Sheet with overall lattice pattern with rosettes 1800 - 1900

This small sheet displays an overall lattice pattern with rosettes made by an anonymous artist, and its date remains unknown. The regularity of the design speaks to the rise of industrialization in the 19th century. Wallpaper like this was made in England at the time it became fashionable to use it to decorate a domestic interior. We see here the influence of institutional design on the everyday lives of ordinary people, not just the wealthy patrons of the elite arts. With the rise of a middle class, the culture of domesticity grew too, and so did the demand for affordable ways to decorate homes. An art historian would want to investigate the pattern books from the 19th century, which record the motifs that were popular at the time. These kinds of resources allow us to understand the culture in which everyday forms of art like this one were made and used.