Chapelain-Midy, then very fashionable, one of
Pottier in a style close to Jean Lurçat and one of Despierre, very "School of Paris" (photos Doc. MPP).
2273. This type of manufacturing is still going on around the world. In Europe, the German firm Komar has become
the main supplier, see www.komar.de. To see an example in the setting of the 70s-80s, see Hers (François),
Ristelhueber (Sophie), Intérieurs, Bruxelles, 1981, pp. 14-15.
2274. The auction house Coutau-Bégarie has made antique wallpaper a speciality; it is also regularly offered for sale
by the French-American antique dealer Carole Thibaut-Pomerantz.
2275. This silkscreened reprint was made by the American design studio The Twigs. The screens were subsequently
bought by Zuber & Cie.
— the end —