Hall Lincrusta

The 1880s wallcoverings in Roseland Cottage are a type known as Lincrusta-Walton or Lincrusta. Invented by Frederic Walton in England in 1877, it’s produced by pressing a mixture of wood pulp and linseed oil onto a fabric or paper backing to create a raised pattern meant to look like richly tooled leather.  Beginning in 1883 Lincrusta was produced in the Stamford, Connecticut, factory of Frederick Beck & Co.

In the 1880s, perhaps in response to entertaining dignitaries and politicians, Henry and his second wife Ellen undertook a major redecoration of the public rooms, bringing them up to date with the latest fashion. Lincrusta was added to all the public rooms. In the hall at Roseland Cottage, it includes a dado with a stylized sunflower design beneath a large scale damask pattern. At the ceiling, not visible in this image, is a frieze with interlacing rosettes.  For more information on Lincrusta, see Architecture, Design, and Style: Interiors.