Hand Painted French Wall Paper Sample, Late 19th Century

This exquisite piece comes from Balagny-sur-Thérain (northern French region) during the late 19th century. This hand painted (gouache) wallpaper sample was produced by "La Société Française de Papiers Peints" (the French Society of Wall Papers) founded by Jules Roger in 1881. The company remained in business (under the leadership of 3 generation family members) until an unfortunate economic downturn in Balagny-sur-Thérain lead to it's closure in 2006. They were a leader in decorative wall coverings for almost 125 years. They had a special reverance for the art. Each wallpaper design was meticulously painted in fine detail as a sample (like this).

There is a faint stamp at the top right of the piece with the comapny logo. The number of the piece "138" is also written on the piece in several areas. We also love the color pallet painted at the bottom center of the piece. The sample is mounted on a brown craft paper (which is stamped with its catalog number), but could be removed for framing purposes. This is an excellent piece of French design history.

Overal size: 20" x 32.75"

Sample: 16" x 25.25"