WALL PAPER, or PAPER HANG INGS, called by the French papier teint, orna mental, decorated or colored paper affixed to the walls of houses as a substitute for the ancient tapestry hangings. The Chinese appear to have employed paper for this ust from time immemorial, and the English claim to have first introduced the practice into Europe. On the other hand, the French assert that printed paper hangings were first made at Rouen as early as 1620 or 1630 by one Francois, and that the art was perfected in the latter part of the 18th century by Reveillon in Paris. It has cer tainly prospered more in France than in anY other country; and so much taste and skill have there been developed in the manufacture, that the French papers have been sought for in preference to all others. Some of the Paris factories employed 3,000 or more workmen as early as 1875. Establishments are located in nearly all the large cities of E In the United States the first wall pape=tory was established in 1790 by John B. Howell at Al bany N. Y. Paper was at that time made only in dieets, and had to be joined before being printed. Color was then applied by means of a brush to form the background of the design, and the latter wa.s subsequently printed upon the paper from wooden blocks, as many blocics being used as there were colors in the pattern, each block having a part of the pattern upon it in one color. One block was printed the whole length (.£ the paper before the next color was applied. It should be stated that this method of printing by means of blocics still prevails, but only in connection with designs whiCh, on ac count of their dimensions, or through some other peculiarity, cannot be printed on the cylin der-machines that have practically supplanted block or hand work, as it is termed. The method of applying color to the background by means of a handbrush has, however, been done away with altogether. It does not appear that any other factories were established until about the year 1810, at which time a man named Bori ken was engaged in the business. The Howell firm had meanwhile sold out their Albany busi ness to Lemuel Steel, and, after a short experi ence in New York and Baltimore, had finally, in the year lt320, located at Philadelphia, Pa.,
where they have been established ever since, the present owners complising the third and fourth generations engaged in the business. It was not until 1844 that any decided advance was made in the growth of the industry. About that time paper in continuous lengths came into more general use, and the necessity of joining sheets together was obviated. In that year, also, the first machine for printing wall paper was imported from England and introduced into the Howell factory. While very crude, as it printed only a single color, it had a stimulating effect on the business, inasmuch as it enabled goods to be produced at a reduced price, and increased the volume of the business. As near as can be ascertained, the entire pro duction of wall paper in the United States at that time did not exceed $250,000. The second printing apparatus was imported from England iu 1846, this one printing six colors. Machines were subsequently built in this country, at first by the machinists connected with wall paper factories, but after a time a specialty of this machine was made by William Waldron of New Brunsvrick, N. J.
The printing machine of to-day is unques tionably a great improvement on that originally imported into this country, although the princi ple of its operation is practically the same. It is designed on lines similar to rotary litho graphic and cloth-printing machines, with a large central drum or cylinder. The paper passes over the cylinder, the pattern being printed on it by means of rollers on which the design has been placed, each roller represent ing one of the colors used in the design. These rollers are registered so accurately that the paper, in passing over the rotating cylinder, receives impressions in correct position from each of the surrounding rollers. The paper is hung up by an automatic process as it leaves the machine, and passes into drying-racks which are usually several hundred feet in length, after which it is rolled up in lengths of 8 to 16 yards, and is ready for market.