Then & Now | Wallpaper was invented in China, but its primary purpose was not for decoration
The popular wall coverings were initially conceived to insulate rooms during the long, cold winters, and, on account of its humid climate, Hong Kong almost didn’t catch on
A short walk past the showrooms of Lockhart Road, in Wan Chai, or Portland Street, in Mong Kok, reveals various building and decorating materials for sale. Along with bathroom tiles, toilets, cans of paint and so on, wallpaper sample books catch the eye.
Originally from China, wallpaper was especially popular in the north, where thick sheets of paper helped insulate rooms, which in turn encouraged more efficient use of scarce, expensive fuel. Decorative Chinese wallpapers feature prominently in shipping manifests for luxury goods exported to Europe and North America during the 18th and early 19th centuries. These could be applied to cover cracks in plaster and other wall renderings, which reduced cold draughts and – as in China – helped to keep poorly heated rooms a little warmer through the long winter months.
Wallpaper was also cheaper than frescoes, which had been painted onto damp plaster as wall decorations since ancient Roman times. Classical revival styles were favoured during the 18th century, encouraged by the rediscovery of Pompeii and the popularity of the Grand Tour through Italy. The Industrial Revolution, in the 18th and 19th centuries, greatly aided the spread of wallpaper in Europe and North America, as newly affluent, emergent middle classes slavishly aped their social “betters” in interior decoration.
Improved printing techniques meant that rolls of wallpaper could be inexpensively produced with any decorative effect individual tastes dictated. Some “wallpaper” was actually fabric; thick, heavily patterned damask and other suitable types of cloth – heavy gauge silk was also popular – would be directly applied to walls, or first glued to sheets of card and then affixed; these could also be removed and reused.
Wallpaper was not popular in Hong Kong before the widespread mid-20th-century introduction of inexpensive air-conditioning units. Until then, humidity caused wallpaper to peel, discolour and go mouldy. This was a particular problem at higher altitudes, such as around The Peak, where houses were shrouded in mist for several months each year. In summer, Hong Kong conditions were frequently “worse than Nigeria in the rains; envelopes are all glued together, and cigars like bits of sponge”, observed governor Sir Frederick Lugard in a letter to his brother in 1907, so what hope would there be of delicate, hand-blocked wallpaper lasting for more than a season or two, before hanging down in sad, dispirited tatters.